Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-11-26
UNFOLDING the Railroad R;u

OPPONENTS of the Cuninins- Esch rail-
road reorganization act vent forth in
the recent campaign to punish those iegis-
ators primarily Responsible for Tic draft
Ing and the passage OF this, The most i'm
portant piece of legislation of the past SEES
sion of Congress. In States and in con
grcssional districts railway brotherhood
politicians and Plumb planners organized
to defeat candidates for reelection whose
activities III behalf of tile railroad bill had
given offense
1t is now matter Of recorded fact that
not one candidate whom tho enemies of
This legislation inveighed against and who
survived his primary contest went down
beneath the landslide. True Mr.. Esch. one
name was defeated i'll the Republican pri-
mary in Wisconsin, but even his untimely
end was not brought about by the forces
arraycd against tho bill. He lost because
he took his constituency for grantcd-a
dangerous thing for any statesman to do lin
times like these.
The. brothcrhoods and their allies made
thcir most determined stand against Seua-
tors Cummns. Of Iowa; Lcnroot, OF Wis
consin. and Watson. of Indiana all OF whom
had been conspicuous factors in the passage
of the hill The defeat OF any or all of
these mon would have been q solemn warn
ing, II was assumed by labor. to others who
might incur the enmity Of the railroad en-
rloyes. But these legislators were returned
and returned by comfortable majoritic; in
every instance. In the case of Cummins
the organized farmers of his State allied
themselves with the railway men, and the
charge was made from end to end of Iowa
that the veteran Senator had surrendered
to the railroads" after fighting them for
more than n quarter of Il century.
LenrOot faced equally ms hitter Iiphi bo-
cause of his part in the enactment of the
bill. La Toilette his colleague, charged
him with selling out to Wall Street." and
not only opposed tho Junior Senator III the
primary. hut after Lenroot's nomination was
accomplished, the battle was renewed La
Toilette put into the field an independent
candidate til the hope or beating down the
regular nominee and lined up the Nonpa rti-
san League along with the brothcrhoods
and others against the Republican c1ad.-
date. But Wisconsin refused to rel udiatc
the vote Lenroot had cast for the railroad
bill. The State stood by it's Senator
In Indiana determined stand was made
against Senator Watson, but this likewise
failed. The enemies of tile legislation did
not wait in all cases for the general cleo
ton. moreover. They went out TO kill OF
Senator Underwood, OF Alabama, in his pri-
mary fight because he had been instrume eli
tai IN having the WarNeld plan OF gunran-
teeing railway earnings Incorporated in the
measure. AS is well known, Mr.. Underwood
was rcrominatcd by a decisive majority.
1t is a fair conclusion from these facts,
therefore, that tho American people are not
dissatisfied with the system evolved by Con
sress for tho return Of the railroads to
their owners. At least they are prepared
TO give that system a thorough trial before
they condemn 1t and before they drive from
pahlc life the ine1 who played the moro
important part In its passage. This is not
perfect system. as all interests must agree
but it forward move in Tic direction
OF rigid Federal control, control that the
country insists upon.