Morris tribune., 1918-11-01
Scion Answers False, Unfounded
Charges Made By Parties
Opposed to Him
WANTS ONLY FAIR PLAY
Eleventh Hour Accusations Bring
Strong Reply From Congressman,
Busy With His Duties
Washington, Oct. Is, 1918

Washington, Oct. Is, 1918.
While detained at Washington at
tending to my duties there parties
politically opposed to me have circu-
dated lot of false and utterly I'M
founded charges. AS it is too late to
reach the voters personally, I appeal
to my friends for their assistance to
secure square deal. This is the
first campaign in which anyone has
questioned my honesty. I may be
pardoned for vigorously resenting it.
I appeal from my traducers to the
actual facts in the matters charged
and to that spirit of fair play charac-
teristic Of the American people.
In answer to these charges sub
init the following statement:
It Is charged that to win the war
# was necessary to take over the rail-
roads; in order to save the "fat boys"
the Esh amendment was introduced,
which would give the roads back to
khe owners in one year after the war,
and that I voted for this amendment.
i did, but for the very opposite rea-
son from the one insinuated. The bill
provided that the roads might be held
by the Government two years. The
Fish amendment proposed to cut that
time down to one year. The reason
why voted for one instead Of two
years was that the bill made the Gov
eminent guarantee to the railroad
owners the average earnings of the
three years Immediately preceding.
which were the largest earnings the
railroads have ever made in all their
history. When this war ends there
certainly will be an enormous slump
I'm railroad earnings, and did
not want the Government to guarantee
to railroads wartime earnings for any
greater length of time than necessary.
The farmers do not get any guarantee
of 1920 bushel for wheat for any two
years after the war. Why should the
Government guarantee to the railroads
profits much in excess Of what they
are likely to earn? The Esh amend
ment had nothing to do with the ques-
tion of whether the roads are ever to
be turned back to their owners or not.
It is also said that I voted to vest
the rate-making power in the inter-
state Commerce Commission, so as to
hamper the Administration in win
ming the war. 1 did not vote to vest
that power in that commission.
voted to let it remain there. This Is
the commission that the railroads have
for years insisted were running them
a, %@~ I4~rr k~c
Us no doubt of the loyalty of this COM
mission, and felt that it was much
safer to leave that power with them
rather than turn it over to politicians
and railway presidents, just what has
happened, and the consequences are
eust what expected. The freight and
assenger rates have been boosted sky
Ugh The average is more than 25
er cent. Many of the rates are more
IAN 100 per cent higher. One now
pays three instead of two cents for
travel in day coach, and three and
one-half instead Of two cents for trav-
el in sleeper The total increase in
rates Is about billion dollars, an in
crease in income Of from four to five
billion. Do you think that sort Of an
increase helps win the war?
My vote against the Federal Reserve
IAct is also condemned. I did vote
against it some five or six years ago,
and so did Mr.. Lindbergh, the Non
part an candidate for Governor.
had given great deal Of study to this
act, and would have favored it If It
had been som ewhat amended. In the
frst place, it was drawn to favor the
large cities and gave practically no
benefit to the country districts. It, in
effect, eft the control of the volume
of money in the hands of the banks,
with no such restrictions upon such
volume that European experience has
shown to be necessary in banks of this
kind The act has been considerably
amended since then, and though still
O dangerous law, serves very useful
purpose in the war. When 1t is said
that the farmers in the drought-strick-
en- areas are getting several million
dollars from this bank, that is not
half true. The Federal Reserve Banks
have no power to deal with farmers.
They can only deal with banks and
the Government. The money referred
to comes from a fund that I helped
by my vote to turn over to the Presi-
dent for just such purposes. This
fund was kept in the Reserve System,
and the President directed that It be
turned over to certain local banks to
be loaned to the farmers. This spring
I helped fight through the House an
appropriation of several millions for
that purpose, but we failed in the
Senate because the Administration
was then opposed to It.
am denounced as a friend of the
trusts because I voted against the
Clayton act. That Is not an act
against trusts, but In favor Of trusts.
1t was designed to furnish soft spot
for trusts to light on, and that has
IA