The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-04-13

my own actions at the time, l think
that if it had not been for this oppOsi-
ton on the part of the democrats, the
treaty would have passed in its
original form. AS you all know | was
one OF thirteen senators who voted
against amending the treaty. Among
others who took that view was Vice
President Fairbanks and Senator
Plat of Connecticut. The same con-
dition prevailed in the matter of San
Domingo. We again encountered the
opposition of the entire Democratic
party, and we had not sufficient votes
to pass that treaty. There was a
question involved that we were very
glad to see further investigated. They
had made an agreement in 1903 with
San Domingo by which they sub
mitted to arbitration certain matters
in connection with the claims of
American citizens. The arbitration
was submitted not to cover the amount
of value or claims in their hands.
That was agreed upon by the repre-
sentative of the San Domingo
government, but simply the method
of how it was to be paid was submitted
to arbitration, and the arbitratOrs
passed that amount. There is some
question whether that 81 100000 is
bona fida claim against the island
government. think that will be in
vestigated between now and the next
session of congress. l call your
attention to this for the purpose of
disabusing your minds of any serious
idea of any serious friction of any
consequence between the senate and
the president. OF course, senator
might disagree with the president as
here in your own body senate repre-
sentative might disagree with your
presiding officer but there is no
general opposition.
"Speaking of the future, all l can
say to you is that think there will be
special session of congress called,
l cannot say exactly when, but
probably in October or the beginning
of November. l think the object of
calling it together is to have congress
pass upon the two important subjects,
that of giving the interstate commerce
commission greater powers in the
matter of regulating railroad rates and
also in the matter of the revision of
the tariff. What congress may do is
hard to say, especially on the revision
tariff question. The tariff question is
as you know, to large extent local
issue. The different parts of the
country are interested in their own
peculiar interests, and are always in
favor of protecting it. Even here in
our own state you have noticed how
our farmers feel about this matter
of wheat drawbacks in reference to the
Canadian wheat, and what happens
here happens in greater or lesser
extent all over the country. [ think
congress will secure some kind Of
railroad legislation. Whether they
will go the extent of the Esch-Town-
send bill I do not know. The main
features of that bill are to give congress
practically the same power over inter-
state commerce that our state commits
sion has over railroad rates here and
to create special court at Washington
where will be heard all the appeals
from the orders of the commission.
1t is partly in reference to that feature
of the bill that some of the questions
arose, whether it was proper to have a
court there at Washington or to have
the cases brought up in the different
localities where they arose and
appealed to the circuit court of the
United States. There are some in
congress who believe it would be utter
FOLEY to give the commission the
power to regulate rates. Speaking for
myself, and from the little bit
learned when l was in the executive
chair here, [ do not apprehend that
the railroads need fear anything from
such legislation. We have perhaps
as good railroad legislation in Mime
sofa as any state in the union. Our
railroad commission has power here
to regulate rates and those rates are
prima facie evidence of reasonableness
until it is reversed in any court. l do
not think that the railroads in this
state complain that they have suffered
any particular injustice or hardship
under our railroad legislation, and
what has occurred here will 1 think
prove true in the country at large.
The purpose is not to give the COM
mission the general power, but to give
the commission power in cases where
complaint is made and a trial and
investigation had, not only to decide
the question whether the rate is
reasonable or not, but if they find the
rate is unreasonable to not only say
so but to provide reasonable rate for
the future. l do not think any of us
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