Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-11-23
lAFoLle11e AND THE CORPORATIONS.


Answering the anti LaFollette allega
lions as to Senator LaFollette's atti-
tude toward trusts and corporations
as dangerously radical the LaFollette
will ask for nothing better than
campaign in which the regulation Of
big corporations will be the most i'm
portant feature To every assertion
that Senator LaFoIlette hs too radical
in his views on corporation legislation
and regulation. they will point to the
Wisconsin. and to assertions that his
election as president would be dis
turhing factor in the business world,
they will make a similar reference
The Progressive News Bureau
points out that when Senator LaFol-
lette was governor Of Wisconsin. that
state was confronted with the corpor-
alton problem in all its serious aspects.
just as the same problem confronts the
nation today and declares the corpora
ton legislation enacted into law in
fighting by LaFollette is today respons-
ible for the high value placed upon
bonds of corporations doing business
in tina, state.
II is recalled that when LaFollette
was making his fight the business IN
,erests set up the cry that his pro-
gram would be ruinous. These same
interests today acknowledge that the
corporations and the people of Wis
consin were mutually benefited, and
the admission is supported by facts and
figures
Going into the history Of LaFoliette's
Accomplishment in Wisconsin It is re-
called that the fight for the creation
Of a railroad commission kept LaFol-
lette in the governors. chair after his
election to the United States senate.
The railroads opposed a body which
would regulate their business. How
thoroughly unfounded, their fears were
is demonstrated by the fact that during
the first ffve years of the existence of
the railroad commission, freight
charges were reduced so that shippers
saved more than s1,2oe,0oo year. Re-
auctions in passenger rates resulted in
a saving TO the psoplss4fsyvisconsin Of
more than 100000 a ye9r This would
have been a serious loss to the rail-
roads had 1t not been for the fact that
the commission was as jealous in pro-
tecting the rights Of the railroads as 1t
was in looking after the rights Of the
citizens of the state. This Is demon
same period Of years the net earnings
OF the railroads in Wisconsin increased
relatively just a little more than the
net earnings of all railways in the
| United States. The increase, in Wis
consin was 18.45 per cent. and in the
| United States as a whole, 1871 per
cent. There was an actual increase Of
| 20 per cent in the revenues OF the roads
from traffic During the same period.
the increase in traffic revenues of all
the railroads in the United States was
only Is per cent. In other words, the
total income Of the roads from their
Wisconsin traffic increased "a per cent
more than the total income OF all the
roads from all their traffic in the
United States. Wisconsin included.
This increase was made notwtthstand-
ing that largely because of orders by
the railroad commission. improvements
regarding equipment. etc. the roads in
Wisconsin increased their expenses IS
per cent more than the railroads in
the United States.
! The LaFollette campaign appears to
have been fairly well planned and to
have behind it an excellent ammunition
train.