El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-13
LAFOLLETTE GOES
AFTER ATTORNEY
GENERAL
Wisconsin Senator Assails
Railroad Consolidation
and Mr.. WickerSham.

Washington, d. c.. April 13.-The
merger of the Boston & Maine railroad
with the N Y. y. H & II. railroad
through the Massachusetts holding law,
was discussed at length in the senate
yesterday.
Senator La Toilette consumed the
larger part of the days session. Brief
response by senators Lodge and Cal
inger were made at the close OF the
Wisconsin mans speech Both the
New England men defended the merger
and upheld the law under which it was
made.
Mr.. La Toilette presented this trans
action in great detail for the purpose,
he said, of ILLUSTRATING the possible eff
feet of the enactment in law of the
merger provision in the pending rail-
road bill. He traced the consolida-
ton from the beginning. but gave
special attention to the Massachusetts,
legislation until the combination was
made effective.
Charges Railroad President.
1t was practically charged by the
senator that this enactment had been
consummated at the dictation of presi-
dent Mellen of the \. Y, n. H. & H
railroad, who. he animated, represented
the : Morgan Rockefeller interests. He
suit, which had been instituted during
the Roosevelt regime, had been dis
missed al the dictation of attorney gen
eral Wickersham under the Taft admin
istration, for the inadequate reason that
the MassachusettS Legislature had
passed the holding bill under which the
consolidation was effected.
The argument covered a wide range
of accusation. but aside from the speak
a bad example, the evident purpose
was to contrast the Taft administration
with the Roosevelt regime to the dis
advantage of the former
Arising to his tiptoeS. he exclaimed:
Mr. President, is this the wise leg
isiation embodying no sudden impulse
but matured views expressed in party
council which the attorney general in
his recent speech at Chicago said
is pressed for enactment. Is il for
legislation such as this that the attor-
ney general commands all who would
not be read out OF the Republican party
to get in lIne?"
Senator La Toilette took up the
Massachusetts state legislation author
iZing the acquisition of the Boston &
Main stock by a holding company, but
failed to find in this legislation any
thing like the Importance attached by
WickerSham. He asserted that Mr.
Wickersham had permitted state leg
islation TO supersede federal legisla-
ton in a matter in which interstate
commerce was largely concerned
People Taken Off Guard.
He declared the people OF Massachu-
sets had been taken off their guard
by the authorization of the holding
company and approvfngIy quoted the
chairman of the Massa chusettS house
committee on railroads when he stated
that governor Draper had been COM
peeled to accept Mr.. Mellen's ultima
tum.A
Quickly following this announcement
came the passage of the holding bill
by the Massachusetts Legislature. Mr..
La Toilette declared that ii had been
steam rolled" through that body. 1t
was passed on June Is and on the
26th the federal merger suit was dis
continued.
Think of it," shouted Mr.. La Fol
lette. This great ease, involving the
transportation of New England and
all the people of the country engaged
in trade with new England after IL
months of preparation and successful
prosecution on the part of the govern
ment, reached a stage where the de-
PENDANTS are compelled to take the stand
and make their showing and then like