familiar with the great influence which the railroad companies had been able to bring to bear upon legislation through an ever present lobby sent to watch their interests at each session of the General Assembly. The liberal distribution of free passes and other special favors to members, had long prevented what they were pleased to term “hostile legislation.” This indictment of the railroad officials and the unimpeachable recital of their extortions by the new Chief Executive of the State fell like a bomb in the camp of the railroad managers.
In the Governor’s message sent to the General Assembly a few days before, he made the following recommendations:
“First. I recommend the passage of a law destroying the pass system root and branch.
“Second. I recommend that maximum passenger fares on first class railroads be fixed at two cents a mile.
“Third. I recommend the passage of a law fixing reasonable maximum rates of freight on the principal commodities transported by rail; and also authorizing and requiring the Railroad Commissioners to reduce said rates at any time when in their judgment they are too high.
“Fourth. The salaries of the Commissioners should be paid by the State and not by the railroad companies.”
On the other issues before the people the Governor was equally outspoken. He said:
“Much progress has been made in the enforcement of the prohibitory law. … Many judges have given strong testimony in its favor, showing that where it has been well executed there has been a marked reduction in criminal offences and also in court expenses. …
“There has been a decided falling off in penitentiary convicts and a very large number of jails have been empty, some of them for the first time in years. While there is very little difficulty in enforcing the law in rural districts and in a very large majority of the counties, there are still a few portions of the State, particularly in some of the larger cities, where the law is not enforced. This does not include all such cities, however, for Des Moines, Sioux City and Cedar Rapids, three of the largest cities of the State, the prohibitory law is now, and has been for the past year well enforced.
“Our people are strong in their convictions that this law should be
