Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-09-05
FEDERAL REGULATION.

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FEDERAL REGULATION.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat The ac-
tual situation arising from the clash
of the railways and the trainmen
emphasizes the necessity for federal
regulation of railways. Suppose the
demands of the trainmen are granted
and freight rates have to be raised
as a consequence Congress might
recommend or even direct that the
interstate rates be increased. But
what would happen in the forty
eight states? Nobody expects that
all the state commissions would raise
interstate freight rates. If all re-
fused, the entire burden would have
to be bourne by Interstate traffic.
Without any law, but merely by
force of numbers, the 100000 train
men have made uniform demands on
all the roads. But there is neither
law nor force of opinion to compel a
uniform revision of freight rates in
all the states to conform to the new
conditions.
This is only one illustration of one
of the many reasons for such federal
regulation as the republican ma
tional platform demands. An execu-
tive officer of the Southern Pacific
has presented another striking one.
He says that uniform improvement
is essential to efficient and economic
development of our transportation
service. He illustrates by citing the
case of road that is kept in the
best possible condition, while its con-
Meeting lines have such poor facili-
ties as to delay or longest traffic.
This is not hypothetical case. Such
conditions are common. Every ship
per who sends freight that must
pass over different railway systems
has suffered loss from this lack of
uniformity. The only way we can
have an efficient national system Of
transportation is by uniform, gen
eral plan. This is impossible so long
as there are forty-eight Independent
legislatures and as many separate
commissions enforcing their various
notions.
HARDING'S PERSONAL HABITS.
"Mr. Harding has not confessed to
drinking wine as a courtesy to hosts,
nor of serving it as courtesy to
guests. T.. T. Meredith has. -
Webster City Freeman-Tribune.
Why has he not confessed?
The Columbus Gazette says in it's
last issue:
"Why did Harding make the
statement that he never carried a
drop of liquor into his home inside
or outside of him when men in this
county and many other places have
seen him drink intoxicating liq-
uors?''
Can the Freeman-Tribune persuade
Harding to state publicly that he has
not drank liquor in Des Moines p
Register and Leader.
First: Because he has nothing to
confess.
Second: Harding made the state
ment because it was true and because
of the Juggling into the campaign of
the habits of the gubernational can
didates.
The Tribune believes that
Mr.. Meredith's habits do not dis
qualify him for the Office he is seek
ing and this paper regrets exceed
ingly that the campaign has taken
a personal turn. But the friends of
Mr.. Meredith are responsible and
cannot blame the supporters of Mr..
Harding for striking back.
Third: According to the Sioux
City Journals report of the Oak
land debate, Mr.. Harding said he had
never kept whiskey in his house and
that he never even drank it and
had never signed saloon petition.
Mr.. Meredith, since it was confession
day, had to admit that he kept whis-
key in his house, that he drank