The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-18
SENATORS FIGHT
THE PRESIDENT.
Elkins Bill as a Club to Kill
Administration Anti.
Trust Measure.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 17.-The
the president in his efforts to secure
antitrust legislation Is being devel-
oped. The Knox bills, embodying. as
they do, the ideas of the administration
for correcting trust abuses deal with
interstate commerce. The principal one
is an act to amend the interstate COM
merce law, a. law which originated in
the senate interstate commerce com
mittee number of years ago when
Senator Cullom was its chairman.
He gave up its craftsmanship last
winter to take that Of foreign rela-
tons, and thus Senator Elkins came
into power. Mr.. Cullom is still a mem
Der, while the other Republicans are
Aldrich, of Rhode Island; Kean, of New
Jersey; Foraker, of Ohio; Dolliver, of
Iowa; Willard, of Nebraska, and Clapp,
of Minnesota. Among these will be
recognized senators who are not ardent
advocates of antitrust legislation.
Some of them have been suspected
of slight affiliations with the railway
interests. This may contain a hint why
the presidents bill was not referred to
this committee. While Senator Hoar's
judiciary committee is studiously chew
ing over the administrations plan for
making railroads play fair" the Ell
kins committee has been vampIng up
the so-called Elkins bill. In the house
it is known as the Wanger bill.
The Elkins- Wanger proposition is
one to give greater power to the inter-
state commerce commission, and, at
the same time, to repeal that section
of the Sherman law which now forbids
railway pooling. In exchange for the
privilege of making pooling contracts
several of the large railway interests
were willing to grant to the interstate
commerce commission authority to ex-
ercise the rate governing power.
The bill also contained notifications
of the present law in regard to penal
ties for giving rebates and making I'M
just determinations. In this feature 1t
is drawn on lines somewhat parallel
with the Knox antitrust bill. The
presidents antitrust bill does not give
the railroads the privilege of making
pooling contracts, nor does it give the
interstate commerce commission the
privilege of debating freight rates. The
administration plan concentrates its
attack on the evils of rebates and Sc
cret alliances between the railroads
and trust corporations. In addition it
arranges for another commission, or
bureau of the department of COM
merce, which is to work out a good
measure Of publicity for the railroads
and other corporations.
AS might be expected the railroad IN
terests do not like the administration
plan. They would rather have almost
anything else. They would much rath-
er have the Elkins-Wagner bill, al
though that was not entirely agreeable.
1t can hardly be expected that bill
that is being feverishly urged by Sen
ators Aldrich and Elkins is intended
otherwise than for use as a club to kill
the administration bill. 1t is planned
to get the bill out of the committee and
on the senate calendar at an early day.
Probably it will be considerably ahead
of the administration bill when that
comes from the judiciary committee.
This bill will afford a working basis
for opposition. 1t might even be pass