The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-05
RAILROADS ARE IN
CONTROL OF STATE
DIR. WILLIAM Il. DODD DELIVERS
ADDRESS ON POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
PRESS IS PERVERTED
TELLS HOW EQUITABLE LIFE IN
rLUENCED THREE GREAT PAPERS
LOBBYISTS IN LEGIsLA-
PRESS IS PERVERTED

ATLEE. HANOVER co. VA.
July 4.--Dr. William L. Dodd. Of the
University OF Chicago. formerly of
. randolph Macon, was the orator of
the day here. speaking under the au-
spices of the Virginia State Demo-
! cratic League, DIR. Dodd spoke on
political conditions in the State, hold
ing the railroads responsible, and Sc
/ verely arraigned three of the lead
ing newspapers of the South.
He said in part;
Captains of industry have made
/ our tariff laws, controlled our ma
tional administrations and our Fed
! erai courts They have made alli-
ances with our party machines, they
act upon legislatures and governors
/ through the bosses. and the under
| world in every great city, the lawless
element. is in close affiliation with
these bosses, who use them for their
own purposes. first. to carry cleo
tons against decent citizenship. and
second to give them the power for
I thu @h4eh the interests -AberalItr-
1hus the decent and self respecting
citizen, the owner of small properties,
the cultivator of the soil. has no voice
in taxation, no representation In leg
islatureA, State or national.
The great capitalists have been
busy with us. too. They have seized
or stolen valuable properties like the
Seaboard Railway, the Georgia Cen
trail and the Southern. Thomas f.
| Ryan. one of the worst of the Wall
street gang. has more power in Eir-
GINA to-day than any governor you
have had in dozen years He in
timidates your legislators. he subsi-
dies Your party organizations The
Goulds have got possession of the
+! trolley system in and about Rich
mond. and the representative Of these
properties has more power In Wash
Iington than any Virginia member of
| Congress.
Equitable and Southern Papers.
Six years ago, when the national
conscience was stirred by the out
frageous rohberies which the insur-
ance investigation brought to light,
the South was hardly touched. But
that scandal had not Reached it's eli
max before the owners or editors of
three leading Southern newspapers
We're made defenders of this and 9TH
er Wall Street robberies by the UNI
lsavory genius OF Thomas r. RYAN.
The most prominent Richmond daily,
already an advocate of the inter
ests, as against the people, became
a part Of the New York machine
when its owners we're drawn into the
closest connection with the Euuita-
bic Life Insurance Company; since
that day the Times Dispatch has not
been Democratic, but a plutocratic.
torgan.
At the same time that high
finance got Its grip upon the big
gest paper in Virginia. D. A. Temp
Rihs' OF Charlotte. y. G.. was also put
on the famous Equitable board.
) Tompkins is Pennsylvanian, who
owns the Charlotte Observer. and
: who has hand in all high finance"
or North Carolina. Not content with
the subservient support of these lead :
ling organs of public opinion. Ryan.
the TOBACCO magnate, the New York
traction wrecker turned to the old :
est Charleston paper, the News and
Courier. and make its editor also a
confidential advisor to the same fin :
surance company.
Railroads Dominate State.
Four years ago / had the honor
ana great pleasure to teach your sons
history and political science in one
of the fine old colleges of this State.
made study of political condi-
tons in Hanover and in the legis-
iature. 1t was found that the chief
eounsel or one OF your railway cor
porations had represented Hanover.
senate for twenty years, that this
employe OF great railroad was
chairman of the finance committee
J Of the State OF Virginia. This seem )
ed strange.
But looking little further, it was
|seSn that fiant,s or $ repre- Sentative III
the house was lobbyist by profess
sion. When suggested that he ought
to be defeated in the next primary,
the machine men in the county de-
ciared why, he Is speaker of the
house; he IL ar honor 10 the county.
We expect him to be governor of Vir-
ginia one of these days This SCENE ed
stranger still.
Next it was seen that the counsel
Of the Norfolk and Western was also
u senator and chairman, believe,
Of the judiciary committee The idea
that this was improper was hooted
at. Why. he Is author of the great
Mann law against the liquor husi-
ness. reformer. a Sunday-schoo1
teacher can never be put out or the
senate. And | find that YOU have
since made him governor. and they
tell me the liquor interests actually
supported him. contributed to the
campaign fund what was needed after
Ryans Darrell was exhausted,
+ AiiA ~ ttDL dlis 1eTtd1n interests
la Virginia l. found had hooked
about the State when the people
were preparing for their new con.
sti:Ition in t900-190I for the great
railway lawyers. and they actually
succeeded In putting into their con-
vention the representatives OF the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Poto-
mac. the Southern and the Norfolk
and Western! or course, these able
lawyers thought that they represent
ed the people, but the railroad com
panies We're satisfied that they rep
resented the railroads. Anyway,
have never heard that the corpora
In tho Hobbies.
Yes. we woke up to the reaiiza-
ton In Hanover that Virginia WAS
corporation ridden" And wEon.
about that time, l visited session
of the assembly, saw sleek lean,
and fat lobbyists everywhere. could
not even get seat in the gallery, while
these lobbyists sat :,f-she places OF
nay representatives. was not per-
mitted to consult a friend In the
house except in the crowded lobby,
while smooth corporation lawyers
filled the committee rooms. Being q
student of political conditions and of
history, 7 was disguised. for 1t was
plain that the house OF Justice and
honor. the great council Of Virginia,
had been converted into a market