Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-01-28
Pending Bills Not Likely to be
Acted on This Session.
DIVERSITY OF OPINION.
some Would Allow Railroads Great
Latitude, While Others Would Com
troll Rates-Tan's Sacrifice,
Special Correspondence.

Special Correspondence.
Washington, Jan. 22.-It is rather
late in the session to talk about legls-
lation In the senate committee on inter-
state commerce Senator Elkns tried
last session to get some action but the
divisions IN his committee were then SO
great that he gave II up as impossible.
Possibly he has received some light on
the subject since and that is why he
has called the committee together fire.
quently 10 see If anything can be done.
There are mild and some radical bills
pending before the committee. Some
would grant pooling, some would place
the railroads under drastic control, and
others would give the interstate COM
merce commission power to fix rates
and regulate traffic, There are MEM
beers Of the committee who do not want
anything done, and the prospects are
that their Ideas will prevail,
GOV. TAFTS SACRIFICE.
1t Is not very often that a man sac
rlhces his llfe's ambition to duty, but
William II. Taft has done just that.
When he was In Washington a year
ago, he told one Of his friends that It
has been the ambition Of his life to be
on the supreme bench. He had looked
upon his selection as circuit Judge as
a step In that direction, When Presi-
dent Mckinley induced him to leave
the circuit bench for duty In the Phil
ippines, he accepted the trust with re-
luctance because he feared then that It
might interfere with his hopes, Now,
after being in the Islands two years,
the opportunity for him TO become
justice Of the supreme c0urtcame and
he refused because OF the demand of
the people In the Philippines that he
continue his. work I'm the Islands Very
few men have declined a place on the
supreme bench as a matter Of duty
NOT FOR THIS SESSION.
Representative Moody OF oregon and
Representative jones' Of Washington
have locked horns over proposition all
affecting the public lands Moody has
reported bill providing for an eX-
change Of land owned by railroads and
wagon roads which have received
grants from the public domain. so that
the settlers and the roads may get their
lands in large blocks instead of in al
ternate sections or in the Checker
board form, as il is styled. Jones has
made a minority report declaring that
it Will Increase the lieu land and, be-
sides, viii retard settlement
"AssIMILATED RANK"
Gen. Grosvnor does not like the
idea OF young lieutenants or captains
being jumped into places Of high COM
mand in the army, Il have brought
with me, he said to the house one day.
coupled with my imperfect knowledge
Of military affairs, which | learned In
something like four years service and
not much study a decided prejudice
against what is called I'm the army
assimllated rank. II always leads TO
confusion and always leads TO dis
elimination, and It occurred to me IN a
cursory examination Of this bill that
there was going TO be very pronounced
reintroduction into the army organlza-
ton Of what we call assimilated rank
taking lieutenant or captain and
making him brigadler general. giving
him the rank practically, and then
turning him back again, changing his
uniform back to that OF line officer,
II seems TO me 10 be incongruous; II
always brings confusion"
DOES NOT OFTEN COMPLAIN.
Senator Tillman does not often COM
plain Of inattention when he is making
speech; consequently everybody was
surprised the other day when he stop
ped In the middle Of a speech and lee
tured the senators not only for their
inattention, but for talking so loud as
TO disturb the trend Of his remarks
The South Carolina senator evidently
considered this as an aside and no part
Of his remarks, as 1t did not appear in
HIS speech when published. have
seen days, and many of them, when
Tillman held the attention of the SEN
ate. Senator's not only listened. but
engaged In coloquies with him and
there would be regular pitched battles.
OF parliamentary kind, between TIL
man and half dozen other senators.
] remember that at the Chicago con-
vention Of 396 Senator Jones, chair
man Of the committee on platform. was
trying 10 arrange the time for discus !
sion. Bryan and Tlllman were TO talk /
on the silver side and Jones wanted TO
get time for others Tillman wanted |
an hour. But the crowd win get |
tired listening 20 one man for an hour" !
said Jones. IAN audience doesn't get |
tired when I talk" said Tillman. He |
got fifty minutes aud Bryan forty |
Jones surrendered ali his time. Bryan |
made himself the nominee in his 40
AN ELKINs STORY.
II was during a campaign IN West /
Virginia that the publisher OF small |
paper wrote Senator Elkins, II have
complete story Of your rec |
ord while you were In New Mexico. Il |
IS pretty black. and think you would |
want Il suppressed or course / have
been to considerable expense in getting |
ip the story and II do not publish Il |
think | should be paid for my trou-
)le"
Elkins telegraphed him. Publish Il,
md ] will pay the expense"
lie never heard OF It again.
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