Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-27
THE GOVERNOR
WRITES LETTER
EDITOR lNGHAMs ACCUSED OF
FLOPP!NG ON CRIST BILL IN
LAST LEGISLATURE.

FLoPP!NG ON cRIsT BILL IN
LAST LEGISLATURE.
Des Moines, Feb. 26.-In a state
ment just issued Governor Carroll &C
cuses Editor Ingham of Hopping on
the Crist public utilities bill during
the last legislature, after a talk with
John MacVicar, and within thlrty-slx
hours after he is supposed to have an
nounced himself in favor of the bill.
After discussing the progress of the
Crist bill. the governor said:
Tho Element Of Thickness.
AS stated in my last article. there
were several matters of legislation
which l desired to see enacted into law
that failed. Among other things. l de-
sired some improvements at state in
situations and especially as to our
penal institutions. I wanted to see the
Knoxville institution making correc-
tional as we'll as for hospital treat
ment. I still want to see a state WORK
house or Jail or want the workhouse
feature in connection with the Knox
vile institution. l want the Anamosa
reformatory made a real reformatory
and in that direction progress is being
made. I want the penitentlary mace
self-supporting and want better sys-
tenn Of employment for convicts, etc.
But these are not subjects l desire TO
enlarge upon in this article.
l believe that If the people OF the
state were polled four-fifths of them
would say we need something to make
our antitrust or anti-combine laws
more effective. That an Overwhelming
ma ority of them would say that we
need a law to regulate telephone COM
panies, to control and regulate the &C
quisition Of water power sites or the
state and for the regulation and con-
troll of public utilities in general
All Of these were subjects of consld-
Grafton at the hands Of the last ses-
sion Of the general assembly. Measures
with reference to each and all of them
passed the house and were killed In the
senate during the closing days OF the
session. It is to them that l want to
refer.
1t is we'll known to those who have
given consideration to the question
that the principal reason why trusts ana
combines cannot be dissolved In this
state is because parties to sucn orean-
izations cannot be made to TESTIFY 10
what they know In order to be able to
compel them to so testify 1t Is neces-
sary for us to have enacted an i'm
munity" statute.
The attorney general and 1 discuss
ed this subject many times and as
result he prepared and had introduced
house file No. 2S9 by Miller Of Bremen
designed to render effective our anti
combine laws. This bill as amended
the house April without dis
senting vote. 1t was messaged to ne
senate and there referred to the sift-
ings committee. 1t was not reported
until resolution introduced by Sen
ator Hammill was passed the last day
of the session directing the committee
to bring the bill onto the floor. Inc oil!
was then reported but was not voted
upon until the afternoon session and
then failed to pass.
I have said that the so-called pro
gressives" were no more active IN the
passage Of progressive measures than
the so-called "standpatters.' There
we're a few members that declined to
be classed as anything but regular re-
publicans but from the best classlhca-
ton that can be made eight or nine
and only five or SIX pro
gressives voted for the bill while eight
progressives and only three standpat-
tiers voted against it. In the meantime
the anti trust laws of the state con-
tinue to be violated because necessary
evidence cannot be secured to enforce
them.
A proposed statute for the regulation
of telephone companies, water power
sites and public utilities generally was
embodied In the Crist bill introduced IN
the house and the Sammis bill IN the
senate.
The Crist bill passed the house April
4 with eighty votes for and only fifteen
against it. It came up for passage IN
the senate April and was lost on
motion to table. Twelve progressives
voted against the measure, that is,
voted to table it. while only five voted
for it, and eight standpatters voted for
it and only five voted against 1T: Sena-
tor Smith Of Mitchell, the old time
leader of the progressives led the fight
on the bill by moving to table 1t. Thus
it may be seen who and what faction
it was that defeated the most progress
sive pieces of legislation that have been
before the legislature of this state in
recent years. .,
Now the element of Thickness"
When I charged Uncle Harvey with
being a "flopper" he answered that l
had overlooked the element OF time
liness." He said four years ago he was
against something he now advocates
because at one time it was timely and
at another untimely. But as to his
change Of front on the Crist bill there
was no four years. not even four days
Let us see about that. On April 5. tho
day the Crist bill passed the house the
following appeared in the Evening
Tribune, which is supplement to the
Register and Leader:
"A cursory reading of the public
utilities bill that has just passed the
house leaves a favorable impression.
There can be no doubt In the mind
Of any body that Iowa needs a public
utilities commission.
railroads should be extended to all
public service-express companies, tel
ephone companies, telegraph. Pullman
car, water, gas, electric light, inter-
urban, city railway and other COM
panies.
THE railroad commission should be
enlarged, the commissioners paid bet
ter salaries, be made appo1ntlve, and
be put in charge of the whole business
"Finally the governor should have
the power to remove, which puts the