Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-07
RICHARDSON RESUMES
OPPOSED 70 THE TOWNSEND
ESCH BILL. s~-.-e
Mr.. Adamson Claims That Democrats
Will Be Given Credit for
Forcing Action.

terday, the House today in committee OF the
whole convened one hour earlier than
usual, the exclusive business for the day
being debate upon the bills regulating
freight rates.
Mr.. Richardson (Ala) continued his speech
begun yesterday. He discussed the legal
points involved 1t was, he said, in the
federal courts that the railroads get their
protection The special court, proposed by
the Townsend bill he characterized as a
fifth wheel in the judicial wagon, with no
necessity for it except to embarrass the
movement for equalizing rates.
Mr.. Richardson denied that the Davey
bill embodied any of the provisions of the
so-called Hearst bill.
Mr.. Rainey OLD vigorously asserted that
it would not have hurt the Davey bill II the
democrats had incorporated in it every
provision of the Hearst bill, because 1t rep
resented 1.-The present progressive ana rao1-
cal tendency of the democratic party in the
United States" He supported the Town
send bill, because it was more in harmony
with the radical tendencies OF the demo-
cratic party, and opposed the DaVey Oil
because it did not provide for a special
court. ..-..
Railway Directors Responsible.
Mr.. Stevens (Minn.) threw the brunt of
the responsibility for the present condition
of affairs principally upon the railroad oi-
rectors who, he said, did not seem to real
ize their relation to the public. but had
only one thought in mind of suf11clent
financial return for the interests they rep
resented. The traffic managers, he de-
clared were obliged to earn the utmost out
of their properties in order to hold their
positions. Many of these men, ne salo,
had told him that neither the president
nor directors of their roads had ever d.
cd To q
support the Townsend bill. but he antlcl-
pated it would not afford much help TO
the shipper in its present FORM II would
he said, operate more psychoiogicaily than
actually.
Mr.. Adanson (Ga) took issue with the
statement of Mr.. Grosvenor yesterday ana
said all the world would give the demo-
Gratis credit for forcing action, whether
they claimed it or not If the republicans
did not complete the legislation now he
predicted that the country would damn
them for trifiing with so important a mat
ter and preventing action.
Both parties want it, he said; tine
President now wants it. The man who
ought to have been President for the last
eight years wants it. All who wish to be
President want it, and even the railroad
presidents want 1t, and are invading the
Capitol. White House and public press to
make known their anxiety" He urged his
colleagues not to stop at Speaker Cannon's
adjuration to pass some kind of a bill
nority.
Mr.. Shackleford CIo.) said the words of
President Roosevelt in his message on the
subject were bold ones, spoken In, behalf
of the people, but they were but reitera-
ton of the sentiments of Mr.. Bryan and
of the dec1ara tons in three democratic
platforms. Since then, he added, there had
come eout the decree of a strenuous execu-
tive. "a So 20. les
Mr.. Shackleford then referred to the re-
cent remark of Mr.. Williams -(Miss),. the
minority leader, that the democrats would
"toe-mark' the President on this question.
1t was not. he said. with some emphasis, a
question of toe-marking the President.
at is a question of marching shoulder to
shoulder with the President so long as he
is toe-marking the declarations of the three
last democratic platforms
1t also was question with the democrats
of President Roosevelt marching shoulder
to shoulder with the great Nebraskan who
has taken the lead in this great question"
He wanted to know how it happened that
the President did not make his toe-mark
until this last little short piece of this
Congress which remains"
He urged his colleagues not to lag be-
hind ''even the President who had asked
for a correction of all the abuses; land
&C." he added, I'VE are toe-marking the
President when we are not including or in
cooperating within our bill one-third of
the remedies he has demanded"
Mr. Shackleford referred to the recent
conferences at the White House of the
President with several railroad presidents
and expressed it as his belief that when the
Townsend bill became a law and it was
found that the railroad presidents were
favorable to it, President Roosevelt would
feel that he had authority to remove every
member of the interstate commerce COM
mission and appoint an entirely new body.