Evening times-Republican., 1920-10-26
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR
SENATOR LAM5ASTs RAIL
BILL IN, SPEECH HERE.
PUTS FORWARD ALIsI
FOR PRESIDENT WILSON
Party Of Dem ocratio Candidates
Closes Speaking Trip In County at
Meeting In This City Attended by
200-Wemen Speakers Address
Meetings in City and County Towns

| Following q series Of brief meetings
in county towns. the democratic cam
paign committee held three meetings
in the city Monday afternoon and
night. The woman's meeting was ncld
at Redmen's hall At o'clock in the
afternoon. At o'clock there was q
meeting at Bohemian hall, followed
by one at Redmen's hall at 8 o'clock.
Claude r. Porter, democratic candi-
date for United States senate: Miss
Ruth ". Sumner. candidate for secre-
tary OF state. and ]. e. Craven. can
didate for state treasurer, were the
speakers.
The state candidates attacked the
present state administration and
promised an improved administration
/! II elected. Mr.. Porter centered his
entire attack on the Esch- Cummins
bill and made defense OF the league
OF nations, as approved by President
| Wilson. and q plea for Its acceptance
as written.
Between 200 and 800 gathered at
Redmen's hall to hear the speakers.
Robert e. Johnson. county chairman
and candidate for state senator, intro
duced the speakers. Miss Sumner
and Mr.. Cravan spoke briefly and
were followed by Mr.. Porter.
Alibi For Wilson.
He turned his attention. hrrt, to the
Esch- Cummins bill, quoting Senator
Cummins and James ]. Hill as tA the
| Importance OF the railroads. particu-
larly to an agricultural state such as
Iowa. He spoke Of the way in which
tho Esch- Cummins bill was passed,
first by the house and later the
amended bill by the senate. re ar
gued that President Wilson had no
responsibility for signing tho bill, be-
cause he had made UP his mind to
return the railroads by Mar. I. 1919.
and had 20 announced. Therefore
Mr.. Porter intimated, Mr.. Wilson. to
whom tho bill was delivered Feb. 2s.
Of that year, must either accept q bill
to take care Of the railroads or
change his mind and public deolara-
ton. Mr.. Wilson. he said, accepted
the Dsch -Cummins bill as the best
that congress had been able to frame.
He said Mr.. Wilson had expressed no
opinion on the method Of returning
the railroads nor had he formulated
any plans for their proper operation.
Attacks the Measure.
Turning to the bill itself, he at
tackled the original clause prohibiting
railroad strikes. This he explained.
was struck out by the house. He
quoted Senator Cummins' statement
in which tho senator accepted full re-
sponsibility for this clause and his
sorrow that It had not been included
in tho bill. Mr.. Porter claimed that
the bill would cost the people $780,
100000 for the first SIX months, dur
ing which 6h per cent was "guaran-
teed," as he put it, on the average
value and that a provision, providing
for rate by the interstate commerce
commission OF 161a per cent net on the
aggregate value OF property used by
the railroads, would cost tho people
one and q half billion more during
tho next two years.
BOOSTS League OF NuSionSs
Turning to the league OF nations.
he insisted, that the league was not
framed to keep us in war. but to keep
us out. He said he believed that
many who gave their boys for the
war and many Of the boys them
selves believed this was to be'the last
war. Forty nations, he said, already
had accepted the league Of nations
and the United States was the only
nation IN q position to Join that had
not Joined.
you like It or not the
l. SQe Of nations is a growing con-
cel vt is operating and doing pusf-
nesl declared.
He ID that It already had set
tied IS, has prepared it's
budget che coming years, and had
committees on various subjects, In
Guiding disarmament, and was estab-
/ fishing an international court. He
said that SO cents Of every dollar the
country spends is for war, past pres
ent or future, and pleaded for the
! league as a preventative Of war. He
! insisted that the United States should
/ add its moral and financial strength
to build up the league and make wars
impossible.
Mrs. Coriett Addresses Women.
The afternoon meeting in the Red
Mems hall was attended by nearly
100 women and dozen men. Miss
Ruth V. Sumner, democratic can
didate for secretary of state, opened
with a brief talk. Mrs. L. e. Corlett,
of Oskaloosa, delegate to the national
democratic convention, gave the
principal speech of the afternoon,
| discussing the Issues Of the plat
forms and the relative merits Of the
candidates. The chief theme of her