VOLUME 8, NUMBER 10
2
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The Commoner.
missions are Htill KticsaliiK what tho position of
tho court will bo on ouch now attempt at reg
ulation. From 181)8 (o 1898 tho money duostlon
overshadowed other Imhiioh, and for Hovonil years
after I89R tho questions of imperialism occu
pied tlin Ili-Ht place, but (luring both periods
there was ii strong demand among the people
for railroad legislation, although corporate in
fluence ul I ho national capital kept thin demand
from finding expression in laws. Tho demo
cratic national platform of 1890 contained tho
following plank:
"The absorption of wealth by the few, tho
consolidation of our leading railway systems,
and the formation of trusts and pools require a
Ktricter control by tho federal government of
those arteries of commerce. We demand tho
enlargement of tho powers of the interstate com
merce commission, and such restriction and
guarantees in the control of railroads us will
protect the people from robbery and oppression."
In 1 !) 0 0 the platform repeated its demand
for the enlargement of tin- interstate commerce
law, and this demand was again repeated in the
democratic national platform of 1904. The re
publican platforms were strangely silent upon
the subject, and it is now known that the rail
roads showed their appreciation of that party's
alienee by liberal contributions and by tho fur
nishing of passes.
Notwithstanding the fact that tho republi
can national platform of 1904 studiously avoided
tho railroad question. President Roosevelt cm
bodied In his annual message, sent to congress
tho following December, a recommendation in
favor of additional regulation. Tho country was
startled, the democrats were delighted, tho re
publican leaders were provoked, and tho rail
way magnates were highly offended. The presi
dent called attention to (lie fact that under the
Bupremo court decisions tho interstate com
merce commission possessed simply "the bare
power to denounce a particular rate as unrea
sonable," without the power to declare a rea
sonable rate, lie not only asked for more strin
gont legislation in regard to rates and rebates,
but to emphasize his recommendation ho held
out tho fear of "a still more radical policy" if
tho government did not. "in increasing degree
supervise and regulate tho working of tho rail
ways engaged In interstate commerce." By ibis
"more radical policy" lie meant the government
ownership of railroads. Twice since then he
lias declared in his messages that effective regu
lation is the only thing Unit will provent gov
ernment ownership.
The lOsch-Townsond bill, which was framed
in accordance with his suggestions, passed tho
house by a practically unanimous vote, receiving
the support of republicans and democrats alike.
Tho railroads made no effort to defeat the bill
In the house, and, therefore, wo have no way
of knowing what members would have voted
against the bill If their votes would have de
feated It the railroad lobbyists are considerate
enough not. to require a show of hands except
where a show will count. A determined fight
was made against tho bill in tho senate and liter
ary bureaus, established by the railroads, sup
plied editorials to all tho papers that would use
them. When a national convention of
business men was called to endorse the presi
dent s program, the railroads got up an opposi
tion convention. A majority of the republican
senators entered into an agreement to prevent
the passage of the bill In tho form which the
president asked, and the republican members
oi the committee which reported the bill in
trusted it to tho leadership of Senator Tillman
? m,iUi 4,C!avollnf1, iu or(lcr t0 emphasize the
fact that they regarded It as a democratic meas
ure. .Two Important amendments were secured
by the democrats an anti-pass amendment, in
troduced by Senator Culberson, of Texas, and an
amendment, introduced by Senator Stone of
Missouri, restoring the criminal clause which the
Elklns act had repealed. A number of in nor.
taut amendments were Introduced bv Senator
LaFollette. of Wisconsin, and supported by 'tho
democrats, but they were voted down by o
republican majority. One of these amendments
authorized the Interstate commerce commiss on
to ascertain the present value of the r ilwnilJ
liZS W,l,h PP0H,dent RSevoIt 1" Since
The democrats formed a combination with
11 MRo,f1;ve1lt rtopubllcana to secure the i mss-iS
o the bill a ong the lines laid down by the mvs
idem, but at the last moment he effected a coT
promise with the railroad repub leans of n V
senate, and, by conceding their de ma ul ?,, le
matter of court review, secured almost J V,1
republican vote for tie bill t soli(1
felt aggrieved that tlVo vZllJtlTZl
receded from his position when he could have
secured what he wanted with the aid of the
democrats, and the spirited discussion which
followed resulted in some prominent additions
to tho president's Ananias club.
The new law is now being tried, and the
results of the experiment are awaited with in
terest. It prohibits interstate passes, and this
provision seems to be obeyed, but the cutting
off of the pass increases the revenues of the
road, for those now pay who used to ride free.
Senator Foraker claims that the Elkins act
should have the credit for stopping rebates, the
recent prosecutions having been under that act;
but no matter which act proves to be the most
effective, the stopping of rebates is a distinct
advantage to the railroads, for they now retain
in their treasuries the money formerly returned
to favored shippers.
A number of the state legislatures, stimu
lated by the example of tho president (and no
longer restrained by passes), undertook more
effective legislation In local rates. All of the
states in the northern Mississippi valley, and
several southern states, reduced the passenger
rate to two cents, and some of them made re
ductions in freight rates. These reductions are
now being tested in the courts, and it is too
early to predict the final result.
t ( fvrt 1&&
CENSORSHIP OF THE PRESS
The democrats of the senate and house will
do well to watch the bill introduced by Senator
Penrose on the 9th of December. It amends
section 3893 of the revised statutes and purports
to be a measure for the enforcement of the law
against obscene literature, but a reading of the
bill arouses tho suspicion that it has another
purpose. The amendment is so broad that it is
a question if it does not establish a censorship
of the press and vest in the postofilce department
the right to arbitrarily exclude papers from the
second class mailing privileges.
The bill should be so amended as to make
it impossible for the postofilce department to ex
orcise a censorship over political papers. We
can not afford to subject political arguments to
censorship.
The dangers involved in such a law far out
weigh any good that could come from it. Free
dom of press Is essential to free government and
in excluding obscene matter, care must be taken
not to lodge in the postofilce department a dis
cretion which will cover other matters.
&&&&
"TOMORROW"
The Ohio republican platform which the
Chicago Record-Herald claims was examined
and approved by President Roosevelt and Mr.
Tart favors "the reduction of representation in
congress and the electoral college in all states
of this union where white and colored citizens
are disfranchised."
Is this a sop to the negro in the hope of
soothing his wounded feelings? If it is not
mere buncombe then why does not tho repub
lican congress, now in session, proceed along
the proposed line?
It is "tomorrow" for tariff revision; "to
morrow" for currency and banking reform
'tomorrow" for vigorous and effective prosecu
tion of trust magnates. And to the negro with
respect to the proposition referred to it is "to
morrow" and it will be "tomorrow" forever
and forever, because it is well understood that
he republican party would not dare to reduce
the representation as suggested.
V O W t
WHO IS COPYING?
The Washington Post may not regard it -m
a serious mistake, but in a recent editorial !?
says that the Nebraska platform "repeats n ,v
of the paragraphs of the Taft platfonn adopted
at Co umbus not word for word, of course but
meaning for meaning," and then it proceeds to
specify. It quotes the republican platform as
favoring "prosecution of illegal trusts monon
o ists and all evil doers, both in the nbHc ser
vice and In the commercial world, togetinr wfth
the enforcement of all wholesome measures
which have made safer the guarantee of Hfe Hb
erty and property." The Nebraska plat orm is
quoted by the Post as follows: "We favoV the
vigorous enforcement of the criminal law against
trusts and trust magnates, and dem-imi K?f
actment of such additional leg isla io f J"
be necessary to make it impossible oi a mCto
monopoly to exist in tho United States" Thi,
the Post alleges, "is tweedledee and tweello'
dum drawn to a fine point " tweedle-
ln the first place, the language quoted from
the democratic platform of March 5 was copied
verbatim from the Nebraska democratic plat
form of last September, so that if anybody
"copied," the Taft managers have copied the
democratic platform.
Will the Post make the correction and ad
mit that the Nebraska democrats were in the
field first, or will it allow the mistake to stand?
But, as a matter of fact, the two para
graphs are not at all alike. The republican plat
form asks for the prosecution of illegal trusts
and monopolies. It does not ask for the en
forcement of the "criminal law against trusts
and trust magnates," neither does the repub
lican platform demand "the enactment of such
additional legislation as may be necessary to
make it impossible for a private monopoly to
exist in the United States." There is no sug
gestion in the republican plank, quoted by the
Post, of additional legislation, while the Ne
braska platform demands additional legislation.
It not only demands additional legislation, but
it specifies certain legislation which is demanded,
as follows: "Among the additional remedies
we specify three: First, a law preventing the
duplication of directors among competing cor
porations; second, a license system which will,
without abridging the right of each state to
create corporations, or its right to regulate as
it will foreign corporations doing business with
in its limits, make it necessary for a manufac
turing or trading corporation engaged in inter
state commerce to take out a federal license
before it shall be permitted to control as much
as twenty-five per cent of the product in which
it deals, the license to protect the public from
watered stock and to prohibit the control by
such corporation of more than fifty per cent
of the total amount of any product consumed
in the United States; and, third, a law com
pelling such licensed corporations to sell to all
purchasers in all parts of the country on the
same terms, making due allowance for cost
of transportation."
The Commoner is mailing a copy of the
Nebraska platform to the editor of the Post
and asks the Post to compare it with the Ohio
platform. It will be seen at a glance that while
the democratic platform is clear, emphatic and
specific on each point, the republican platform
is general, ambiguous and evasive. No matter
what subject is dealt with, the Nebraska plat
form stands for something that can be under
stood, while the republican platform stands for
something or nothing, according to the construc
tion placed upon it, and anyone can place upon
it the construction he likes.
S & & &
NEBRASKA DEMOCRATIC EDITORS
The Nebraska Democratic Editorial Associa
tion will meet at Lincoln on March 31 to discuss
plans for the coming campaign and to outline
a policy of co-operation with the "volunteer"
movement. President J. B. Donovan of the
Madison Star-Mail has sent assurances to all
democratic editors in Nebraska that the meeting
will be interesting and profitable and urging all
to attend. The democratic editors of Nebraska
form a band of tireless workers for democracy.
They have been loyal in season and out of season.
Defeat was never decisive enough to discourage
them, and victory has never left them puffed
up and careless. They have held the banner
aloft through dark days and bright days, always
hopeful, always earnest, always loyal. Other
states may have more democratic newspapers
than Nebraska, but none has a better average
of democratic newspapers, measured by any
standard editorially, locally or typographically.
These democratic newspapers are strong factors
in any campaign for the triumph of democratic
principles, and they deserve and should have the
hearty support of democrats in their respective
communities. The democratic editors of other
states should follow the example of their Ne
braska colleagues and organize associations for
the purpose of more thorough co-operation.
PLUTOCRACY'S DEFENDERS
Leslie's Weekly is one of the papers that
hab tually seek to deceive and mislead the
J1S.V ' -n gently published an article entitled
Ihen Panic Stood at the Threshold," and the
Jr-owl6 il?S oe,eo Pbned in the Official Time
,(N !) f the Pennsylvania railroad
(which went into effect in February)
onn H.?,eVeiS WeeJdy condemns the Sherman
?.?nu ?m aT aU(1 tleclares a failure; it finds
iin u UlG 1)assaSO of that law and claims
Pinnini..Wa?Gnil0te,d muler Pure of "public
clamor. It complains of tho "denunciation of
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