Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-21

wrong. the people of this country will
lose that answering and unfaltering
faith which they have heretofore re-
posed in their judicial tribunals. l do
not know whether the tribunal will be
disposed toward the railways or wheth-
er it will be disposed toward the COM
mission and the people, but do know
that any judicial tribunal appointed or
selected for the purpose only Of ad-
justing or determining disputes be-
| tween the great railway companies Of
| the country and the people of the coun-
try will be subjected to that suspicion
which naturally arises in the human
heart. You can not subdue it; you can
not overcome it,
Events have vindicated Senator
Cummins: the court of commerce has
proved a hindrance to justice, rather
| than a help: it has stood between the
farmer and the just rates which
should be granted to him. Here is
how a writer in one of the leading
eastern periodicals characterizes the
court:
1--WE have court. established within
the last two wears. the members Of
which have been appointed by that
president who has been most urgent
in his demands for judicial reform.
which has exhibited a policy of OBJ
Struction more barefaced than that of
any other court in the country. It is
comparable only to the supreme court
of California, when that body was lit
orally owned by the Southern Pacific
railroad I refer to the new and all
but useless commerce court estab-
lished on the strenuous insistence of
President Taft and the railroads and
against the strenuous opposition Of al
most every friend of corporation con-
troll in the United States
What has been the record of this
court which President Taft and the
railroads insisted upon? This court has
the right to review the decisions and
orders of the interstate commerce COM
mission To date it has passed upon
twenty four cases { a small amount
of work to occupy five judges two
years at cost to the taxpayers of
s2000o0). In only one important case
the position of the interstate commerce
commission was sustained In the
other cases. the court decided for the
commission. In the remaining eighteen
cases temporary iniunctions or final
DEGREES were granted or the railroads
position upheld. In view of such
record is not Senator Cummins vindi-
Gated in every word he uttered predict
ing the coming Of a day when the peo-
pie Of this country will lose that un-
swerving and unfaltering faith which
they have heretofore reposed in their
judicial tribunalSo"
Yet in view Of this record President
- z1-s, - -
ordered the writing and the passage
Of bill which made it possible for
the railroads to force unjust rates on
the shippers without the interstate
commerce commission passing on them
in advance. He created a useless court,
Of great expense, which in -fourths
of the cases coming before 1t has re-
versed the interstate commerce COM
mission and allowed the railroads to do
as they please. Much more would
have been accomplished by the servilc
reactionaries in congress. barking to
their masters voice. had it not been for
the determined opposition Of Senators
Cummins, OF Iowa. LaFollette. of Wis
con. Clapp. of Minnesota, Bristow, of
Kansas. and other real progressives
whom now the president characterizes
DIS uIl GI!lOtlOIldllSlS.
The farmer has many things to
think of in these last few days before
his county convention is held He
should devote a part of his time to
studying President Taft's position on
the transportation problem. The farm
ers of Iowa can not do any better than
to secure copy OF Senator Cummins'
four days speech which turned the
tide Of reactionary victory and gave
the day to the progressives. It will
be time we'll spent to see how the de-
termined stand of a few men kept the
senate from servilely doing what Taft
and Adlrich and Elkins ordered it to
do. regardless OF the consequences to
100000 American farmers and the
greater number Of millions, regardless
Of vocation or residence, who must pay
the freight on the actual necessities
Of life.