PAGE 2
AkY 25, 1905
Uf:z Hcbrdotio. Indopondcnft
have played politician against politician, candidate against candidate,
party against party, and this kind of diplomacy has resulted in scores of
cheap and easy victories for, railway rule.
In the category of petty politics must be classed the agitation for a
special session of the legislature. Realizing that the failure to enact
freight rate legislation has impaired their fighting strength, the republicans -have
cast about for some stratagem to restore party prestige and regain the
confidence of the voters. The leaders are willing to adopt bold and even
the question of expense they are asking the governor to call a special
session and he is said to be lending a pliant ear to their pernicious pleadings.
" The constitution grants the governor power to call a special session
whenever any extraordinary occasion arises. In what respect does the
present demand for a reduction in freight rates differ from the demand that
existed last winter? The only difference seems to lie in partisanship and
petty politics. Tho members of the legislature, who failed in their duty
during the regular session, now assert that they did not then appreciate
how, general and vehement was the demand among the people for legisla-
tion that would give" relief from railroad tyranny. Properly interpreted,
however, this plea simply means that the legislators now realize that their
party has been weakened and needs some political restorative. During the
regular session these members returned to their homes on passes frequently
enough to ascertain just how deeply and earnestly the people desired regula
tion of the railroads and reductions of freight tariffs.
Having ignored all pleadings, invectives, threats and curses during the
regular session, the free-pass legislators are seeking to beguile the people
by a pitiful piece of hypocracy. In this statagem they no doubt have rail
road support. The railways entertain no fears as to the results of the
present partisan agitation, whether the special session is oris not called.
If the members ' of the legislature were governed by pure motives the
objections to a special Session might not be so great While it is true that
the Newberry bill is still on the statute books and can be enforced, a special
session could enact much restrictive legislation to meet railroad conditions
that have grown up since 1893. - . ... , - ,
Republican leaders feel that even though no special session is called
the little game they are playing will have an excellent partisan effect. It
will do no harm, they argue, to continue the agitation as boisteriously as
possible, to gather together great heaps of dust with which to blind the
people and to riot in these dust piles until they have wholly obscured the
true situation It is the duty of all honest citizens to clear the atmosphere, -to
denounce; ruinous partisanship, and to promptly check the political
horse-play by which the politicians are seeking to delude the people.
LET DEMOCRATS BEWARE
The Independent has called upon the republican aspirants for congres
sional honors to reject free-pass delegates. Now that the democratic con
gressional convention for the First district has been called The Independent
renews its warning This publication is merelv voicine thA dpmnnfl f
people when it insists that the railways be refused any part in the selection
of those who shall represent Nebraska in congress. As usual the railways
will attempt to gain control in that quarter which promises the best prospect
of success, but they will not therefore take any chances that might result
in the election of a congressman wholly free from their influence.
It is the duty of the First district democrats to adopt a firm and pro-
timinO1 ottitllla nrrnr4 a !1 J' l.ii .'...'
"""" asaiuou irtiiway uiciauon ana against tne free-pass system
of bribery. If ,they send to their convention men who are free of the rail
way taint, men who will refuse to forget their patriotism and the obligation
they are under to a bribe-ridden state, they will deserve to win. On the
other hand if the republicans fail in their duty they will deserve to lose,
and The Independent feels safe, when it considers the notable revolution
in sentiment among men of all parties, in predicting that partisanship will be
lost sight of on election day and the candidate who stands for the wishes of
the people as against the wishes of the railway, who desires to become the
First district's representative in congress that he may uphold the hand of
the president in the fight for railway regulation, will triumph at the polls
ana will gain a victory as glorious to Nebraska as the victory against
Standard Oil was glorious to the people of Kansas.
The democrats must mnlrA fh
' ; iuimcuiaici u LUcll LlltJrtJ
-may be no misunderstanding at the primaries. It wiil be too late when the
convention is called to order to'elimiriate the men who ride on passes. Those
men may be in control or may hold the balance of power between contend
ing candidates when the convention meets. v From now until the convention,
therefore, every avenue by which rail way s representatives or bribed pass
" holders may slip into the convention should be guarded and every democrat
in the First district should constitute himself a-sentinel to bar the way
of those who seek to betray the people.
BUY AMERICAN GOODS ABROAD
The latest reports from Washington indicate that President Roosevelt
and Secretary Taft are striving to spare as far as . possible the wounded
sensibilities of the high tariff element in the republican party. At present
no "abnormal purchases of material" will be made abroad, and it is an
nounced that no great stock of supplies will be secured in foreign markets
until after congress has convened and has had an opportunity to pass
"directive legislation." -
Evidently President Roosevelt and Secretary Taft have been not a
little alarmed by the dervish-dance of the "stand-patters" and the "wild-man-from-Borneo"
attitude of the manufacturers. Here is an excellent
chance for the effective wielding of the "big stick" so justly famous In the
annals of this administration, and it is to be hoped that the president
and his genial secretary, who have defied bears in Colorado or dog-eating
-Igorrotes in the Philippines, will not be unduly frightened by the wierd
demonstrations of the predaceous protectionists.
The reassuring statement is made that "this decision does jiot mean
, that the president and Secretary Taft have in any degree changed the
policy recently announced to govern purchases for the canaL This may be
true, but it now looks as though the president and his secretary enter
tained the hope that congress would take pity on their plight by compelling
them to spend at home the money for canal construction. Why would it
not be a good idea" for the worried chief executive-and his no less anxious
secretary to purchase the supplies abroad, but to purchase only American
goods, which, as we all know, are sold much cheaper abroad than at home? '
TAKE YOUR STAND, JUDGE HOLMES
The republican congressional convention meets at Falls City June 1.
President Roosevelt will be watching with interest the result of this con-,
vention, for it will be the very first opportunity that, republicans have had
in any congressional district to demonstrate whether or not the president is
to be"sustained by his party in his determination to secure railroad regula
tion and rate reform. The president has promised the American people a
square deal. Now will the republicans ivge the president a square deal? A
square deal to the president from the First congressional district means a
congressman who is in sympathy with the president's views on. the rate
question and who is entirely free from obligations to the railroads.
If the republicans of the First Nebraska district permit the convention
to be controlled by the railroads, that means a railroad candidate and it
means a rebuke to the president.
Will Judge Holmes, who has been endorsed by the Lancaster county
republican convention, and authorized to select the Lancaster county dele
gation, select a delegation of railroad cappers and free pass holders? If he
dees the other counties of. the district will know what that signifies. And if
these other counties then also send free pass holders, that will mean railroad
control of the convention, a railroad candidate, a railroad victory over
the president and a railroad victory over the people who pay the freight.
. The agitation for rate reform has reached the acute stage. In the
election which will follow the congressional convention the lines will be
squarely drawn between the people and the railroads. The railroads are now
bending their energies to win this first battle, this republican nomination.
They are operating through their organization of free pass holders. The
headquarters of this free pass holders' organization is in Lancaster county.
Lincoln is the railroad stronghold. Judge Holmes now has this stronghold in
.his vest pocket. Judge Holmes can now," if he will, show his loyalty to tho
president and to the people by selecting a delegation of men who have been
and are now independent of railroad influences and who do not belong to
the free pass organization.
The free pass organization is the railroad political machine. It is the
vehicle in which railroad tools ride into office. The free pass is the sign
by which the railroad manager knows his own. ,It is the coat of arms which
distinguishes the free-ride aristocrat from the common man, who pays the
freight. It is up to Judge Holmes to show his delegation. By that sign the
Falls City convention will know that he has counted the cost and has delibe
rately taken his stand, either with the president and . the people, or with
the railroads.
HOW THE RAILROADS TAX THE PEOPLE
Thepeople of Boston threw the tea overboard because they wanted to
protest against taxation without representation. All civilized people guard
with jealousy the right to tax, for the power to tax means power to govern.
In this new revenue law the question of the power to tax is raised
into an issue of more importance than is generally understood by Nebraska
people. The railroads of the state, which, through their control f the
state board, have been able for many years to fix the tax rate on their
own property, have never until now been able to dictate also the tax rate on
the property of the people. By the old method, the people elected assessors
to assess their property, leaving the state board to assess the railroad
property. But now, under this new law, the township assessors are ap
pointed and organized into a county assessing machine, . under the control
of the county assessor; and the county assessors are' organized into a
still more powerful machine under , the control of the state board; and
the state board, being an official machine, is under the control of the rail
roads. And so the power to tax the people has passed into the hands of
the railroad corporations. ' . , 4
Under the new revenue law the state board has power to' review and
to raise the tax and to summarily remove from office without a hearing any
. or all of the local assessors. Should the state board see fit to do so, it
can, for it has the power, remove from office everyone of the hundreds of
local assessors and absolutely dictate the entire taxing system. It can in-