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JDCTOBER 1, 190$
Charles B. Hughes was the man who should bo
nominated by the republicans lor governor of
New York. Who lg Charles E. Hughes? With
pne accord the administration press exclaim:
"Ho is the man who probed the insurance scan
jdals to the bottom!"
But the answer is incorrect He did not probe
them to the bottom. Ho inserted his probe only
deep enough to make the republican party man
agers wince, and then, heeding a broad intima
tion that it was time to quit, he withdrew the
probe. And then he was nominated for governor
fry the men who winced when ho sunk the probe
part way Into the insurance mess.
Why did Mr. Hughes fail to put Cortelyou and
Bliss on the stand?
How did it happen that the president made
h ids "muck -rake" speech at the very moment
jwhen Cortelyou and Bliss should have been summoned?
It whv was fho invPRHcnHnn rvrnnMnnllv Avnnnatt
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after the president's "muck rake" speech?
And how can the nomination of Mr. Hughes,
I made in the face of all these circumstances, be
explained?
The voters of the state of New York In par
ticular, and the voters of the republic in general,
are entitled to hear frank answers to . these
questions.
THE COLORADO CAMPAIGN
Alva Adams, who was elected governor of
'Colorado two years ago and was robbed of the
pofllce after a juggle of the legislature, was again
nominated by the democrats for the office. Tne con-
Ivention which nominated him threw off the shac-
fkles of the corporations and took a firm stand on
ithe side of the neonle. Colorado, like other states.
I finds itself at the mercy of monopolies under
i existing conditions, and the democratic party
through its platform and the candidates nominat
ed thereon have pledged the taxpayers that these
conditions will be remedied. The men nominated
upon that platform are a guarantee that the
platform pledges will be carried out and the cor-
tporations compelled to loose their throttle hold
mpon the industries of the state. The railroad
Icombine, the smelter trust, and in Denver the
pocal franchised corporations, all have long had
fine state at. tneir mercy, xi tne ciuzeua are vo
find relief from existing conditions they must turn
from the narty that profits by these conditions
kto the party that is pledged to give relief to the
.people. The democratic ticket, made up of men
'determined to act for the whole people, offers tne
Svoters of Colorado their only opportunity for se-
Icuriner relief. The election of Governor Adams
land the whole democratic state ticket should bo
kassirred without question. And when elected the
Fhonest voters of Colorado snouiu see to it tnat
Ithe will of the people is not again overturned as
it was two years ago when Governor Adams was
l&enled the office to which he was honestly elect
ed and the office given to a man who was not even
a candidate for it.
IN MASSACHUSETTS
g Under the leadership of George Fred Wll-
fliams, the democrats of Massachusetts are mak
ing a determined fight for the election of John
Moran, tne democratic nominee for governor.
Mr. Moran is now the district attorney at
jraBoston and in that office he has won an enviable
i. ' ruuuiuuuu.
"GIVE, GIVE"
The New York World says: "There never
was a secretary of the treasury who nursed Wall
iitreet so tenderly as Secretary Shaw. If It runs
imrh nf rfiadv monev he deDOslts more covern-
. i . r :.. ... z . .. i, . t.i
H '-ifoaent funds witn tne nanus; it tney purcnaae gom
pjfijgforoad he makes advances on It free of Interest.
PLnri vAf when ha releases $26,000,000 for their
lA Mllinefit they express disappointment because it
. -,pS not Jf3U,UUU,UUU, XI IB tuw uiu bwij uj. mo
1 v.MhOTse leech's daughters over again Wall street
fj&rs 'ttive. tdve!'"
'$M AnH cmriPliow or other the New York World
Sfffis always found fighting Wall streets battles on
.wjptction day.
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I K .' CALAMITY!
m Tho Woahtnfrfnn nnrrefinondent of the Terre
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tute (Ind.) Gazette declares it to ue jrresiaeui,
osevelt's belief that the election of Hearst
uld be a national calamity. It Is quite certain
it numerous republican leaders were convinced
.t it would spell calamity ior uie auiiaumtra-
to put Cortelyou ana .tmss uu uiu wiuibbb
id in the Armstrong investigation,
The Commoner.
5
Important To Nebraska Voters
jjj
Lyslo I. Abbott. flnmnnrnHn nnmlnns - 4.
toraoy general in Nebraska, has issued the fol
lowing statement:
"The republican stato central committee Is
sending out over the stato a letter containing
quotations from tho speeches mado by Norris
Brown, candidato for United States senator, and
George L. Sheldon, candidato for governor upon
the republican ticket These statements aro to
the effect that the railroads of this stato aro ex
torting annually $3,250,000 from tho farmers of
the state on charges for hauling wheat alone;
that tho same rate of extortion applies to all
other commodities hauled by tho railroads, and
that the total sum thus annually taken from tho
farmers' pockets by the extortionate railroad
rates reaches tho enormous sum of about $20,
000,000. During tho past six years, while the
republican party has been in absoluto control in
this state, all of which time Norris Brown has
been serving in tho office of attorney gonoral and
a part of which time Sheldon has been a mem
ber of tho legislature, this unlawful extortion
has been going on. During this period of six
years, according to tho assertions mado by both
Brown and Sheldon, tho railroads have robbed
the citizens of this stato of approximately $200,
000,000. These orators predicate their right to
bo returned to office upon tho abovo stato of
affairs.
"In 1893 a fusion legislature passed tho max
imum freight rate law under tho provisions of
which freight rates In this stato wore very ma
terially reduced. The railroads at once enjoined
the stato authorities from enforcing tho law
and upon tho case made by the then attorney
general, a republican, an Injunction was issued.
The injunction wont upon the ground that the
reduction of rates was so great as to prevent tho
railroads from earning a fair return upon their
investment. This case was taken to tho suprome
court of tho United States where the judgment
was affirmed. The supremo court of the United
States, after saying that upon the case presented
to it the injunction would have to be granted,
qualified its opinion with the following significant
language:
But it may bo added that tho conditions
of business, so far as railroad corporations
are concerned, have probably changed for the
better since the decree below, and that the
rates prescribed by tho statute of 1893 may
now afford all the compensation to which
the railroad companies in Nebraska aro en
titled as between them and tho public.
. In that event, if the circuit court finds that
the present condition of business is such as
to admit of the application of tho statute to
the railroad companies in question without
depriving them of just compensation, It will
be its duty to discharge tho Injunction here
tofore granted, and to make whatever order is
necessary to remove any obstruction placed
by the decrees in these cases In the way of
the, enforcement of the statute.
"During all the time complained of by Norris
Brown, he was In the- office of attorney general,
either as deputy or as principal, and during all
that time the above language of the supreme
court of the United States stood upon the sholves
n his office. During all of this time ho had with-
L mi dt th.. ab80lut0 Power to remedy tho
conditions of which ho now complains. During
part of this tlrao Mr. Sholdon had it within his
?rW Brown tCBOlutlon of tho loeiolaturo to compel
tfQ HL niydi(I' th0 ronuMican Pty, through
its agents, fail to meet tho emergency when it
arose but It went further and dollboratoly op
posed any attompt upon tho part of others to
remedy the ov Is of which they now complain.
J. a. u Kennedy, a democrat member from Doug-
j3li;UoSf:8COd In th U0U8 In 193' h0Ua0
,Abnl,for a 3olnt resolution Instructing
and directing the attorney gonoral to coni
menco appropriate proceedings to enforco tho
provisions of articlo twclvo (12) chaptor
seventy-two (72) of tho Compiled Statutes of
Nobraska for tho year 1901, said articlo be
ing entitled 'Maximum Frolght Rates
"Mr. Kennedy struggled with tho railroad
committee of tho houso, of which Mr. W. T.
Thompson, tho republican candidato for attornoy
general, was a member, to havo this bill reportod
for action. Ho was unablo to securo any report
until about tho sixtieth day of tho session, when it
was placed upon tho gonoral file. Upon tho sixty
first day of tho session, April 3, 1903, Mr. Kon
nedy moved that tho abovo bill bo placed at tho
head of the sifting file. Mr. W. T. Thompson,
tho republican candidato for attornoy gonoral,
moved to lay Mr. Kcnnody's motion on tho table,
and when Thompson's motion came to a vote it
was lost by a vote of 30 to 4.7, Thompson voting
In favor of his motion. Mr. Kennedy's motion
to place houso roll 421 at tho head of the sifting
file then come up for action and was opposed upoa
tho floor of the house by Mr. Thompson, who
then and there stated that tho house had no time
for tho consideration of tho measure and for that
reason ho was opposed to its being placed upon
the sifting file. Following the lead of Mr. Thomp
son the house defeated Mr. Konnody's motion
and tho bill.
"If you care to verify tho record you can
do so by referring to page 949 of tho Nobraska
Houso Journal for tho session of 1903 and for a
synopsis of tho speeches mado upon this occasion
I refer you to tho Lincoln Evening News of April
3, 1903, where upon tho front page you will find
a scare head reading as follows: 'Antl-railroad
men make last stand. Minority In houso at
tempts to force maximum freight bill to front
and suffers defeat' You will find that: 'Thomp
son opposed any consideration of the bills on the
ground that tho time was too short to give thom
proper consideration And again: 'Morsman,
Thompson and Wilson led the fight against the
bills, asserting there was no time for their con
sideration "I think it Is a fair question for any voter
to ask himself whether any relief can be secured
by re-electing to more important positions men
who have thus failed In their duties to the public
when the opportunities were presented to them
in their humbler capacities."
IOWA DEMOCRATS REMEMBER
Commoner readers In Iowa should appreciate
the importance of getting to the polls every dem
ocratic vote in the Hawkeye state.
It seems that the republican managers count
upon a large democratic stay-at-home vote, on tho
theory that Iowa is not regarded as debateable
ground. But In the opinion of many well Informed
men Iowa is debatable ground, and if a full
democratic vote is cast for Claude R. Porter, the
democratic nominee for governor, on November 6,
there are prospects for Mr. Porter's election.
Mr. Porter served eight years in the Iowa
legislature four years in the lower house and
four years in the senate. He has a good record,
having made a consistent fight for the public in
terests. Mr. Porter Is entitled to the vote of every
democrat. He stands for everything which has
won for his opponent, Governor Cummins, the ad
miration of democrats and republicans. But he
occupies advanced ground, which Governor Cum
mins has not taken. Where Governor Cummins
might appeal to some democrats on some things,
Mr. Porter can appeal to democrats on all prin
ciples, and his election would mean the removal
of Iowa from the control of tho republican party.
Tills fact In Itself should xsommend Mr. Porter's
candidacy to Iowans, regardless of political preju
dices, for It Is not well that any state remain in
tho undisturbed control, for a long period of years,
of any particular political organization.
Democratic leaders in Iowa assure The Com
moner that with a full democratic vote registered
for Mr. Porter, his chances for election will be
excellent. Every effort Is now being "made to
bring a full democratic vote to the polls. This
desirable result can not be accomplished by cir
culars nor by newspaper appeals. It can be ac
complished, however, if every democrat who is
Impressed with the opportunity at hand will urge
upon his careless neighbor the importance of
going to the polls.
It is to be hoped that every Commoner reader
In Iowa will constitute himself a committee of
one to see to it that every one of his neighbors
votes on November 6. If every Commoner reader
will pass the word along the line, there are many
reasons for believing that Claude R. Porter will
,be elected governor of Iowa.
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