Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1906)
,, M- '..,. i -'. The Commoner. AY 11 190S Lnr i I'JBK T-i KtWE? . . warn Plainly a Surrender of Railroad Reform i Associated Press dispatches say that an agreo- ent with respect to the railroad rate bill has jbeu reached by republican senators, and that president Roosevelt called to the White House thirty-six newspaper correspondents and stated, effect, that the agreement met with his ap- roval. The battle for railroad legislation has been fought around the proposition that it was all important that the rates as. fixed by the com mission go into effect immediately and remain in effect until final decision by the supreme court. The railroad bill as it came from the house did not cover this proposition to the entire satisfac tion of the friends of railroad legislation. Several plans were offered for meeting the situation. Many senators insisted that there be explicit provision for court review. It has all along bqen plain that the enemies of railroad legislation de sired either to so frame the bill as to cause the supreme court to declare it unconstitutional, or to give to inferior courts the authority for sus pending the rates fixed by the commission, thus putting the shipper to endless litigation and post poning relief. Senator Bailey proposed an amendment which, whllo it was at first met with sneers, has come to be generally accepted as covering the case very snugly and being, also, directly in line with constitutional requirement. Senator Bailey's amendment explicitly denied to inferior federal courts the power to suspend a rate after it was fixed by the commission. So ably has Senator Bailey defended his position that It is now gen erally recognised as the correct one although the uncompromising opponents of rate legislation yet deny it. The agreement reached by the republican senators and approved by President Roosevelt calls for two amendments. The one is that where in the bill as it came from the house it was pro vided that the rate fixed by the commission shall remain in force "unless set aside or suspended by a court of competent jurisdiction" these words are. added: "In a suit brought against .the? com mission." Tie -Associated Press says "this lias the effect merely to recognize the right of the carrier to bring a suit against the Interstate com merce commission." The bill as it came from the .house also pro vides that suit may be brought in any district "where the defendant carrier has its principal operating offices." The agreement reached by the republicans proposes to add these words "and jurisdiction to hear and determine such suits is hereby conferred on such courts" (circuit courts). The Associated Press dispatches say that this agreement was evolved by Senator Allison of Iowa, and Senator Long of Kansas. It is ad mitted in these dispatches that at the national capital republican senators are charged with hav ing surrendered to the enemies of railroad rato legislation, but we are told that m. their defense they are pointing to Senator Long's speech on the bill, In which speech Senator Long said: ul do not object to an amendment authorizing suitrto bo brought against the commission and confer ring jurisdiction on the United States courts sit ting In equity to hear and determine any such suits." The Associated Press dispatchesvsay that the agreement docs not take Into consideration tho several ponding amendments providing for non suspension of the order of the interstate com merce commission, and that whllo it is known tliat sevoral. of the majority senators believe with Sen ator Bailey that such an amendment would be constitutional, tho Associated Press says: "The agreement on the court review feature, It Is said, precludes beyond the remotest possibility the adoption of a non-suspension provision." These dispatches also say that tho agreement Is entire ly satisfactory to Senator Aldrich, aud his immed iate associates. , It. must be plain to intelligent men that this agreement is practically a surrender to the oppo nents of rate legislation. It concedes away what Mr. Roosevelt and all other advocates of rail road legislation have Insisted Is a vital point. The very men who have insisted that it was beyond the power of congress to determine the privileges of courts, the very men who sneered, at Senator Bailey's complete arguments in behalf of a non suspension provision have now agreed that the bill shall be amended so as to explicitly confer jurisdiction upon the courts, thus admitting the very point which they have all along denied. And the very republican senators who have all along claimed that it was important to prevent delay and to avoid suspension of the orders of the com mission have accepted an amendment which, as must be clear to every one, paves the way for Idelay in tho' determination of the case and, prac tically, for the destruction of all hope of material relief under the 'legislation now to be enacted. We are told that this amendment was evolved by Senator Allison of Iowa, and Senator Long of Kansas. Senator Allison's position on this ques tion, as on almost every other delicate public question, has been a mystery to many people. He has not been counted among the friends of railroad legislation,, while It has not been six months since the people of Kansas were calling upon Senator Long to take his stand In behalf of railroad legislation. His position, so far as thQ public is concerned, was unknown until he ap peared on the floor of the senate as the champion of the agreement made several weeks ago at jhe White House, and as the sponsor for Mr. Roosevelt's railroad reform. , But even then the public did not seem to be impressed, with Senator Long's seriousness In the matter of this reform. And so we. have this situation: Senators Allison and Long, two men gener ally believed to be indifferent or actually hostile to railroad legislation, ovolvo tho plan upon which the republican advocates and the republican op ponents of rate legislation may meet, According to tho Associated Press this plan precludes "beyond tho remotest possibility the adoption of a non-suspenalon provision." Mr. Roosevelt, who has all along Insisted that it Is Important tho rate go into effect immediately and remain In effect, and who has given many warnings against delays through the processes of the courts, approves this amendment. Tho Associated Press dispatches say "Sen ators Aldrich and Crane, the leaders in the move ment seeking for an amendment providing for a broad court review, -express themselves as favor ing tho nmondment." What does this indicate? Doos any one Imagine that Mr. Aldrich and othor representatives of special interests have made, any surrender? Does any one doubt that the surrendor Is. up on the part of thoso republicans who have all along professed to be deeply eoncernod In this proposed reform? " The Associated Press dispatches say: "Whether the conservatives or tho radi cals have won a victory is a question that Is not disturbing either faction. The agreement, In a measure, Is regarded as political. It is believed that now practically the entire re- publican strength of tho senate will be cast for tho bill, whereas under the long contin ued estrangement it was conceded that it would require minority endorsement to pass the bill, and the democratic party would be in position to take full credit for lt.v Many people have suspected that some of these republican senators who pretended to favor railroad reform were not greatly concerned whether they won a substantial victory. But tho American people are interested in knowing who has won the victory. They are interested In know ing who has made the surrender. Tho burdens imposed upon the people by corporations have become so heavy that compromise is no longer possible, and the people must be given actual relief. The people know that any piece of legisla tion arranged to meet the views of Senator Aid rich and his friends will not protect the people from corporation imposition. The people are not concerned where the credit for wholesome legis lation is placed. They did not consider the poli tics of President Roosevelt when he announced himself in favor of rate legislation and emphasized the importance of avoiding the very point which he and his friends have now conceded. Regard less of political prejudice, the people followed Mr. Roosevelt, and although they were at times hope ful of substantial results, it is now plain that they are doomed to grlovious disappointment. THE PARAMOUNT EVIL One' ot the statements made by Secretary Shaw in his St. Louis speech is at this time par ticularly interesting. Mr. Shaw said: "Promi nent if not paramount among the political evils which confront us I count the trend toward the obliteration of party lines." The "trend toward the obliteration of party lines" indicates that the American people are beginning to think seriously upon public ques tions, and display an inclination to act independ ent of the old-time prejudices upon which un worthy candidates and unmeritorious measures have depended for success. We see powerful corporations dominating the politics of nation, state and municipality; city of ficials are subsidized, in the ..interests of con tractors and corporations; legislatures are pur chased for the defeat of measures hostile to cor porations and for the election of senators favor able to special interests; the congress Is coaxed to defeat essential reforms demanded in behalf of the public, and to maintain systems, for the advantage of private interests; in the midst of bounteous crops and natural prosperity i is' be coming more and more a problem how the many shall obtain means of existence, even while the few are flourishing in luxury; men grown power ful through the accumulation of great wealth rfilsappropriate the funds Intrusted to their care, and yot it seems impossible to bring them to the bar of justice; trust magnates, defying the laV, expose some of their books to an "investigator" and theii successfully plead the privilege of 1m--munity; so often have the rich and influential; guilty of grave crimes, appealed successfully to the courts that there is growing among the Amer ican people the conviction that while the poor and helpless may be speedily punished for their wrong doing, the man of millions has nothing to fear; everywhere there are grave political evils in the presence of which the profound scholar and the stalwart patriot stand perplexed. Yet this repub lican secretary of the treasury tells us that above and beyond all these he counts "the trend toward the obliteration of party lines." Paramount to all the real political evils with which the American people are confronted, this republican secretary 'of the treasury counts the growing tendency on the part of the people to throw aside the partisan prejudices that have bound them for so many years and to make re lentless attack upon those evils. Verily, Mr. Shaw delivered a genuine republican- speech at St. Louis. JJJ COREY RE-ELECTED ''.- ' It will be remembered that sometime ago when the wife of W. Ellis Corey, president of the steei trust, charged that person with desertion, it was reported that Mr. Corey would l)e required to surrender his position. But recently, without any noise whatever, the steel trust bias re-elected W. EJlis Corey to the presidency. Sctiwab fell in the gambling houses of Monte Carlo, and ho was forced to retire, Corey f ell In the bagnios of the variety stage, and he is re elected. Men holding positions with these great trusts must remember that to bet one's money on a "sure loser" is a greater sin than the gamb ling away of one's honor, the desertion of a faith ful wife and tho destruction of a homo. Surely the "national honor" Is perfectly safe in the hands of W, Ellis Corey and the men who re-elected him to a position of honor and trust. JJJ AN ALL-NIGHT BANK The first "all-night bank" in tho world has just been opened for business in New York city. It will keep open for Business all the time except Sundays, and is equipped with safety vaults that will also be kept open day and night. Tho Idea feeeras to have been so unique that the opening of the bank received a vast amount of advertis ing In the news columns of the papers. Just why a.Mnk should not keep open twenty-four hours a day haB not been explained. The interest you have to pay the bank keeps- working every hour in the day, and on the ground that work is worth its -equivalent it may be only right, that the bank should work as long hours as its Interest accounts. JJJ JAVATHE BEAUTIFUL (Continued from Page 2) the suggestion that Java should be included In a tour of the world, whether undertakenTor Instruc tion or pleasure, for few sections of the earth have been so blest by the Creator's ibounty, so beautified by the skill of the husbandman, or arj so. rich in ruins.. , -, - ' Copyright. ' l i 4 i JanturMV .;.f ., , .t !llt