The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-09-14
WASHINGTON LETTER
By J. E. Jones.

y y y = y
In discussing the Esoh@ Cummins
law Colonel 'Brookhart, Republican
candidate for Senator in Iowa, de-
clares: "The evils of this law
will long live after it is expunged." To
which Senator Cummins, one of the
authors of the law, replies: IF
Colonel Brookhart's power were
commensurate with his apparent de-
sires, this government would not
last fortnight" Iowa is reported
to have become veritable battle
ground of debate as to whether the
transportation act should survive or
not. And what is true of the situa-
ton in Iowa is likeWwise true in all
parts of the country where the old
battle between labor and capital is
being fought with the railroad ques-
ton as the concrete, or "horibble ex-
AMPLE" depicting the advantages of
enthroned avarice manipulating the
finances of the railroads; while the
accused capitalists retort that they
are being held up by shotgun me-
thods operating in the name of or
ganized labor. There is lot of
heat in the situation, and with
railroad strike and political cam
paign on hand, it is hardly to be
expected that, sober, sane thought
will have an even chance in the dis
cussion.
A wise writer once observed that
facts were for poor men, and by
revolving these poor but stubborn
facts one finds that not many years
ago Senator Cummins> was regard
ed as an extreme radical upon the
railroad question. His ideas with
reference to Government regulation
of railroads were assaulted by the con-
sentative press as destructive"
The principal points which he Sc
cured in the enactment of the Esch-
Cummins law Were demanded in
Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and
the other progressive States But
progressive politics jump so fast that
the new progressive, Colonel Brook
hart, is now sure that the author of
the railroad law and the law itself
is reactionary. Therefore he would
"expunge' it. 1t makes no differ
ence that the transportation act is
a very big and very long and a
very borad law, dealing with nearly
every phase of one of the Nations
greatest problems. Its repeal
would not be unlike "expunging"
the laws with reference to agricul-
ture, finance, Or foreign commerce,
or repudiating the Constitution be-
cause it does not answer the bill with
regard to Estates riJhts," "child
labor" or some other economic de-
sire.
The Esch- Cunlnins law can never
be repealed until a new code of rail
road regulatory laws are set up to
replace this piece of legislation. It
took great many years to create
the transportation act, as one may
well understand 10y looking at the
number of pages it fills in a law
book. No Congress-no matter how
elected, would consider "expung-
ing"the law. But very naturally
the law will be amended and changed
in many important particulars by
the next Congress. And many other
changes will be made year after year
to meet the conditions that exist in
the country. Facts that are made
for poor men point out very clearly
that this is bound to be so!
RADIO ROUND THE WORLD
This little giant called radio is
blazing it's trail round the world.
Jazz noon day concerts, market re-
ports and an occasional opera con-
cert broadcasted through a few hun
dred miles Of that mysterious thing
called the ether of space, lend in
terest and spice to the affairs of
life. But that there is something
more than joy in the radio voices is
being demonstrated in most ampha-
tic ways. The Radio Corporation
of America is the leader in the de-
velopment of radio communication.
1t carries heavy traffic in commun:-
Cation with England, Germany,
Eranoa ond othar nacfc ,f E,,ropa
The company is putting in great
sbroadcasting stations in the United
States to supplement those il al
ready has in operation, and in addi-
ton three new stations are to be
built in Central America, 20 be |
operated in cooperation with the
United Fruit Company's interests.
The new plants each have broad
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