Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-04-13

washington, April l2.-lnCldent 10
the consideration of the administration
railroad bill, the merger of the Boston
& Maine Railroad with the New York.
New Haven G. Hartford Railroad
through the railroad holding law en-
acted by the Massachusetts Legisla-
ture was discussed at length today in
the Senate. The principal speech at
lacking the consolidation was by Sen
ator La Toilette. Brief responses by
Senators Lodge and Gallinger were
made at the close of the Wisconsin
senator's speech. Both Of the New
England senators defended the merger
and upheld the law under which it
was made.
La Toilette presented this transact
ton in great detail, for the purpose
he said of illustrating the possible eff
feet of the enactment into law Of the
merger provisions of the pending rail-
road bill. He traced the consolidation
from the beginning, but gave especial
attention to the Massachusetts legis-
| lation under which the combination
was made effective.
| 1t was practically charged by the
speaker that this enactment had been
contaminated as the result of the die
| tation OF President Mcllen of the New
Haven Road, who. he minated, rep
resented the Morgan Rockefeller in
terests. He quoted from a member of
| the Massachusetts Legislature Il state
| ment to the effect that Gov. Draper
| had responded to an ultlmatum from
| the New Haven interests. He under
! took to show that the federal merger
suit, which had been instituted during
| the Roosevelt administration, had been
| dismissed at the dictation Of Attorney
| General Wickersham. under the Taft
administration for the inadequate rea :
| son that the Massachusetts Legislature
| had passed the holding bill unde.
which the consolidation was effected
! The argument covered wide range
| Of accusation, but aside from the
| speakers desire to hold aloft the merg-
er as q bad example the evident pur-
pose was to contrast the Taft admin
| stration with the Roosevelt admins
| tration to the disadvantage of the for
mer The criticism of Attorney Cen
eral Wickersham was especially
stringent and pointed. The responses
by Lodge and Gallinger were just as
| positive in his defence. 1t was to-
wards the close of his speech that La
Toilette made his Sharpest reference
to Mr.. Wickersham.
Mr.. President" said La Toilette.
rs this the Wise legislation embody-
ing no sudden impulse. but matured
| view expressed in party council, when
the attorney general in his recent
speech at Chicago said, Is pressed for
enactment?' Is it for legislation such
as this that the attorney general com :
mands all who would not be read out
Of the Republican party to get ~
| line"
The session was we'll nigh spent
when the Wisconsin senator concluded
his set speech Lodge was the first
to speak in reply. Declaring he could
not afford to allow what La Toilette
had said to pass without word re-
garding the attitude of the people OF
Massachusetts, he entered upon q
| statement of facts intended to sho"
that La Follette's outline of the situa
ton had not been accurate.
In the first place. he declared, the
New Haven Road and the Boston q
Maine Road were not competing lines
| and he asserted that the necessity foi
| the consolidation had been found IL
the poor financial condition of the lat
ter road which was such as to render
if impossible for it to make necessary
improvements.
Lodge then entered upon an account
of the efforts of the New Haven road it
1906 and 1907 to obtain control of its more
northern contemporary and told of the
legislation under the administration 81
Gov. Guild to control the stock of TIN
Boston & Maine which had passed int
the hands of the New Haven Co. so "a
to prevent an injurious effect on com
merce. He said the legislation obatnet
at that time had had the effect of pre-
venting the contemplated consolidation
but at the time had paralyzed the i'm
provenents which had been undertaken
by the New Haven road
Not only was this true. he said but
great block of stock had been thrown
upon the market and there had been Sc
rious danger that a foreign corporation
would obtain possession of it. result
which would have been vastly detri
mental to the interests of all New Eng
land. This was the condition, said the
! Massachusetts senator. when the state
legislation of 1909 had been undertaken.
Going into considerable detail as to the
| legislation, Lodge in defence of Gov
| Draper said that that official had given
the subject most careful consideration
and, he continued:
| 81 desire to bear. testimony to the fact
| that no more honorable, no more high
minded, and no more public-spirited man
ever held office than he, nor is there in
| the United States today any man less
subject to dictation. No railroad pres
ident ever went into Governor Draper
Office and undertook to dictate what he
/ should do