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56 Nobraska. Independent
.MARCH 1, 1906
cedented honor and throws a curiou3
light on the status of the aggressive
southerner in view of his recent bitter
attack on the president. Those who
-voted for him were Aldrich, Kean,
Crane, Foraker and McLaurin. The
duty now devolves upon Senator Till
man of carrying forward in the senate
President Roosevelt's policy relative
to rate regulation. It was certainly
not the purpose of the republican sen
ators, who by a vote of five to three
selected Senator Tillman for this
honor, to emphasize the fact that the
policy of rate regulation is a demo
cratlc policy.
Tillman's Popularity
By some the selection is considered
a straw which indicates which way the
wind blows whenever the senate sup
porters of the railways think of the
president. On the other hand the
choice shows that Senator Tillman is
more highly esteemed by his repub
lican colleagues iu Washington than
by republicans throughout the country.
The cutting and even savage . criti
cisms which go the rounds of the
press after Senator Tillman has de
livered one of his characteristic
speeches are always regarded with
wonder by Senator Tillman's friends
on both sides . of the senate. His
personal popularity Is never impaired
even by his most injudicious remarks.
He is always ready with explanations
when he has gone too far and there
Is something amusing and even pa
thetic In the regret he expresses
after the heat of debate has passed.
Tillman's Plans
"It was an unexpected and in one
sense an undesired honor and respon
sibility that was thrust upon me,"
said Senator Tillman in speaking of
his selection to report -the bill. "As
far as I am able, I will endeavor to
secure the passage of the bill through
the senate with such amendments as
will make it more acceptable to the
business Interests of the country and
remedy the evils which have caused
such widespread criticism. The policy
is essentially democratic. The pro
posed bill had the unanimous support
of the democrats of the house, and I
hope that, with a few slight amend
ments, it will get the same support in
the senate."
An Unexpected Honor
Senator Tillman said that one of the
most essential amendments he should
endeavor to procure looks to "the ab
solute divorce of public carriers, as
such, from the production of coal, as
miners, which condition of monopoly
had created such a strong feeling of
dissatisfaction and anger in the bitu
minous and anthracite coal regions."
He had already drafted an amend
ment covering this point.
Bill Reported
The Hepburn railroad rate bill was
reported to the senate on Monday by
Senator Tillman in accordance with
the action of the senate committee on
interstate commerce last Friday.
Large crowds assembled in the gal
leries, anticipating a field day of de
bate, but were disappointed. There
was little of interest in the proceed
ings regarding the bill. A brief state
ment from Mr. Tillman, with the nec
essary arrangement for printing the
report of the hearings before the com
mittee and a promise that a formal re
port would be made later, was followed
by remarks from Mr. Aldrich, showing
the position of the five republicans
who opposed the bill as reported.
Mr. Aldrich Indicated that there would
be no unnecessary delay, but that the
bill would be discussed in accordance
with its importance
Mr. Clapp. called up the bill to dis
pose of the affairs of the five civilized
tribes in Indian territory and the
preliminary discussion showed that
there was considerable opposition.
also that there was to be criticism of
the disposition of the coal lands owned
by the Indians.-
Mr. Tillman announced that as soon
as possible he proposed to digest the
testimony and to submit a formal re
port on the bill. He said that within
two weeks he should move to make
the bill the unfinished business and
to displace the statehood bill, if that
measure was not disposed of by that
time. The Importance of the rate
measure and the wide Interest in the
subject throughout the country, he
said, made it -desirable that the bill
should be considered without delay.
As soon as he had concluded Mr.
Aldrich was recognized, and said:
A majority of the republican mem
bers of the committee did not join
in the favorable report which has just
been made by the senator from South
Carolina, for the reason that in their
judgment an attempt should be made
by the committee to remedy, by proper
amendments, some of the obvious and
admitted defects and omissions of the
house bill, and that clear and ade
quate provisions should have been
made for subjecting the orders of the
commission affecting rates to judicial
review. They believe that these
amendments were not only necessary
to protect the rights of all the parties
in interest, but that they were essen
tial to the vitality and efficiency of
the measure. With these amendments
the minority members, with the ex
ception of the senator from Ohio, who
is opposed to all government rate
making, were, ready to give their sup
port to the house bill.
Coal and Oil Inquiry
Preceded by a debate which indi
cated a relish in taking action against
railroad combinations the house agreed
without opposition to the Tillman
Gillespie resolution directing the inter
state commerce commission to make
immediate inquiry and report regard
ing alleged restraints of trade on the
part of certain railroads In the han
dling of coal and oil, particularly the
control by the Pennsylvania railroad
of the coal production.
Senator Knox introduced his inter
state commerce bill. It broadens the
house bill and contains a provision for
review by the courtsof the orders of
the interstate commerce commission.
The outlook for the ship subsidy bill
is not bright. There is strong oppo
sition to it in the house on the score
of economy, and the advocates of the
measure will have to do a mighty good
job of persuading before they win
over to their support some men in
high position.
If the pending efforts in the Ger
man reichstag are successful in abat
ing the new German tariff against
American products for a period of one
year there will be no minimum and
maximum tariff bill at this session.
In that event it is expected that there
will be no tariff discussion at all, save
a scattering of speeches here and there
for use in the congressional campaign.
New "Force" Bill
An effort will be made ,to revive
the bill reducing the representation in
congress of states that deny the right
of suffrage to voters. A movement is
now afoot to agitate the question, but
it is doubtful if it will be successful.
American Mission Destroyed
Consul General Rodgers, at Shang
hai, cabled the state department that
the American mission stations at Nan
chang, in the province of Kiangei
have been destroyed. The probable
cause is local. Thelegrams received
from those points state that the four
teen American missionaries at those
places escaped, but the Kingham fam
ily, English, two adults and two chil
dren, are reported to have been
killed. The American gunboat El
Cano, at Nankin, has been ordered to
proceed immediately to Kinkiang. The
scene of the trouble is about 400 miles
up the Yangtse river.
Send $1.00 for a year's subscription
to The Independent and receive Mr,
Berge's book, "The Free Pass Bribery
System," free as a premium. This
offer applies to full paid advance sub
scriptions only.
CANDIDATE FOR SENATE
NORRIS BROWN MAKES FORMAL
ANNOUNCEMENT.
Fremont Herald fc Tells Interesting
Story of a Conference Held With Bid-
well, of Northwestern, and Ross
Hammond, Who Retires From Race.
Norris Brown, attorney general, has
crossed the political Rubicon. He is
an avowed candidate for the United
States senate to succeed J. H. Mil
lard. He will not I 3 a candidate for
renomination for attorney general.! '
Within a few days Mr. Brown will
start on a tour of the state, if his
present plans are carried out. He
will base his candidacy on his litiga
tion against the railroads, his attack
on the grain trust, and will conduct
the campaign as an "anti-corDoration"
candidate.
Press Bureau Work
Mr. Brown admitted that he miaht
make a tour of the state. He also ad
mitted that the withdawal of Ross
Hammond, editor of the Fremont Trib
une, was expected. To this he added
a little "jolly," advising other aspir
ants to do likewise.
For a month Mr. Brown has been
considered a candidate. Two Press
bureaus have been organized in his
interests. - One. the first to enter the
campaign, was under the charge of
olonel Frank A.,. Harrison. Another
was presided over by Don C. DesDain.
chief clerk. in the office of the labor
commissioner. It has been reported
that the two bureaus were not ex
actly on friendly terms.
Ross Hammond's Withdrawal
One of the most important moves
in the senatorial game took place last
Friday at Fremont. Ross Hammond.
Attorney General Brown, General Man
ager Bidwell of the Northwestern and
R. B. Schneider held a r.o-n sulfation
there. Saturday afternoon Hammond
wunarew trom the race and indorsed
Norris Brown. Concerning: this meet
ing the Fremont Herald said in part:
"Attorney - General Norris Brown
was in Fremont yesterday-. His pres
ence was not known to many citizens,
and indeed his actions betokened that
ne was here on the quiet. It is gen
erally understood that he came nn a
political mission, as he was seen in
company with R. B. Schneider, repub
lican national committeeman, nnri
Ross Hammond, Fremont's preferred
candidate lor united States senator.
He was also observed in luxtanosition
to the private car of Manager Bidwell
or tne Northwestern railroad. Mr.
Bidwell was in the citv as a delesratfi
to the state meeting of the Young
Men s nnstian association. The Bid
well car was anchored in the-lopal
yards, near the Nye-Schneider-Fowler
general offices, at which nlace the at
torney general made a call for discus
sion or state politics or grain trust
litication, or perhaps the weather con
ditions." "
Meet at Kearney Thursday
According to reports received in
Lincoln a meeting of the Brown sup
porters will be held in Kearney on
tne morning of February 28. He will
be indorsed and a communication tel
egraphed to the republicans of the
State Press association. Several of
the Brown workers will endeavor, it
is predicted, to secure an indorsement
from the republican editors. If this
can be done the more optimistic be
lieve that Brown's indorsement by the
republican state convention will fol
low with little opposition.
Mr. Brown was originally an Iowa
man and his parents still reside in
Des Moines. He. was born on a farm
in Jackson county, Iowa, May2, 1S63.
In 1887, when he was 23 years of age,
he was admitted to the Iowa bar. The
next year he located in Kearney, Neb.,
where he became a successful lawyer
in spite ofthe "hard times" which
succeeded the boom days. Always an
eloquent speaker, he did much stump
work for many years. Though defeat
ed in the race for congressman from
the Sixth district in 1898 he put up a
stiff fight in the hopelessly fusion dis
trict and had the satisfaction of caus
ing his opponent to fall far behind the
usual majority. Mr. Brown was for
two years county attorney of Buffalo
county. In 1890 he was made deputy
under Attorney General Prout and
four years later was elected to the post
of attorney general. .
HammondiMakes a Denial
Ross Hammond in the Fremont Tri
bune has this , to say regarding the
Fremont Herald's story:
"By a coincidence, General Manager
Bidwell of the Northwestern road, was
in the city. He was not at that con
ference nor any other conference to
our knowledge. Mr. Brown did not see
him. To couple his name with the
matter in any manner whatever is
wholly gratuitous and an injustice to
all parties. It is done merely to dis
credit Mr. Brown's candidacy by giv
ing it a railroad flavor. Mr. Bidwell
has never been a factor, even in the
railroad politics of the state, and there
fore certainly not in the candidacy of
Mr. Brown, whom the railroads are
opposing.'
HADLEY ON THE HEPBURN BILL
President of Yale No Much Pleased
With Measure
The Evening Transcript of Boston
publishes an article by President Ar
thur T. Hadley of Yale Universitv nn
the present status of the rate regula
tion contest m Washington. Dr. Had
ley argues that the nroDOsition of the
Hepburn bill to ake the decisiomns of
the interstate commerce commission
final m all questions of fact is illegal
and impracticable. He declares that
a similar plan tried in England in the
seventies did not work and was finally
repealed. He declares that the com
mon law gives the shipper more pro
tection than statutes, as was shown in
the Chespeake & Ohio coal case re
cently decided by the supreme court.
Yet, m spite of these considerations,
President Hadley expresses the belief
that the passage of the Heoburn hill
would be better than any compromise
thus far suggested. He says in part:
in tne fist place, if the railroad men
attempt to have the bill modified it
will be regarded as a selfish effort to
block the wheels of legislation for
their own private interest. This is
always a blunder. From the stand
point of railroad management alone
the good from preventing the passage
of the Hepburn bill would not be near
ly as great as the harm which would
come from assuming an attitude of
factious opposition. The Hepburn bill
will not greatly hurt the railroads. If
anybody is much harmed by illusory
attempts to limit rights of appeal it
will be the shippers. Should the Hep
burn bill be passed in substantially
the form in which it comes from the
house of representatives there is a
fair chance that after a few years of
unsatisfactory operation it may be re
pealed. But if a compromise measure
is adopted the people will know who
is responsible for the failure. Each
party will place the blame upon the
other. Ten years hence we shall see
that we have accomplished nothing
but we shall be totally unable to tell
whose fault it is."
Killed by the Cars
L P. Rogers of Beatrice was killed
by the cars at Godfrey, HI., Sunday
He stepped from the train to walk on
the station platform when the cars
stopped. As he attempted to board
the tram his foot slipped and he fell
trader the wheels. He was CO years
of age. The remains will be brought
to Beatrice for burial.
