The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-01-27
HEPBURN RATE BILL
BASIS OF ACTION
Rapid Shifting OF the Relations
Of lowans to the Adj
ministration.
is A cuMMINs VICTORY
Hepburn Forced to Come to the Posi-
ton Advocated by the Government
or Else Break with the Ad-
ministration.

Washington. Jan. 20.--lt is asserted
today With more than ordinary show
of conviction that an agreement is
making between the leaders of senate
and house, in accordance With which
railroad rate legislation will be enacted
at the present session. The basis will
be the measure drawn by Chairman
Hepburn of the house mme COM
mittec. The bill doeS not meet the APP
prevail of all who have examined it,
but is believed to be IL good foundation
for q measure which probably can be
enacted.
Philadelphia. Jan. 20.-The Ledger's
Washington correspondent. one of the
most reliable at the capital, discussing
the relations of Iowa statesmen 10 the
rate question. says:
The rebate bill. which. beyond any
doubt. will serve as the basis of What
ever bin is passed. has been drafted.
1t is the bill which, as announced in
the Public Ledger of Thursday. has
been In course of preparation by Col
onel Hepburn. chairman of the house
Interstate and foreign commerce COM
mittee. Its provisions are not yet
known. except that they give the in
terstate m commission power
to fix rates until overruled by another
liipoiiai' Wlllcu ~ vested with the au-
thority to do so by this bill.
Colonel Hepburn visited the White
House and reported the drafting of
the bill. He said, after leaving the
president, that a conference would be
held at the White House in a few
days to discuss the measure. The con-
ferees would include the president,
Secretary Taft and Attorney General
Moody.
"Others who are especially Interest,"
ed in the legislation will participate in
the conference" said Colonel Hepburn.
II may not be q party to the conference.
but my work will be there. l believe
the house will pass a rate bill before
the end of this month. n there is no
reason why it should not be crystallized
into faw before the session ends"
Will Be the Official Bill.
Colonel Hepburn's bill will be the Of
fetal rate bill. and will rave little diff
ficulty in passing the house. How it
VIII tare in the senate is another Ques-
ton. An influential senator told the
president today that it was impossible
to pass any railroad bill at this session
because of lack of time. 1t could not
possibly receive half the consideration
1t deserved. The president told him
that in that event there would be an
extra session.
Aside from the lack of time. there are
senators who will block the proposed
legislation because they want to delay
it ON general principles. The senat in
terState committee is going
to give hearings after the fashion of the
house committee, and Il senator who ia
Vors rate legislation is convinced that
the purpose of these additional hearings
is delay.
Politics in the Fiaht.
The political aspect of the rate situa-
ton is peculiar. Colonel Hepburn is
forced by circumstances into the POSI-
ton of supporting a pet measure of his
political adversary. Governor Cummins.
7 Theratequestion was brought to the at
tention of the president just before con-
gress assembled by Governors Cum
minis of Iowa and Van SAINT of Mime
sofa, in person, and by Governor LaFol-
lette of Wisconsin through them.
Cummins has not a friend in the Iowa
delegation, and the reigning machine in
the state is bitterly hostile to the pro-
ponent of the low idea" Colonel
Hepburn's position as the advocate of 4
measure favored by Cummins is. there
fore. decidedly out of the ordinary. He
has been regarded hitherto as an OPP
ponent of all rate legislation. but he is
an administration man.
The CoOper-QuarleS bill. which is
destined to be run off the track by the
Hepburn measure. was drawn by a
friend of Governor LaFollette's. Repre-
sentative Cooper. Senator Quarles is
AN anti-LaFollette man. n the anti
railroad governor is fighting to drive
him out of the senate Mr.. Quarles is
believed to have attached his name to
the bill in order to mak political cap
ital in his desperate fight for recollection
by stealing some of LaFollette's thun-
der. 1t is essentially a Cooper and,
therefore. a LaF'ollette measure.
Hepburn Captures the Prize.
IN Colonel H%epbu-n's interstate COM
merce committee there are two repub-
licans, Esch of Wisconsin and Town
send of Michigan. who saw in Hep
burns apparent hostility to rate legisla-
ton a chance to attach their names to
the real administration bill. They be-
lieve that With the democrats they
could override Hepburn and get out of
the committee a majority bill. The
nope was awakened by the fact tina,
there are One or two democrats on the
committee who are as hostile TO rate
legislation as Hepburn was rumored to
pe, but all chance Tor distinction has
been k from IIsch and Townsend
by Hepburn's appearance on the scene
with a bill.
WANT NO RATE MAKING POWER