The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-09-14

Republican members refused to sub
mite to the Cannon machine, and the
subsidy amendment was stricken out.
But the subsidy champions were not
discouraged. They became bolde
The Gallinger subsidy bill next session
called for ocean mail subsidy amount
ing to $S,000,000 a year. This sub
sidy came to a vote in the senate. 1t
was close 1t stood 80 to 80 until
Vice President Sherman came to the
rescue and saved the day for the sub
sidy crowd. Nelson voted for the SUBJ
sidy.
Protecting the Railroads.
Railroad rate legislation was before
the senate in 1906. There was over
whelming public demand for real reg
ulation. The president and congress
could not ignore it. They set about
to frame a law. AS usual, representa-
tives Of the railways swarmed to
Washington to protect their inter-
ests. They were largely successful
In few respects only the bill, as
passed, was an advance over the ex-
listing law. The railroad lobby sue
ceeded emphatically in keeping out
of the law provisions that would
really compel the railroads to serve
the people of the country fairly,
equitably, reasonably and justly.
Throughout this contest Senator
Nelson was strictly REGULAR He
stood faithfully by the Aldrich ma
chine, and the railroad interests
Amendments were offered to
strengthen the bill-amendments to
i1jcf to
consumers, and yet fair to the rail-
roads. There were amendments to
restore the penalty Of Imprisonment
for violations of the interstate COM
merce law; to conteract the we'll worn
trick of the railroads Of Withholding
testimony from the commission, later
to produce it in court; to invest the
commission with power to prohibit a
railroad from charging more for
short than for long haul over the
same line; to take a physical valua-
ton of railroad property; to provide
an effective railway employers Habil-
1ty amendment for the reli-f of raile
way employees. Nelson voted against
all these amendments.
This law, being compromise, did
thWarted, renewed it's demands upon
congress and the president for relief
from the extortions Of the railroads,
overcapitalized and arrogant. Again,
IN 1910, railroad rate legislation was
forced upon congress. The Taft-Wick-
ersham bill, sent to congress with the
presidential demand that it be enacted
into law without the crossing of ''t''
or the dotting of an 'i,'' was the bold
est raid upon public rights that the
system ever succeeded in forcing upon
the serious consideration Of congress.
The Progressive Republican SEMI
tors fought to eliminate the vicious
provisions Of this bill and to insert
provisions in the public interest. For
IL long weeks they fought this meas
ure. Through their efforts, aided by
Progressive Democrats, the bill was
reconstructed. They forced the re-
luctant Old Guard to abandon it's ag-
gresslve service to the railroads.
Against all the influence Of the rail-
roads, combined with all the power of
the administration, the bill was
changed, point by point, until it was
no longer the presidents bill or the
W1ckersham bill or the railroads. bill.
Excepting as to the court of COM
MERGE, the bill was torn to pieces and
rewritten. Dqlliver, Cummins and La
toilette led in this fight for the ship
per and the consumer.
Nelson's record throughout this
whole contest reveals the same loyalty
TO the New England oligarchy and
TO the railroad interests that charac-
terlzed his service to the system in
the railroad legislation of 1906,
He stood by Taft and the railroads
IN support OF the commerce court.
lie voted against the amendment
giving to the shipper the same access
to the commerce court as was pro-
V1ded for the railroad.
lie voted against the amendment
providing that no person financially
or officially interested in railways
should be eligible for a position as
judge on the commerce court.
He voted for the amendment TO
place the defense of the commissions
rulings tnthe hands Of the attorney
general, a railroad subterfuge.
He voted against the amendment
which specified that no advance in
rates should be valid until after an
investigation by the Interstate COM
merce commission.
Hevoted against the "long and
short haul amendment aimed at dis
cr1minatory rates by which the rail-
roads were favoring one community at
the expense Of others.
He voted against the amendment
strengthening the hours of service law
IN the interest Of the railroad en-
ployes.
He voted against the amendment
for physical valuation of railroads.
Nelson's record is consistently that
OF faithful "railroad SENATOR"
The One Bright Spot.
Nelson's vote for downward revision
of the tariff Is one bright spot On
an otherwise dark record. In the
sessie9l of 1903 he voted for a real
tariff commission. He voted on roll
call after roll call for rates substan-
TALLY lower than those proposed by
Aldrich, and on the final roll call he
cast his vote against the outrageous
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