Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-25
Farmers Not Hurt
by Esch-Cumn'
Railroad : SUITE
TBy Charles Lee S

special to Times-Rer n.
Des Moines. Oct. this state
Of farms and small - s / find the
| people interested Ii. the coming
| election in different way from the
people farther east. There the league
OF nations and Wilson's foreign policy
loom large and Europe and even
Asia do not seem so far away. Out
here where farming and stock rails
| Ing are the chief Industries, and
where the people come into more i'm
mediate touch with shipping condi-
lions. the Esch- Cummins railroad
law is the most discussed item.
lind that few weeks ago the farm
ers We're listening to the stories that
thhey were being robbed by his friends
to pay bigger dividends to the
holders Of watered stocks and bonds
of. the railroads. Today I find them
Just as carefully listening to the real
facts and learning just what the law
actually does. And after their man
fer. they will vote deliberately and
right.
Yes, the fight against me is on
the railroad BILL" said Senator Cum
minis yesterdae my chief trouble has
been that there jwds so little time to
meet the falsehoods that are being
spread. But we are meeting the false
statements as fast as we can and we
will win"
"Of course, stand by the law,
absolutely, as the best law we could
frame. The charges Of unfairness
against 1t are utterly false. Per-
Iov, &, tINy
made is that the higher rates are
being charged so that railroad cap
ital may draw higher dividends. That
is untrue. Every penny Of the In
crease has to go into increased wages
and cost of operation, and as mat
ter of fact the compensations of capt.
tai is about $4,000, 900 less than be-
fore.
Another charge is that the in
crease in rates granted the roads is
excessive. That is false on it's face,
and " per cent Is not considered
even fair return on capital invested
In other lines. The roads simply had
to have more money because a freight
car which once cost $500 to 5000 now
cost $4,000 or more, and locomotives
twice what they did
Another charge Is that the gov
ernment guarantees each road a net
income. OF 5k per cent. 1t is utterly
false. The law directed the rates to
be SO increased that all the roads to-
gether should earn a net income
averaging 5A per cent. Some will
make more, some will make less and
some may even lose money. But no
matter whether it makes or loses
money, the government does not pay
one cent to any road. That tale Of
guarantee is made of whole cloth.
"The charge perhaps most calcu-
lated to stir the wrath Of the farmer
folk, II not refuted, is that the in
come, of 51s per cent is based on NIL
lions Of dollars worth OF watered
stock. That is no more true than any
Of the other charges. The law says,
in plain English, that the rates shall
be- based on the aggregate value of
the property used in the service of
transportation.
"The law is meant to benefit the
entire public. which Of course in
cludes both the farmer and railroad
worker.
In little informal talk before the
Rotary Club here yesterday Senator
Cummins explained that what the
country most needs Is better trans.
portation.
Il believe" the senator told the
Rotarians, that the farmers have
lost more money in the last six or
eight months thru inefficient trans
portation, than they have paid thru
this increase in rates."
Another thing. While Senator Cum
minis does not stress this fact, the
bill which bears his names is by no
means party measure. Leading
democrats helped to draw 1t, and
President Wilson signed it without
objection. On the committee with
Senator Cummtns were Senator Rob-
inson, Of Arkansas, who was per-
manent chairman Of the democratic
national convention which nominated
Governor Cox at San Francisco, and
Senator Pomerene, of Ohio. a close
personal friend of Governor Cox.
Both these senators are democrats
ard Senator Cummins has praised
the zeal with which both worked to
help draw a good law.
Iowa is as solidly republican, as it
ever was, so far as the national ticket
is concerned. have not found even
one democrat who has any hope that
the state will not give a great ma
jority for Harding and Coolidge. They
are centering all their efforts on
campaign to pack the senate with
democrats who will hamper a con-
structive republican administration
and stand out for the Wilsonian poll
icies Of the league Of nations. man
dates. overseas meddling, Shantung
proviso and all. Present indications
are that they have failed in Iowa It
will send Senator Cummins back for
further good work"