independent executives. The time is not far remote
when nearly every delegate to a State convention had free transportation
for the round trip. This transportation was furnished to delegates by
railroad managers through their local attorneys, or through favored
candidates and their confidants. It was only offered to those who were
supposed to be friendly to candidates approved by the railroad managers;
and as free passage was looked upon as the legitimate perquisite of a
delegate, but few persons could be induced to attend a State convention
and pay their fare. As a consequence, the railroad managers found it too
often an easy matter to dictate the nomination of candidates.

Since the adoption of the Interstate Commerce Law convention passes, as
such, have largely disappeared; but many a prominent politician in going
to and returning from political conventions travels as a railroad
employe, though the only service which he renders to the railroad
companies consists in manipulating conventions in their favor. If all
the railroad candidates--and the companies usually take the precaution
to support more than one candidate--are defeated in the convention of
one party, and a railroad candidate is nominated by the other party, the
latter is certain to receive at the polls every vote which railroad and
allied corporate influence can command.

One might suppose that an attempt would at least be made to hide from
the general public the interference of such a power with the politics of
a State; but railroad managers seem to rely for success as much upon
intimidating political parties as upon gaining the good will of
individual citizens. To influence party action, the boast has in recent
years repeatedly and boldly been made in Iowa that 30,000 railroad
employes would vote as a unit against any party or individual daring to
legislate or otherwise take official action against their demands, and
forgetting that, with the same means used in opposition to them, a few
hundred thousand farmers and business men could be easily organized to
oppose them. Unscrupulous employers often endeavor to control the votes
of their employes. This is particularly true of railroad companies, and
they use many ingenious plans to accomplish it. In the Northwest, and
especially in Iowa, they have for several years organized their employes
as a political force for the purpose of defeating such candidates for
State offices as were known to favor State cont