The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-08-12
NO HOPE FOR
A RATE LAW
President Will Not be Able to
Get What He Wants.
BEATEN BY THE SENATE.
Clique VIII Defeat All Legislation -
Inquiry BY Commerce Commit
tee Was One Of the Methods
Employed
BEATEN BY THE SENATE.

Washington, Aug. President
Roosevelt will not be able to get the
kind Of railroad rate legislation he
wants this fan, OF next winter, for that
hlen who are indisputably qualified to
speak with authority. Moreover, they
declare that the President himself has
come to realize this fact and also to
realize that he has nothing to hope
frsn tile Fifty-ninth Congress in the
way Of railroad measures that will
reach to the point he has been adyocat-
ing He is said to be more concerned
at present about finding way to meet
the growing treasury deficit than he Is
in waging what be has admitted to
friends Is d hopeless war against the
railroads
Strong in the force OF an unpreeeden-
ted majority back Of him, the President
set out last winter to force through
railroad rate legislation Of sort that
would draw blood. What he wanted
and what be plainly advocated IN his
message was measure that would
give the interstate commerce commits.
sion power 10 supplant with a reason
able rate one that on due investigation
had been found unreasonable.
The President made it plain he was
much in earnest III this matter. He
gave way On the tariff revision issue,
at which congress was made TO present
o formidable show Of baking. and let
that subject drop. But he let it be
known that on the railroad rate Ques-
tion he was prepared to fight. Strong
intimations were given out from sour
ces close TO the President that If the
reealcitrant senators insisted on not
being amenable to rate law, they would
discover what d contest with the White
House really was.
Therenpon eeratain eminent leaders
in the Senate drew up plan OF cam
paign against railroad legislation that
has been like unto the strategy Of
0yama in its efficacy. The blunt meth
cd Of frontal assaults was avoided
where possible, and the railroad rate
programme was undermined end har.
ried from the TANKS.
Tie opponents of the Presidents rail-
AR&4 AANS 4AEl Ut16h ID UfIAI2 bMG
Importance Of such eaislation and the
undesirability of passing it without
prolonged thought and microscopic dis.
section. They thus paved the way for
the idea OF having tile Senate interstate
commerce committee sit at the close
Of the session and investigate railroad
rate matters. The mere prevention of
legislation at the last session was Til
itself d great victory for the opposition
to rate legislation.
More than this, the hearing that fol
lowed Injured to the advantage of those
opposed to giving the interstate coin-
meree commission power to revise rates
or displace rates With new ones. Among
the reasons for this was the fact that
the railroads speceeded in getting an
extremely strong list of witnesses to
appear before the committee. and that,
through 4 Well-ofganized sytem Of pub
licity, the railroad interests saw to it
that every important point Of the tes-
tilnony il their favor vas disseminated.
There is little dougt this has had its
effect IN tending to lessen the clamor
for rate legislation in some parts Of the
country.