Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-13
W|CKERSHAM IS
!. SCORED IN SPEECH
BY LAF GILLETTE
Wisconsin Senator Makes Wgor-
GUS Attack on Taft'S At
torney General
RAILROAD BILL DENOUNCED
Boston & Maine Merger with New
Haven Road Taken as
Basis for Speech
RAILROAD BILL DENOUNCED
Associated Pressl

ASSOCIATED Pressl
VIZ ASHINGTON, April 12.-Inciden-
w tai to the consideration of the
administration railroad bill. the
merger of the Boston G. Maine with
the New York, New Haven & Hartford,
through the Massachusetts holding
law, was discussed at length in the
senate today.
The principal speech attacking the
consolidation in unstinted language
was made by Senator La Toilette and
consumed the larger part of the days
! session. Brief responses by Senators
| Lodge and Gallinger were made at the
close of the Wisconsin senator's
| speech
Both of the New England senator's
defended the merger and upheld the
! law under which it was made.
| Mr.. La Toilette presented this trans
action in great detail to illustrate the
possible effect of the enactment into
| law of the merger provision of the
pending railroad bill. He traced the
consolidation from the beginning, but
! gave especial attention to the Massa-
| chusetts legislation under which the
combination was made effective.
1t was practically charged by the
| senator that this enactment had been
consummated at the dictation of Presi-
dent Mellen of the New Haven road,
who, he intimated represented the
Morgan Rockefeller interests. He
| quoted from a member of the Massa-
| chusetts Legislature a statement that
Governor Draper had responded to an
| ultimatum from the New Haven in
| terests. He undertook to show the
! federal merger suit, instituted during
the Roosevelt administration, had
| been dismissed at the dictation of At
| torney- General Wickersham under the
Taft administration, for the made
| quate reason that the Massachusetts
legislature had passed the holding bill
under which the consolidation was eff
fected.
CONTRASTS ADMINISTRATIONS
The argument covered a wide range
| of accusation, but, aside from the
| speakers desire to hold aloft the
merger as a bad example, the evident
| purpose was to contrast the Tart
administration with the Roosevelt ad-
ministration to the disadvantage of
the former
Mr.. La Follette's criticism of Atttor-
ney General Wickersham was especially
stringent and pointed The responses
| by Messrs. Lodge and Gallinger were
| just as positive in his defense. Both
the New England senators defended
!
as man.
1t was towards the close of his
speech that Mr.. La Toilette made his
| sharpest reference to Mr. Wickersham.
He had practically concluded his ex-
position of the New England merger
and was devoting himself to condem-
nation of the pending bill, when, rls-
! ing to his tiptoes, he exclaimed:
'Is this The wise legislation, en-
| bodying no sudden impulse, but ma
| tured views expressed in party coun-
| cil, which the attorney general. in his
recent speech at Chicago, said, is
pressed for enactment?' Is it for leg
| islation such as this the attorney gen
eral commands all who would not be
read out of the Republican party to
| get in line?"
Mr. La Toilette asserted that at the
behest of the New Haven company the
i Massachusetts legislature had under
taken to repeal the federal law and
license an act congress had declared TO
be a crime against the people.
| And" he said, 'tho attorney general,
| the highest law officer of the federal
! government, sworn to preserve, protect
and defend the constitution and enforce
the laws of congress, gave his official
approval to this legislative compact be-
tween the New Haven company and
the Massachusetts legislature to nullify
| the law of congress, and declares 1t ex-
pressly authorizes what congress has
expressly forbidden"
ALREADY RAISING RATES
| Declaring the New Haven road had
| already begun to increase rates, MIR.
/ La Toilette drew the conclusion that
this proceeding was but the beginning.
when the complications preventing
an increase of through rates at the
present time are disposed off, he said.
when this bill hecames- q Lazy. IL it
| ever does then we shall get an exam
pie of through rates which will quicken
| the interest of the entire country in the
| conduct of this creature of state and
national favor Already Massachusetts
is made to know her real master"
| The session was we'll nigh spent when
| the Wisconsin senator concluded his SET
! speech.
Mr. Lodge was the first to speak in
| reply. Declaring he could not afford to
allow what Mr. La Follett had said to
pass without a word on the attitude or
! the people of Massachusetts, he entered
upon a statement intended to show Mr..
La Follette's outline of the situation
| had not been accurate. He declared
the New Haven road and the Boston q
| Maine road were not competing lines,
| and he asserted the necessity for con-
| solidation had been found in the poor
financial condition of the latter road,
which rendered impossible necessary
| improvements.
Mr.. Lodge admitted differences had
arisen among the people of Massachu-
setts, and outlining the holding bill,
he asserted it had been framed to safe
guard effectually the interests of the
people of the state.
Mr.. Lodge deprecated the agitation
of a subject by one Who was not fa-
miliar with the entire situation. He
intimated New England would be able
to settle it's own affairs, and declaring
he held no brief for the New Haven
road said he spoke only for the peo-
pie of his state. He believed the state
had acted wisely and without inten-
tion of doing anything that would not
serve the public interest.