Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-10-29
CONG. SMITH
!. EXPLAINS POSITION

resents the unfair report that is be-
ing made by the editor of the Rail-
way Journal. at Salt Lake City to
place him in false light before the
voters of the Second Congressional
District with reference to his atti-
tude toward the railroad employees
and explains in the following let
ter to the editor his record on labor
legislation during his seven years
service as a Representative in Com
gress
Twin Falls, Idaho, Oct. 25, 1920.
Mr. j @. Davis, Associate Editor,
The Railway Journal, Salt Lake,
City, Utah
Dear Mr.. Davis:
The September issue of The Rail-
way Journal has Just been called to
my attention and. l observe that in
the editorial column you have car
Iried into effect your warning that
you would oppose me for reelection
Ito Congress because voted for the
Esch-Cummins railroad bill. You
take this action regardless of the
fact that | voted for the amendment
of Mr.. Anderson of Minnesota in
which the railroad men were so
deeply interested.
Il also observe in the same issue
of your Jorunal that your are sup
porting Congressman yelling for the
United States Senate from Utah,
although he also voted for the Esch-
Cummins bill, and / am wondering
if you are supporting him because he
is a Democrat and attempting to
discredit me before the voters of my
district because l am a Republican.
! realize that you are acting in con-
formity with instructions from Sam
uel Gompers who is attempting to
deliver the labor vote to the Demo-
cratic candidate for the Presidency
and the Democratic candidate for
the Senate and House Of Represen-
tatives throughout the country, al
though the labor organizations are
claimed to be non-political.
Fortunately for the country the
wage earners, regardless of craft,
are men Of good judgement, as well
as being patriotic and devoted to
. the best interests and general pros
perity of the country. When they go
to the polls ON November End to reg
lister their choice Of policies and
men to represent the people in ma
tion and state, they will vote a
heretofore according to their best
judgement, rather than to yield to
their opinion to the leader Of any
organization that assumes to dictate
: them how they should vote
MY Democratic opponent for Con-
= gress may be very popular with the
railroad employees and many Of
: them may give him their support
'but l am confident that my record
in Congress during the seven years
} l have been in Congress which show
: that of the forty bills recommended
I by the American Federation of La
Dor, many of which were advoca-
ted by your organization, voted
|. for thirty-seven, will not be ignored
by the railroad men and the wage
s earners of my district When l was
: a young man / was employed by a
railroad company, and / have two
: brothers who have served the rail-
: roads as engineers and in other
= capacities for over quarter of a
century and I am naturally interes-
ted in any matters effecting the in
terests of the railroad employee.
lido not blame you or any other
friends of my opponent for support
ing him, but l do think you have
: done. me an injustice when you at
tempt to make it appear that l am
hhAA ASA4Ay W bAh6 SlAQlOyGGBs
: You should realize that all legis-
: lation is a matter of compromise
among those charged with the res
: possibility of enacting our laws, and
: it is often necessary to yield our
= judgment on some point in order
: to secure support for other features
a which are considered more impor-
y tant. 1t is rarely that the enact
: ment of law can be secured in the
: exact phraology or embodying the
: exact principle we desire. The Esch-
q Cummins bill was discussed for q
! number of weeks in the committee
: on Interstate and Foreign Commerce
and for several days in the House
= and numerous amendments were Of
J fered and discussed and some of
3 them accepted by the House. Be-
! lieying that the best interests of the
j country demanded legislation prov
> iding for the return of the rail-
: roads by the government to the
: stockholders in order that normal
q conditions might be restored as
speedily as possible and that the
bill as framed in the Committee and
amended in the House was as near
ly perfect as it could be made, / vot-
ed for its passage.
III IT. is round in its adminiStra-
ton that any of it's provisions are
unfair to labor, the owners of the
public in general, the matter amend
ing the law will be taken up by
Congress when it reassembles, and
| will be one of the first to endeav-
to rectify any mistake that may
have been made.
"As long as l am In Congress ]
will be found as in the past doing
everything / can to see that the rail
road men and the wage Garner gen
orally has a fair deal in all legisla-
ton affecting their best interets.
Very truly yours,
ADDISON T. SMITH"
NoTE-Congressman Smith has