The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-17
President Said to Favor.
'rhiSPlan-- --ElkinsHa
Drawn Bill.
.CASSATT CALLS
Al. WHITE HOUSE,
Waited Long While and Then
Had Audience Of About a
Minutc-Quarlcs-coop
Measure Taken Up
by the Senate
Committee.
tlrrom our Regular Corrcspondent)

{From Our Regular Correspondent
# WASHINGTON. j. c., December lG--}5
President Cassatt, OF the PcnnsylSa1niaa a
Railroad, was at the White House this
"a morning, and saw tho Prtsidcnt for Q
/ short tine. s5I II Is presumed that he called
\ for. the purpose OF. discussing with with me
President, the proposed Increase Of the
powers Of the Interstate Commerce Com
! ,nigsion in order that It may regulate
freight rates. Mr. Cassatt had to walt
rcarly an hour before he could see the
executive. and then he ~as with him but
& n minute or two. II lis possible tina 6 no
will communicate With air. Roosevelt IN
3 writing, setting forth his views on tho
subject OF the legislation Trcposeu ny Wy VIZ
* President. $S 33 II .4t
1T IL said that the conference With
y Mr. Cassatt is one of u series which the
President will hnve will the practical
railroad men q. tic country for the plir-S
4 pose pf convincing them that something
3 must bo dnneiin the way OF railwa y iegls-
lat!on and OF obtaining their views az 5 10
what Is best 10 do in ,liis connection.
/. Favors Commerce Court.
III Is understood that, as at3prcsent ad-
i yised. the President fayors tho plan Of
8 Secretary Of the Navy Morton " hichS
provides f6r permanent court Of fivcst
deal with railway rates, with power 70
regulate them. The court would be SHof1l-
E posed OF tho best men possible. ana
I would be n more dianificd and more pow
!erful interstate Commerce Commission.
Mr.. Cassat, IT Is said, approves the
81 m "a sure which Senator I3lkins will intro
t1,,cn which proposes the creation Of 1n-$$
6terrtntc commerce circuit courts,9as well
las a central Superior Court. To these
vii, be sent all cases involving unjust
x freight raj tes. ~ v. ], " IN s
Mr. Elkins has drawn the = bill. Its
practicallySii Siile easure which was intro
rluced In the Senate In sas. byt Senate
offered ..oy reduest,,'d which shows that
u senator Sawyer did not then approve OF
Z the object.
Those who really desire 10 secure leg
islation IS designed to empower he gov
f crnment TO Fix rates are unttedly op-
n rosed To the creation OF the court as
The solution OK the question. Some DEM
ocrats openly declare that such q
measure Is directly in the interest Of
d the railroads who see that the President
I and the country are determined to place
the rate making power in the hands OF
the government. The choice Eis only the
+ lesser OF two evils.
Session of Committee.
Mr. Ca ssatt was present to-day a t the
session OF the Senate Committee on Com
4 mcrce, which lad under consideration the
Cuarles- Cooper bill to empower the In-s
sterstato Commerce Commission Ito Fix
rates Edward II. Bacon, chairman OF
the Interstate Commerce Convention. held
Sin st. Louis last sumer, was the prin-
cipal speaker and advocated the enact
ment OF the proposed law. In response
!. TO an Interrogation from Senator TIL
man, Mr., Bacon,sall he was confident
4 that the biti represents the wishes Of
the buslness interests in providing for
slspend.ng tie finding OF the&conmis-
sion in cases OF an appeSl.
"Thcn.p said Mr.. Tillnlan, "you don't
agree With the President. who recon,-
rs tnends that n rate fixed by the conlmts-s
sion shall go into immediate effect"
In reply, the witness said the President
had not gone into details In his message.
Il but Mr.. fIIllnan replied that II he un-s
dcrstood the English language, he was
certain that his construction OF the mes
sage is correct NJ Replying to questions
by Senator Cullom. Mr.. Bacon said tho
y shippers would prefer The suspension OF
rates for sixty days pending an appeal
with a time limit on appeals to- giving
\ unlimited time and allowing the rates
to go into Immediate effect. He said In
response to Senator Elkins, that 1t should
be ultimately decided hal Ihe rate fixed
by the commission was too low, the rail-
roads would have no recourse on account
OF the loss sustained, but ha agreed with
II Senator Ti!man that such Il condition
could be worse on the railroads than a.
rate hat Is too high would be on the
@ shippers
What Stickney Says,
1t must not be assumed hastily that
ali railroads are opposed to granting the
government the power to regulate freight
rates. 1t IL believed that such action
would .he beneficial to the roads In many
q II not In every Instance. 535s
THE government should either own ana
operate the railroads or else should SUI.
e perviseFand regulate their management" /"
said Mr.. .sB. St.ckney. the veteran pres
ident Of tho Great Western Railroad at
the Arlington last night. Railroads
should be as much the subjects OF gov-
frnnlental control as are the public = hlgll-
ways Everybody concedes the wisdom
i Of giving over to TIM government the
control of the highways, while We have
become so used to having corporations
Il, control the railroads wc think y would
not he w.se..to put tho government In con-
trol Congress- hnsIseldom.f i enacted a
more beneficial lnw than that creating
4 the Interstate Commerce Comm ISL lon,8,lt :
81 should hivn great deal more power, and
there should be glvnnlit mora money With
which to carry on Its work ' 4,
Regarding the general railway c9ndi-
4,nn A Mr.. Stickley declared It !, Is better
thnn % ever before ates are rlopo eqlult-
able than in former times" lie ,sa ID.
,"rhe courts have about put an end 10
the granting of rebates. though y few
shipments TO tile East. The vital gues-
ton, al course. Is tlie rate making. poH+
or. All that some of Ms can do !is ~