The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-04-25

are far in excess OF the proposed re-
auctions. The state railroad and
public service commissions of Ar
kansas. Missouri, California, Illinois,
Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mis-
souri,, Nebraska, Nevada, North Da-
kota, Oregon, Oklahoma, Washing
ton, and Wisconsin have united in
a protest against the new classified
ton, and have pointed out that the
| proposed increases are more than
sixty per cent in excess of the pro-
posed reductions, and that the re-
classification plan of the roads SIM
ply is subterfuge to get through a
| big increase OF rates.
The protest of the state commits
| sions was made after the various
shippers associations of the various
states had studied the plan, and dis
covered the deception of it.
The charge has been made in con-
gress by Senator LaFollette and
| others that the corporations of this
country, including the railroads,
are capitalized at $31,672, 1000,
and that seventy per cent of this cap
italization is water. The roads, con-
stantly urged by their already rich
stockholders, are constantly face to
| face with the problem of paying div
idends on this watered stock, and at
the same time keep their trains run
ming and their tracks in repair. The
G.. B. & @. railroad, for instance,
lists it's right-of-way as being worth
$4,000 mile This right-of-Way
was given to the road, absolutely
free, by the federal and state gov
ernments.
Blocked by Senate Standpatters.
The democratic house ofrepresent-
atives started out, in this session OF
congress, to cut down the expenses
of the government. Many slashes
were made into government extrava-
gance, but in no case was cut made
! without the most careful study. The
effort to save money for Uncle Sam
was a thoroughly honest one.
The economy program of the dem
ocrats, however, is being fought at
every turn by the senate standpat-
tiers, who have promptly placed back
| into the appropriation bills either all
or part of the amounts trimmed
out of them when they were passed
! in the house. The democrats pro-
posed to put stop to practices, long
prevalent, of spending government
funds for no other purpose than to
allow certain senators to keep them
selves in congress, and to cut out
unnecessary expense all along the
line. The saving, if the democratic
bills should go through as they pass
ed the house, would be tremendous.
The senate Old Guard, however,
| looks upon the right to dip into the
treasury at will as God given per-
ogative, and the appropriation bills
were promptly restored to their
former size just as soon as the senate
committees, dominated by the stand
patters, got hold of them.
The democratic leaders have an
nounced, however, that they will in
sist on some of the cut rates, and
they will adopt drastic measures to
enforce their position unless the SEN"
ate recedes.
The Old Guard senators want big
expense bill, so they will be able to
point to it, later, as justification for
a high tariff. 49,.
Democrats Progressive.
The democrats of the house go
right on being progressive. The
record that is being made daily in
the lower branch of congress consti-
tutes even a stronger claim to pro-
gressive support in the coming cam
paign than the progressive promises
in the democratic platform.
The house committee on interstate
and foreign commerce has incOrpOr-
ated into the Panama canal bill
provision which the New York Her
aid calls "the most drastic ever re-
ported from a committee in con-
gress."
This provision stipulates that no
railroad in the United States may
own or control any steamship line
with which it completes. The purpose
of this provision is to give the peo-
pie the full benefit of the Panama
canal, by insuring genuine and ef-
fective competition.
LOrimer.
No senator who voted to retain
William Lorimer in the United States
senate has since been reelected.
Ten senators-Hale, Scott, Kean.
Bulkely, Depew, Piles, Dick, Bur-
rows. Carter and Flint-who voted
for Lorimer, retired from the senate
March 4. Three others-Paynter,
Bailey and Guggenheim, announced
their retirement after their vote for
Lorimer, and two-Foster of Louis
iaana and Cullom, of Illinois, both
of whom voted to keep the blonde
boss, were defeated recently in
primaries. Jones, of Washington,
who voted to sustain Lorimer in COM
mittee, probably will be defeated
when he runs again, as the people of
his state are in an uproar because of
his vote.
nI1E EEEECyrIXE LAXATIVE