Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-08-26
been averted.
Esch-cummins Law

read the law and still says that it
guarantees railroad profits of six
per cent upon eight billion dollars of
watered stock deliberately lies about
it, What is the bill? There are but
two guarantees in the law and they
both expire on September first, of
this year. One of the guarantees is
that the wages of railroad employees
shall not be reduced before September
first. They have in fact been increas-
ed. The other guaranty is the income
of railroads shall not before Septem-
Der first of this year be reduced be-
low what they received while under
governmental operation, but after Sep
TENDER first, before the primary cleo
ton, there will be no guaranty of any
kind left in the law.
There is a provision that the Inter
state Commerce commission in fixing
rates shall allow such rates as in it's
judgment will permit a return of five
and half or, in the judgment of the
commission, six per cent upon the ag-
gregate actual value Of the group of
railroads in given territory but if
road does not make the five and a half
or six per cent the government does
not pay one penny OF the difference. !
The railroad stands the difference as
it's loss under the law as it always
has had to do. But the law further
provides that if any road makes more
than six per cent upon the actual
value Of it's property it must pay to
the Interstate Commerce commission
for the government one half Of all it |
makes over six per cent. Did anyone |
ever tell you that To illustrate, the |
Union Pacific road made earnings Of |
thirteen and half per cent last year.
II it shall make as much this year it |
will have to pay to the United States |
one quarter of all it's net earnings.
F.! 1t is further provided in the law |
that the book value or property in
vestment account Of the roads shall |
| be given no greater consideration |
than it is entitled to under the law of |
the land so the commission is pro-
hibited from allowing any rates based |
upon watered stock It is further pro-
vided that hereafter no stock or bonds |
shall be- issued by any railroad with
out the approval Of the Interstate
commission which means that rail |
road stock watering is a thing of the |
past. |
II this law was subsidy to the rail |
roads, wouldn't you expect that upon
@nlp -
crease in market value. Just the OPP !
posite is true They have gone down !
instead Of up. Last February before
the law was passed the stock of the
Chicago -Northwestern sold for eighty
five. Last week it sold for seventy.
know of no railroad whose stock has
not gone down since the law passed.
The truth is that this law is the
most progressive law ever passed by
any state or by congress. oppose the !
Plumb plan.
League of Nations
I am opposed to the League of Ma
tions as submitted by President Will
son because in that form we would
sacrifice the liberty and independence
of the United States. We would obi
gate ourselves to send our boys to
fight and die in wars in every part of
the world. The independence Of the
United States has cost too much.
FROM Bunker's Hill Gettysburg and
from Gettysburg to the battlefields of
France; to be surrendered in any
peace treaty. The senate adopted
reservations protecting the liberty, the
independence, and the freedom of ac-
ton of the United States, but Presi-
dent Wilson refused to accept them
Congress then passed a joint resolu-
ton terminating the war with Ger
many, so that we might resume COM
mercial relations with the German
people and end the war powers of
the president. President Wilson We
toed that. And, congress passed
a bill repeating the war powers of the
president with the exception of two
laws; one of them containing the
provisions against criminal profiteer-
ing and the president vetoed that So
there is nothing left that Congress can
do until after the 4th of March. But
shortly after that we shall have peace
with Germany, and without any sacri-
fee of the independence of the United
States. II
In conclusion may say a personal
word. I ask no one to vote for me.
The high office Of senator is too i'm
portant to you to be made the sub
ject Of any personal appeal 1t is
your duty to bestow 1t upon that man
whom you believe will best serve
America. / do have the right to ask
you to go to the polls and vote. That
is the duty Of every citizen. And when
you get there, ask you to forget ev-
erything but your duty to our country.
Let no man do Your thinking for Won