The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1914-10-31


some instances, almost pitiful, have
been the attempts of certain Demo
cratic papers and hand picked orators
or near orators to justify and excuse
the vote of Senator Newlands in the
United States Senate on the long
and short haul clause of the railroad
bill which passed the senate in june,
1910, with only twelve negative votes,
among the twelve being that of Sen
ator Newlands.
It remained for William Wood
burn, Jr., recently appointed, on rec
ommendation of Newlands, Federal
district attorney for Nevada to sue
ceed Sam Platt, to present the main
argument in favor of Newlands' be-
trayal of the interests Of his con-
stituency in voting against the long
and short haul clause. Wodburn
lashed himself into great fury and
flayed Sam Platt up one side and
down the other because he had the
courage, and as Woodburn conveyed
the impression, the audacity, to give
the public record of Newlands at
Washington and in Nevada during his
political career in this state.
Woodburn, in a rambling speech
notable for its vilifcation of Platt,
told his audience that Newlands' vote
against the long -and-short-ha clause
was right because that particular
clause was contained in the bill which
created the commerce court He
likewise accused Sam Platt of failure
to tell the whole truth about New
lands vote because he neglected to
mention the commerce court.
AS a matter Of fact, as shown by the
Congressional Record dating from
May 81, to June 3, 1910, when the
commerce court measure and long
and-short haul clause were under dis
cussion, the two issues were in no wise
connected but were debated separate
ly and voted on separately. Newlands
never raised his voice in protest at
the creation of the commerce court
when the bill was under discussion in
the senate at that time. If he did, the
senate reporter failed to hear him and
his remarks are not contained in the
Congressional Record. =
Neither was the voice of Newlands
heard in support of the long-and-
short haul clause amendment to the
act creating the Interstate Commerce
Commission. As a matter of fact,
Newlands refrained from taking part
in the debate on this amendment, the
most important to the people of Ne
vada to be debated in congress in
many wears, but he absented himself
from the senate chamber when the
vote on the amendment, known more
familiarly as the Dixon amendment,
was taken. When the bill came to be
g.. hsp1 IN
and final passage, Newlands voted
against it despite the fact that it car
ried the long-and- hort-haul clause 1t
is true that it also created, among
other things, the commerce court, but
the voice of Newlands was not heard
declaring that he voted "nay' be-
cause of the commerce court provision.
The Congressional Record shows
that Newlands made just one speech
on the bill creating the commerce
court and amending the act creating
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
This was an amendment seeking to
give the Interstate Commerce Com
mission power to investigate the af-
fairs of railway and transportation
companies; something foreign to the
interests of Nevada and of so little
Importance that he failed to secure
roll call despite the fact that he made
two efforts to get a vote on amend
ments that were practically Identical
Newlands' failure to support the
long-and-short-ha clause and his ae-
tion in ultimately voting against it
came in the face of telegram sent to
him by the Reno Commercial club on
April 25, 1910. The telegram also
was sent to Senator Nixon and Con
gressman Bartlett and asked the sup
port of the three Nevada congressman
on the long and -short-haul clause.
Nixon and Congressman Bartlett re-
piled Immediately pledging their sup
port but Newlands maintained com
plete silence until the bill came up for
final passage when he answered by
casting his vote against the measure.
Here are the telegrams:
Reno, New, April "a, 1910.
Senator Francis G.. Newlands, Senator
George s. Nixon and Hon. George
A. Bartlett. Washington, d. c.:
Would respectfully urge you to use
all possible effort to have long
short haul clause Incorporated in rail
road rate bill now pending before
congress. People of Nevada consider
this to be most vital legislation af-
fecting the welfare of whole state,
ard are very hopeful that it will be
incorporated in the measure that fin
ally becomes a law.
RENO COMMERCIAL CLUB,