Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-11-02
HE IS SORRY HE SPOKE.
Mr.. Key Pitman in the Middle of an
Awful Bad Fix.

Key Pttman. Democratic candidate
for United States Senator, has made
tour OF the State of Nevada, but he
has not once explained to the voters
his reasons for urging the members of
the legislature of 1907 to protect the
railroads and permit them to charge
policy of those corporations. Pitt
man. pretending friendship for the
people of the people of Nevada to-
day, presents different attitude than
when he appealed to the representa-
tives of the people. about to enact
railroad commission bill, to spare the
great corporations that were grinding
down the merchants of Reno, in fact,
every town in the State.
Pittman's defense of the railroads
took place at a banquet given by the
citizens of Tonopah to the visiting
legislators His amazing speech was
reported in the Reno Journal of Feb
ruary II, 1907, which says:
Key Pittman, an attorney and self
declared champion of the people,
spoke for the railroads; he said in
part: What Nevada needs is a lot of
good railroads, and not cheap ones.
The present railroad rates are cheap
enough, let us not lower them. Do
not prepare your railroad bills with
radical provisions. The State is treat
ed all right by the lines which are do
ing business today, and we should give
them another chance"
I'm direct opposition to the corpor-
alton attorneys remarks, Speaker
Skaggs of the Assembly cautioned the
audience against the tendency Of some
of the prominent Nevadans to throw
down the State at a critical time. He
said that railroad regulation at the
present time is imperative for the good
of the State Skaggs favored the rate
law and the rairoad commission BILL
Throughout his campaign Mr.. Pitt
has remained silent about this rate
question.
He has never uttered a syllable
about the overcharge of the Southern
Pacific in its famous back-haul, the
excess rate exacted of every person in
Nevada, and which has been fought
for vars by the people of Nevada.
THE present rates are cheap
enough" insists Pittman. and it will
be noted that he does not exclude the
back-haul charge.
Mr.. Pittman in his tour of the State,
failed to tell the people whether he was
in the employ of the railroads to de-
fend them and to influence, if posi-
Bile, legislation favorable to them, or
whetherAhe pleaded for high rates be-
cause of his sincere belief in the right
of a corporation to charge what the
traffic would bear
The Railroad Commission has done
great amount of good since its or
ganization by members of the legisla
ture whom Pittman endeavored to ca
jole into throwing over the measure,
or. at least adopting an inocuous bill
that would permit the railroads to con
tnue the rates then in vogue, and de-
nounced from time 10 time as
'hold-ups"
Had the legislature OF 1907 Acre. ted
Mr. Pittman's gratuItous ad.ice there
never would have been a railroad com
mission or rate bill that would have
done any service to the people of Ne
vada
Il would like to ask Mr. Pittnan
three questions" said a prominent
Reno merchant recently: Here they
are:
"First-Were you paid for your To-
nopah speech advocating the cause OF
the railroads."
"Second-Do you believe the pres
ent railroad rates are cheap enough?"
"Third-When did you change your
mind about the goodness of the rail
road and the greatness of the people,
Mr. Pttman has ample opportunity
to answer.