The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-28
Separate Bills for the Permission of
Pooling and Prohibition of Ticket
ScaIpinS May He
THEIR PASSAGE DOUBTFUL
PUBLIC SENTIMENT AGAINST GREAT
ING ANY KIND OF A TRUST
Views of senator ChandIer-Al the
Citations Virtually Out of Business.
special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, March 27.-The views of
railroad representatives in Washington as
TO what will be necessary i'm the way of leg
islation and as to the best way of securing
1t appear to be crystallizing. They were
prepared. before the handing down of that
sweeping antitrust decision by the Supreme
Court. to accept the plan suggested by SEN
ator Cullom for a bill containing general
amendments TO the interstate-commerce
law to be introduced and pressed at the
regular session next winter, but they are
now very anxious for more speedy action
ana viii consent to, and, in fact, urge
remedial legislation by piecemeal. In other
words, they have about made up their
minds to ask of Congress the enactment of
a pooling bill, separate and distinct from
any interstate-commerce law amendments,
and also for a railroad anti-scalping bill.
They feel that they Will have a better show,
perhaps, if the matter comes before Con-
gress in a fragmentary way than they
would If they put all their eggs into one
basket and attempted to secure sweeping
changes in the law.
Their views on this point may be changed
before the time arrives for positive afirma-
tive action, as the situation is somewhat
Kaleidoscope. What seems hest to-day may
be changed entirely by the developments of
tomorrow.
The chances for the passage of the pool
ing bill are felt not to be good, and it is
very doubtful If a bill could pass the House,
even If 1T had the clear right of way, while
1t would be sure to meet with determined
opposition in the Senate. The debate in the
House yesterday and to-day on the dem
agogic attempts of the Democratic leaders
TO secure antitrust amendments to the
Dingley bill. show that Congress is in an ex-
tremely sensitive frame of mind on trusts.
The newspapers are full of the subject,
and the correspondence Of congressman
goes to show that the people have taken it
up as a sort of fad in the behef that hard
times are due to the Vaccinations Of COM
binations of capital. Many congressman,
therefore, who are naturally friendly To the
pooling theory and who are impressed by
the arguments of the railroads that pooling
would be a good thing, both for the trans
portation interests and for the people, freely
confess that they would be afraid TO vote
as their feelings and business judgment die
tate. Opposition to the railroad scalping
bill would not be so strong as against a
pooling bill, for the reason that it would
not so squarely recognize the trust idea. al
llOuSn the TICKET DTOheTS WOulQ attempt 10
give it that color.
Senator Chandler is out in an interview
in which he ridicules the idea that pooling
legislation is a possibility. He says that
Congress would not dare authorize pooling.
as TO do so would be to recognize legitimacy
of trusts of all kinds and of every sort, and
that is something he insists the people
would not stand. He insists that the law
as it now reads gives the railroads and the
people the protection demanded, and that
the railroads have only to obey 1t and Sc
cure all the advantages they are clamoring
for under cover of a law enabling them to
legally combine for the maintenance of
rates. He threatens the railroad officials
who insist on carrying on any of the exist
ing combination with indictments and i'm
prisonment if they continue to transgress
the law. Senator Chandler is recognized as
an extremist, but his opinions have consid-
cradle weight in the Senate, as he is per-
sistent, resourceful and able in the prose-
cution of his theories. He never let's up.
and has a positive genius for promoting
trouble for railroads and trusts, against
which he directs the full volume of his en-
ergy and activity.