The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-09
la TOILETTE IN ERUPTION.
His Latest Onslaught on Everybody and
Ever, Trims Not Hostile TO Railroads.

To THE EDITOR or THE SUN-Sir: In
his latest paroxysm in the Senate, on
May s, Senator La Toilette declared
that there is evidence Of a widespread
conspiracy to influence the Interstate
Commerce Commission to grant East
/ ern railroads the increase in freight
rates they have asked for. He de-
cared that the very general advocacy
of the increase by newspapers. bank
ers and manufacturers was a part OF
this conspiracy tn secure an increase
which he thinks wrong. In other
words. nearly all the well informed
people in the country are in agree
ment against the views Of the more
or less distinguished Senator. and there
fore. in his opinion. they must all be
mistaken or corrupt.
Senator La Toilette spoke in advo-
cacy Of his bill to make 1t q criminal
offence to seek to influence the COM
missions decision. Then he talked for
more than two hours In his own effort
to influence IL. The only logical in
ference from this Is that he considers
1t crime for any one but himself to
express an opinion on the subject or
perhaps even to have one. The Sena-
tors only oversight seems to have
consisted in not including in his bill
a provision making II a crime to 90
into the railroad business.
| Why 1t should be wrong for the
railroads and related business interests
to present arguments In defence Of
their rights. and right for persons less
directly concerned and with little or
nothing at stake to make vicious at
tacks on them. Is not easily perceptible
to minds not inoculated with La Fol-
lette progressiveness. since the only
difference in the pertinence Of the
statements Is that those OF the rail-
roads are based on experience. exact
knowledge and truth, and those of their
ASSISTANTS are not.
Not satisfied with the much lower
rates and higher wages of American
railroads as compared with foreign
ones. the toy reformers have brought
about conditions under which custom
ers of the roads virtually fix their own
rates, and 1t Is impossible to go much
further without compelling the roads
to pay people for using them. Rail-
road baiters, IL successful, would de-
prive the community OF the best SER
vice in the world. on which prosperity
is largely dependent. In demanding
the impossible when they already have
what other nations have found ii i'm
possible to equal or approximate. they
are like children crying for the moon.
Mr.. La Toilette aspires 10 be the Cato
Of the railroads. and behind all his ut
terances Is visible the text. THE rail-
roads must be destroyed.
Senator La Toilette has now qualified
as an expert" The only alternative
his policy leaves is Government own
ership; and the incapable. eXtravagant
and arbitrarily arrogant methods no.
ticeable in much Government business
would be peculiarly fatal to success in
railroad management. This Is es-
pecially true OF professedly reform Ad-
mnIstrations. Senator Thomas. Dem
ocrat, recently declared In the Senate
that his party ought to retract all II
has ever said about Republican en-
travagance. and other responsible Dem
ocrats in Congress have made similar
admissions.
by reference in HE speech to the
suggestion that the political party that
did not preserve prosperity regardless
Of justice could not retain power"
the Senator practically admitted that
granting the railroads the increase in
rates would add To- the public pros
perlty. and so far as Justice Is con-
cerned, few people will share Mr.. La
Follettes ideas OF justice as stated by
him. Moreover, II Is positively known
that the Interstate Commerce Com
! mission has received hundreds OF letters
, from railroad employees favoring the
increase and blaming the delay In
granting it for the unemployment OF
scores of thousands Of railroad men.
Mr.. La Toilette is political Dor
/. QulXotc and thinks he is attacking
/, capitalistic giants when in reality he
!s fitting against wlndmlls Of labor
. and industry. Railroad and other cor
, poratc securities pay the interest from
which the twenty or twenty-five mill
/, ions Of savings bank depositors and
life insurance po,ICyholders derive
the interest and other benefits the,
get from their Investments In tn,
/, ultimate analysis these people are tn,
= vast majority of capitalists, and III,
Senator il attacking them and the
; workingmcn when no assa!ls the rail
roads and trusts"
, Having berated almost everybody
q and everything else. Mr. La Follett,
= could not refrain from taking a fins
= at the President He pointed out tha
= newspapers friendly to the ministra
ton have published that the Presl
. dent is known to favor the increase "
:, transportation rates" The Senator in
). timated that the President should hav,
q let II be known tlat he resented Thu
e imputat!on; but. as no such imputaAo
Y ever had been made until Mr.. La Fol
II l"ttc made II in his speech, IL is har,
u TO see how the President could hav,
y done So.
Many men OF undoubted integrt,
I and intelligence have inferred from
e their talks with the President that n
& would like to see the request OF tn
y railroads granted. hut the Presidon
n has carefully RETAINED from making an,
J, positive declaration that might be dis
- torted into IA hint To the commission
The Judgment and reliability of thes
men who have convcrsed with the
President and concluded CONFIDENT,
that he favored and ought to favo
q the increase will he AZ least az highl
regarded by most readers as Mr.. l..
Follette's.
II In his favorite role. az the cutes
n little harry OF modern times. the Sena
i tor has mussed up the feast of reaso
o TO the fullest extent of his ability. II!
u speech was practically an expression o
:, resentment against public opinion.
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