The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-10-28

controversies which have taken plac,
between the members of our party,
am more profoundly convinced thar
ever not only OF the Importance, bu
OF the imperious necessity Of admin,
lsferinE the affairs OF this country
through the fundamentally OF the re-
publican party, and / assert with al
the sense of responsibility that car
attach TO one who has given his best
Years to the service of his fellow men
that the welfare happiness and pros
perity OF the people cannot be secured
or promoted through democratic SUI
premacy.
Assuming personal honesty on the
part OF every candidate-and by that
mean the purpose to do, under all
circumstances, what he believes to be
right appeal ror the election OF all
republican candidates, no matter how
Woe their differences may have been
with respect to the measures for the
public interest which have been or are
now proposed
i liter asserting that the three fore
most subjects challenging the atten
ton OF congress in the future are the
regulation and control of corporations
and interstate commerce, the adjust :
ment of the tarifr and conservation of
natural resources Senator Cummins
entered into a discussion of rate reg
ulation and the tariff.
Problem of Railways.
For years the national government
mas been attempting to protect the
people against unreasonable or dis
criminatory railway rates" he said in
taking up the railroad problem. "Ey-
cry student of this subject has known
during all this time that our efforts
In this direction could not be wholly
successful until the commission which
supervised the rates knew the amount
Oh railway capital on which a reward
could be fairly demanded.
FTnere can be no ADEQUATE or sat-
isfactory regulation of our railways.
their rates and their practices unless
we can for the future see to ID that
there shall be no capitalization OF
common carrier corporations. either nv
way of stocks or of bonds, that does
not truthfully represent money actual.
ly used by the common carriers in tho
betterment or enlargement of their
properties.
This restriction, so vital in its char
acter and so acknowledged in its ne
cessity, can be put upon these COR
porations only through legislative act:
ana here the real difficulty appears.
IL must be done either by state leg
islatures or by congress.
Congress Must Act.
The man who believes that there
is any nope of securing from the state
Legislature, with their varying inter-
ests, series OF laws that will SO CO.
operate with each other that the can
ltaEzation of our great railway sys-
TENS can be efficiently guarded, is a
living example of fatuous imbecility.
Every sound and thoughtful person
knows that If we are to have adeouata
legislation upon this subject it must
come from congress.
The republican party, as a whole.
believes that the restriction Of the cam
italization of interstate railway com
panies Is a regulation OF interstate
commerce. The democratic party. as n
whole believes that it is not a regu-
lation OF interstate commerce
There are some republicans who. |
conceding the power, are not so blind
to their duty that they are not willing
to exercise the power and they ought |
TO be relieved from the Responsibilities |
OF office with the utmost expedition. |
but 1t would be sad commentary
upon the intelligence of our voters |
to substitute for such a republican. |
a democrat who denies the existence |
OF the power and whose presence in
office would add strength to an organ |
ization which refuses upon constitu
tional grounds the relief so inpera- |
lively required. In the republican adj
of the subject lies the
only hope OF any adequate remedy
whatever"
Still for Protection.
Regarding the tariff Senator cum.
Minis said:
ITO every republican a protective
tariff Is the one unvarying, unaltera-
Die tenet OF his political faith. The
republican party has always stood for
IT, stands for 1t now, and 1 hope al
ways will stand for 1T. The democrat
lc party with equal persistency has
always stood, now stands and I as
sumo always will stand for its cher
Ished folly-duties for revenue only.
AS a member of the senate / did |
not vote for the tariff law of 1909 and
would cast a like vote again if
had the opportunity to do so. have
criticised unsparingly some of the
schedules of this law, and not one of
these criticisms is withdrawn.
Il voted against the bill because. in
my judgment. it was not a. fair and Il
faithful application of the republican
doctrine of protection to the business
If our country.
There were some republicans in
congress who deliberately disregarded
he commands OF our platform but
ne failure to properly revise the tar
n schedules was due, in my iudg-
nent, not so much to indifference
oward our promises as 1t was to the
want Of information.
We pledged the country that we
would revise the tariff by equalizing
here and abroad. That IA
o say, by imposing import duties that
would measure the difference between
he cost OF production in the United
states and abroad Our difiiculty was
hat with respect to great majority
I the items of the tariff we did not
now and could not ascertain what
he difference In cost of production is j
Tariff Commission Imperative !
The republican party now recog-
ICES that the only practical way in :
thich to acquire knowledge is through
he work of an intelligent, independent. :
ornament commission, with full pow /
r TO inquire into all the processes of i
reduction Il