8
The Commoner.
. t JJOLTJME 5, NUMBER 41
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A FULL VOTE WILL ELECT PATTlSON IN OHIO
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Columbus, Ohio, Oct, 21. (Special Corres
pondence.) The reaction so confidently predict"
ed by those In support of the machine in this
campaign has not appeared on the horizon o
Ohio politics. Every year we are told that things
will change; in many years things have changed.
This year it must be frankly confessed that the
democratic organization waited with bated
breath for news of this very change which has
not come. The prospects for Mr. Pattison's elec
tion as governor of Ohio are better today than
they were on the day of his nomination in June.
Democratic managers did halt and hesitate for
ten days past awaiting the signal for a revul
sion of sentiment." It has been their wont anil
custom to do so. They can not be blamed for the
reluctance of the past few days, because, past
history amply justified them in expecting a revul
sion that would lead them to defeat and lead
their enemies to triumphant victory. Failing' in
the receipt of news that usually dampens their
spirits, takes all the wind from their sails and
leaves them as a painted ship upon a painted
ocean, they have recovered their vigor, If it was
ever lost, and are now more militant, more con
fident, more sure than before, it is a pleasure
for your correspondent to record the fact that
those in whom he expected weakness -have dis
played at the end a strength bprn of righteous
ness. ' , ' -
Governor Herrick, on the stump, has involved
himself beyond the comprehension of a friend
and has not worried a single foe. All that he
says Of his own acts is stated in the circumlocu
tion of an official begger. Hd lias explained to
none why he threatened, to veto the Brannock
bill, tie has tried to do so and rests on the dense
ness of his explanation as a guarantee of its
lucidity. He has utterly failed to answer to
the indictment of bossism, and lias plead in ex
tenuation only that the bosslsm charged is con- -fined
to one county. He admits that Cox is the
boss of Hamilton, but insists that he has' never en
deavored, to extend his boss-ship beyond the lim
its of the single' county in question. To the aver
age voter who has felt the lash, this concession,
for so it must be called, is absurd.
Therefore, , as stated in the beginning, the
democratic party through its organization is mili
tant, confident aiid alert. It expects to win, and
the candid observer who will disregard the Roose
velt vote of a year ago, must confess that the '
democratic organization has grounds for its con
tention. The state committee, vowing it would
ne'er consent, at last consented and sent frantic
appeals to every county in the state for evidence
of a re-acjtion and received in response the cheer
ing assurance that there was no re-action. There
is none unless it may be said thai new Vows con
stitute such, and these vows are simply that
llerrick shall lose.
Confidence has eliminated every element of
doubt, and the "we shall win if,-" oft repeated at
state headquarters, has been reduced to "We shall
win." Every mail brings assuring responses from
scores of local committeemen mat "our vote"
shall be polled. If that is true Mr. .Pattison's
majority will be numbered by tens, and even
more, of thousands. The most rabid republican
admits freely and frankly that if the democratic
vote gets into the box and is counted Mr, Patti
son will be elected governor. It is now the opin
ion of the state committee that Mr. Cox, though
doing his worst, will be defeated and will be
eliminated as a factor in the make-up of Buckeye
respectability.
The open opposition of those who protest
against the enforcement of the law has awakened
to activity those who believe in the sanctity of
the law. It is not a question of whether the law
is good; hut it is a question of obeisance-to the
statute. It is not a question of the merit or
justice of what is written upon the statuto books,
but it is a, question qf ofllcial oaths. Candidate
Pattison has not declared that all enactments are
good; but he has declared that all enactments
when made shall be enforced. He is opposed to
all evasion and subterfuge. President of a life
insurance company he refused, in 1896, to con
tribute of the savings of widows and orphans to
the republican campaign funds. He refused to
write in his contracts the offensive gold clause.
He refused to join other life insurance presidents '
in a scare letter to policyholders admonishing
them as to how they should vote. He has con
ducted his business as a business man in ,the
open, and permitted those whose trustee, he; is
to exercise their rights without intimidation from
him, as their conscience may dictate. He voted
for Bryan. He supported the Chicago platform;
but he never suggested to any policyholder
whether or not he should do the .same thing. He
then proved himself to be a big, broad man; and
out of the fire of this campaign he will come
even unsinged, unblistered and unscathed.
Indeed, the democracy in Ohio n m .
to the point of believing that out oVT oTSl1
of 1905 there will emerge a pany;,"
truth and of persuasion, that can confident y8
to those -who have contributed so much to X
elevation to power, "We recognize that vou lLIi
11s and We propose by our actions to m.rit c2
help and to prove our gratitude ror it to the fn
that you may not leave us." a
-r'TJie proclamation has gone forth: if Von
desire a. boss, knock, not at -our uoor.s- if ;
desire to perpetuate graft in public pkus seek
not favor at our hapds. We are opposed to
bossism; if bossism shall, obtain graft is its nml
sary corollary-" On that issue the battle U
waged.
It is a question of honesty against dishon
esty. It is a question of rectitude in public office
against .dereliction therein. , Cox has create an
oligarchy of crime; Herrick has rallen into the
partisan plea of "God save the king;" and tho
king is Cpxf I do not- mean to intimate that
republicans out of their partisanship are support
ing this acclaim. They are not, but the arc
shouting with all the vigor of independence for
a release from such serfdom. Democracy hap
pens this year to op.en an avenue of escape, and
as Indicated above, democracy sincerely believes
that after it has pointed the way and furnished
the means it will have established the right to
a continued confidence and will merit a continued
support. The battle waging now in Phihuh Iphia,
that waged last year irf Missouri, and that has
stirred to the very cockles of its heart electorates
of many cities and of every community, is waged
in Ohio now. I believe' that Buckeyedom is not
insensible to a great mtiral wave, and therefore
I predict, in the face of nominal absurdity, that
John M. Pattison. Will be elected govenioi of
Ohio on the 7th day of November.
t knoW that my' prediction will come true,
not through the assistance of those who arc com
manding the ships, but through the assistance of
those who are behind the . guns. The men of
Ohio urged on, supported, cheered by her fair
women, will see to it that what I have said is
vindicated: All' the prayers, all the hopes, all
the better aspirations of men 'tyho speak, of those
who write, of those who think! can not be attained
unless that, loyal band who stood for no less m
1S96 stand true to their faith now.
The Bryan vote must be polled and poind,
the victory will be won.
MR.- FORAKER AND THE RAILWAY RATE QUESTIOI
V
The ejditor of The Commoner recently re
ceived from a man of wide experience in railroad
affairs an interesting letter bearing upon the
railway rate question. This letter was not in
tended for publication, but the writer submitted
some suggestions pertinent to the important sub
ject under discussion. The subject was so ably
handled in this letter that the privilege was
asked and granted of using extracts from this
letter. The following", speaks for itsjalf:
The lines are being drawn on the railroad rate
regulation question, and Senator Foraker, in.
opening the republican campaign in Ohio on Sep-,
tember 2,3, ,, at Bellefontaine, throws down the
. gauge ofhattle to President Roosevelt in the fol
lowing language:
"But it does not follow that to remedy these
abuses, (discrimination in rates) the rate-making
power should be conferred on' the interstate
commerce commission as the Ohio democratic .
platform of this year proposes, - To take
control of the rate-making power is to take charge
of the revenues of the roads, and that means that
the government Is to assume th6 responsibility
not only of determining what rates shall bo
charged, but also of necessity, how much money
a railroad shall be allowed to make, and thus
determine, also of necessity, what improvements
it shall be permitted to make, what extensions it
may build, what equipment it must provide, what
new tracks it may lay, and what kind of service
it, shall render."
Such language is, to he expected from a rail
road attorney, but what do the voters of Ohio
think of Senator Foraker pleading the cause of
the railroads.? "Cvery law defining and fixing the
punishment for usury draws- the .line on tboteanvs
ing capacity of loaned money.; Every state law?
fixing maximum rates for railroads draws the
line on rates that, may he charged between points
in the state. The right of the people to limit
the chargesof . public service corporations of all
kinds street .cars, electric ajid .gas lighting com
panies, telephones, telegraph lines, etc., . is in
herent. This right has been exercised by the
people in alL countries and practically for all
time. It is safe" to say that every state in the
union, either directly through its legislature, or
through boards or-commissions created for that
purpose, has fixed a limit to rates that may be
charged within its borders, That the people" have
imposed unreasonably low rates upon the rail
roads or any other public service corporation
cannot be substantiated. The logical conclusion
"reached by following Senator Foraker's reasoning
is that the people cannot be trusted to deal justly
with the railroads, hut that the railroads can al
ways be trusted to deal justly with the people
a strange position for a public representative to
assume. In fact the senator takes this position
and says so in this way:
"They (tho railroads) must not only make
rates as low as justice to the railroads will allow
but they must make them interdependent, so that
shippers can, with facility, send their products
throughout the whole country."
The millenium is not hero, and until rail
roads and other public service corporations
show Wl we cannot take Senator Foraker's word
for it. That the railroads do in some instances
make rates asjow, (or lower) as justice to the
railroads nvill allow, is a well known fafct. They
have a habit of making unreasonably low rates
to certain industries and localities, but they make
up for it by exacting unreasonably high rates
from others. Not being satisfied that certain
rates for certain industries are .low enough, and
'not beang' willing to quote a lower rate openly
as required by law, they cut the rate' to faoied
ones .by. rebating and ' other" illegal methods.
Prior to 'the? passage of 'the interstate commerce
law- the 'railroads' would make a very ow rate
between .two competitive' points, and charge
higher rates to f intermediate point1 shipper for
a shorter hauf, The interstate commerce law
prohibited this uiifair-' and' Unreasonable practice,
but the law was nullified by publishing oiu late
and charging; another by r6bating,;etc. Now that
the railroads arO combining, pooling earning, and
eliminating competition by hook or crook, what
are the people to Mo? '
That the interstate commerce commission
would deal unjustly with the railroads wen the
rate-making power conferred upon-it' is an un
warranted assumption. It is an insult to tin in
telligence and fairmindedness of the people.
The senator attenjpts to show how diflk'dt
rate-making is, as follows:
"The interstate commerce commission i im
posed of five very ''-.capable, upright gentlcmn,
who have rendered good service, but in it her
they. nor any other similar body,' acting as 'l,Hy
must "act, could satisfactorily discharge snl a
duty. The rate-malcing is probably the most ni
plicated and difficult work connected with " !1V
portation. The railroads employ for this "k
the brightest and most skillful men tlio n
find: Their work is of scientific f-'f
acter. It can not be done except by expert -
To make rates as the railroads do cei. ly
requires experts. Such work not only req
skill Sllftli nfi VityhwnvTttAri omnlnv. lmf. there in1. St
nlnn 1l ov nhnAMn ,.. 1 .. r TnfilctnfP Y '
uiow U5 tin auocuuo ui cutiijuiuauc. i""1"'"
are
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made, not as low 'as justice to the ran. w
allow, hut as hltik as" the traffic will i n.
tain rates ' have to'lie made for 'certain corn
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