JOSEPH W. BAILEY
(Joseph Weldon Bailey, Sr.)
In 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt took the lead in a legislative attempt to produce railroad rate reform. He took on leaders of his own party who attempted to defeat and then "water down" the bill. In the middle of the fight he changed his position, abandoned his allies and accepted weakening amendments in what became known as "Roosevelt's Surrender." One of the senators who had supported the President on the stronger legislation complained:
The Senator received some bad press regarding his part in the railroad rate reform issue. He believed that the stories were planted by his political enemies.
Joseph Weldon Bailey, Sr., was a United States Senator, United States Representative, lawyer, and a Bourbon Democrat who was famous for his speeches extolling conservative causes, such as opposition to woman suffrage or restrictions on child labor. He served as a Congressional Representative between 1891 and 1901, and as the House minority leader from 1897 until 1899. In 1901, he was elected to the Senate, serving until 1913. Historian Elna C. Green says that Bailey was known in Texas as a rigorous defender of states' rights, constitutional conservatism, and governmental economy. His opponents considered him the symbol of privilege and corruption in government.
