The Cairo bulletin., 1910-04-13
WISCONSIN SENATOR SPEAKS IN
OPPOSITION TO TAFT's PET
MEASURE.
SCORES WICkERsHAM
For Dismissins Governments Suit
Against Merger Of New Eng
land Llnes-others De.
fend the Measure,

toilette, Of Wisconsin, today spoke in
opposition to the railroad bill in the
senate. His remarks consisted chiefly
LOT an arraignment of Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham for ordering the dis.
missal of the governments merger
suit against the New York, New Ha.
ven and Hartford railroad for ab-
sorbing the Boston and Maine line,
because the Massachusetts leglsIa-
tture had passed a law lcgalizing the
holding company. Senator Lodge
| came to the defense of the action OF
Ibis states legislative officers, declar-
ling the two roads were not competing
lines as charged by Lafollette, and
! that the law was wise legislation.
Senator Gallinger made a brief re-
| sponse also.
Lafollette said he presented this
transaction to Illustrate the possible
effect Of the enactment into law OF
I the merger provisions OF the pending
railroad bill He gave especial at.
tention to the Massachusetts leeis.
lation under which the combination
was made effective.
II was practically charged by the
speaker that this enactment was con
lsummated as the result of the dicta
tion of President Mellen, of the New
Haven road who he intimated repre-
scented the Morgan-Rockefellef inter
ests. He quoted from a member Of
the Massachusetts legislature a state
ment to the fleet that Governor Dra
per had responded to the ultimatum
from the New Haven interests AMI
TO show that the federal
merger suit, which had been iastt
tated during the Roosevelt admins
tration, had been dismissed at the
dictation of Attorney General Wick
orsham, under the Taft adniinistfa-
tion for the inadequate reason that
the Massachusetts Legislature hal
passed the holding bill under which
the consolidation was effected
Near the close of his speech La
toilette made the sharpest reference
to Wickersham. Rising to tip toes,
he exclaimed:
MIR. President, Is that wise lcgis.
lation embodying no sudden impulse,
but the matured views expressed In
the party council which the attorney
general in his recent speech at Chi
cago said Is pressed for enactment?'
us It for legislation such as this that
the attorney general commands all
who would not be read out Of the
Republican party to get in liner
Lodge then replied defending
Wickcrsham as a lawyer and a man,
and said no railroad president ever
dictated to Governor Draper He,
like Gallinger, said New England was
able to conduct its own business.
Lodge admitted some difference Of
opinion in Massachusetts, but sail
the merger frustrated the danger of
a foreign corporation securing the
Boston and Name to the detriment
of the state.
Lafollette then declared that the
people of Massachusetts, had been
taken off their guard and that the
merger bill had been steam rolled
through the legislature. II was
passed on June rs, and on the 10th
the federal merger suit was discon-
tinued. He shouted:
"This great case involving the
of New England and
all the people Of the country engaged
In trade with New England, after
eleven months of preparation and
prosecution on the part q
the government, reached stan
where the defendants are compellee
to take their stand and make theii
ana then like d tunderbolt
from clear sky comes the order
from Washington Dismiss the
governments case.
He said Wickersham's reason for
the act was not entirely inadequate
He declared the attorney general
had thus given sanction to o compact
to nullify the laws OF congress, say
ing IF the door Of the federal court
may thus be closed in the face Of q
wrongcd and outraged public by the
attorney general. then the law be-
comes black art and justice q mere
juggler's pawn"
Declaring that the New Haven road
had already begun to increase rates,
he drew the conclusion that this pro-
needing was but the beginning. he
said.
when the complications that prs
vent an Increase Of through rates 4.
the present time are disposed of
when this bill becomes Law. II Il
sver does. then we shall get an exs
amnles ~ thr0uCh Yates which wllI