The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1910-06-16
Vital Washington News.


railroad regulation bill
that will not provide for a physical
of railroads.
The millionaire colony OF the SEN
ate, some of the members of which
own stock in railroads, fought deS-
perately to kill every physical valua-
ton amendment proposed.
The Interstate Commerce commits
sion, partisan Republican in make
up, has recommended physical valua-
ton year after year. The commission,
in It's last annual report, somewhat
hopelessly, says: 'The commission
has, in previous reports, expressed
the opinion that it would be wise for
Congress to make provision for
physical valuation of railroad proper
ties, and desires to re-affirm in this
report its confidence in the wisdom
of such measure. J." Il
Physical valuation was recommend
ed by Roosevelt time and again. This
is at least one Roosevelt policy that
Mr., Taft has deserted cold-bloodedly,
The President has raised neither
voice nor Den on behalf of phvSical
valuation.
Yet the Supreme Court, in the Ne
braSka rate case, held that 'the basis
OF all calculation as to the reasonable
ness Of rates must be the fair value
OF the property being used for the
convenience of the public" AS the
interstate commerce commission does
not know the value of a single rail-
road, it must fix reasonable rates by
sheer gueSswork.
Presidents Bill Is Not Progressive.
AS progressive legislation, a rail-
road regulation bill without a provi-
sion for physical valuation, is a farce.
The national Democratic platform
of 1903 declared for efficient super
vision and rate regulation of rail
roads and to that end strongly rec
commended the taking of a physical
valuation.
But when it is considered that
Hartman contributed S260,000 to the
Republican campaign fund on behalf
of the railroads, that probably num-
erous other railroad magnateS adj
vanced equally large sums, and that
the very bill Congress is about to
place upon the statute books was
originally drawn in New York and
submitted to the railroad interests be-
fore being introduced in Congress, it
is not so strange that physical valua-
ton amendments received their death
stabs even after passed by a goOdly
majority in the House of Representa-
tiveS.
Oh, American people, you must be
more vigiant than you are if you
would continue to deserve the name
of patriotic people!
Who Mr.. Taft's Visitors Are.
Republican senators who most fire.
quently visit the White House are:
Aldrich of Rhode Island, acknowl-
edged congressional representative
of Wall street.
Lodge of Massachusetts, who de-
clares the ultimate consumer to be Il
myth.
Depew of New York, chairman of
the board Of directors of the New
York Central. and Hudson River rail-
road, and director of 50 other trans
portation and franchise corporations.
Stephenson of Wisconsin and Gug-
genheim of Colorado, who are fire.
quently referred to as having bought
their way into the Senate.
Here are the Republican Senators
with whom the President does not
confer: LaFollette of Wisconsin,
Clapp of Minnesota, Deliver and
Cummins of Iowa and Bristow of
Kansas.
Rainey Has Right After All.
Attorney General Wickersham,
former sugar trust attorney" is quite
proper, after all.
When Representative Henry t.
Rainey of Illinois made the above
reference to Wickersham some time
ago the latter professed to have
been greatly outraged, and had a
letter read on the floor of Congress
in which he Indignantly denied the