New-York tribune., 1911-11-17
JAIL FOR RICH OR POOR|
Speaker Clark Says That Is Place
for vioIators of Law.
IN CONTROL OF LOBBYISTS
Delegate to Trans Mississippi
Congress Makes Startling
Charge.

Kansas City. Mo-. Nov. l6.-"Thls Trans
Mississippi Commercial Congress is con-
trolled by lobbyists representing the robber
companies. the railroads and the Sugar
Trust, and this has been demonstrated re-
peatedly by the CONGRESSES action" was the
startling statement made from the platform
at to-day's session Of the congress by
George j. Kindel, OF Denver.
Mr.. Kindel's statement came as an angry
retort to an interruption by delegate. The
Denver man was delivering an address ad-
vocating the parcels post. In which he
blamed the express companies for the an
nual postofiice deficit.
Why don't you put some OF these ideas
into resolution to be placed before the
congress?' shouted a delegate.
In replying Mr.. Kindel made his asser-
ton that the congress was controlled BY
the big interests.
Champ Clark, Speaker of the House Of
Representatives In an address before the
congress made especial reference to the
difficulty his party had encountered in try
ing to economize in the expenditure OF pub
lie money and the need of more income. He
said in part:
IN OT0ef 10 ascertain WneTe IL IL most
feasible and beneficial to economize We
have vitaliZed and set TO work the ten
standing investigating committees OF the
House We also elected two special in
yestigating committees, one on the Sugar
Trust and one on the Steel Trust. We have
been criticised more by reason OF these
investigating committees than for anything
else we have done. Yet everybody knows
that the Sugar Trust stole millions from
the government and that the big wigs in
that concern kept out Of the penitentiary
by compromise by which they paid to
the government small part OF what they
had stolen. There never was a thief yet,
great or small, who would not be glad to
escape felon's stripes and felon's cell
by giving back a small portion OF the prop
erty stolen. The proper place for thief
Is the penitentiary. no matter how big or
rich he is, and it would do more good to
send that gang to the penitentiary than to
send forty-acre field of petty thieves.
Theoretically, the law is no respecter OF
persons, and should not be I'm practice. II
the law were honestly and vigorously en-
forced against all criminals. the great as
well as the small. there would not be so
much unrest throughout the land. IL the
all Of It's lll-gotten gains, there would be
money enough in the Treasury to finance
several desirable enterprises.
Mr. Clark said there were several i'm
portant and far reaching problems OF
urgent necessity pressing for solution. say
ing:
Among these are a rational conservation
or our natural resources, which we have
wasted with a prodigars hand: compre-
hensve and practicable scheme for the
building Of wagon roads; change In the
banking laws so as to give the element OF
elasticity to our currency system. con-
summation devoutly to be wished; the
drainage and reclamation of oyerfowed
and swamp lands, and. above all, an ade-
quate and comprehensive system of river
Improvement.
Speaker Clark digressed from his set
speech to express his disapproval of the
proposed changes in the nations currency
and banking system as outlined by former
United States Senator Nelson W. Aldrich,
chairman of the National Monetary Com
mission.