Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-05-24
SENATE PASSES
COMMISSION BILL
Committee Measure Goes Through Upper
House Without Amendment
AII-day Debate Ends With Unanimous
Victory for Administration
Elective Provision and All Other Proposed
Changes Defeated

moved that the rules be suspended
and The bill be put upon IT'S final pas
sage. His motion prevailed and the
senate finished its work on the rate
bin and sent it TO the assembly
Hudnall Bears the Brunt.
The debate. which began at 10
O'Clock in the morning and did not
end until o'clock last night. was
nimble, forceful and strong. Senator
Hudnall, who bore the brunt OF the
fight for the administration, was the
recipient of many congratulations
when the session ended. His friends
declared him to be the leading debat-
or of the senate. His preparation
on every point which came up was
considered little less than marvellous.
He was ready on every legal point
with decisions from state and United
States supreme courts. He was quick
ia repartee and scathing in his sar
casm at times This was SO in the
case of his reply to Senator White
q =
defense Of the amendments he intro
duced. Senator Hudnall said that he
and all the members of the commit
4e had seen each and every one Of
the Whitehead amendments when
they We're presented to the commit
tee by the attorneys. Senator Hud-
nails analysis of the North substi-
tute. his reply to Senator Whitehead.
and his attack upon the McGillivray
amendment on the ground that it
was unconstitutional were brilliant
forensic performances.
Senator Merton Present.
Senator Merton. the leader of the
democrats, came from a sick bed to
make a stand for an elective commits
sion. His effort at the morning and
afternoon sessions so tired him tnat
he was unable to be present at night.
when the bill was passed, For that
reason his name does not appear on
the roll calls, but the senate agreed
that the journal should contain his
announcement that he favored the bill
and would vote for ii If sickness did
not absolutely prevent his being pres
ent.
Whitehead's Able Opposition.
While Senator Whitehead was silent
when the debate threshed ont the prop
osition of elective or appointive com
mission. he nevertheless made the
strongest argument that went to the
details of the bill on the opposition
side. This reference to opposition
should be explained as meaning the in
cIination to amend the bill as reported
by the committee, for there was no
direct opposition to the passage Of a
railroad rate commission bill. Senator
Whitehead himself announced that he
had been enlightened, but not entirely
convinced by the able arguments pre-
sehsed during the debate, and there
fore he chose not to vote on the North
substitute, preferring to wait and
make an effort to have the bill amend
ed in accordance with the suggestions
he had to offer He said that he had
carefully lHkSStiStltd Int SuDJONb VI
railroad rate regulation and had ar
rived at conclusions at variance with
the terms of the committee bill. He
said he would try to convince the sen
ate that he was correct, but falling In
that he proposed to vote for the pas
sage of the bill, even though he did ii
with some reluctanco and misgivings
He proposed that the commission be
not burdened with the regulation OF
commodity rates, suggesting the inser
ton of the word substantially" in this
connection as relieving the commission
of a great burden. Seantor Hudnall
said that this simple word was what
has confronted the interstate commerce
commission and made that body pow
erless 70 do effective work. Senator
Whitehead proposed that the inter
state classificati0ns be applied in Wis
consin to the exclusion of other classi-
fications He argued that this would
avoid confusion. He desired to strike
out references in he bill to explicit
powers of the commission, declaring
that the bill gave general large powers
10 the proposed beard and that explicit
reference was unnecessary. He also
proposed amendments changing the
machinery regarding appeals and stays
Of execution of the decisiC,s Of the
commission.