The San Francisco call., 1905-02-10

argued that it was a choice between
two evils, as only about seven great
railroad magnates, acting in connection
with one another, were directing the
stream Of American commerce in the
channels they wished and discriminat-
ing wherever they saw fit. If the fixing
OF rates was to be lodged in some
hands, W !liams said, he preferred it to
be &c .ernment tribunal, weak and
ineffective as such tribunals are"
Declaring that he spoke as a conser-
vative, as he was not a radical, Will
liams said the time may come when
all the country except the South would
be advocating Government ownership
of railroads. The South never would
support that proposition, because it had
the old fashioned idea that the Govern
ment should not become too strongly
centralized. 1t was further opposed to
Government ownership because 1t knew
the Government would not operate
coaches for the whites and blacks.
KEBUKES TILE YELLOW PRESS.
Hepburn of Iowa, chairman Of the
Committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce, closed for the Republicans.
He explained the difficulties Of pre-
pairing such a measure as the bill re-
ported, saying no two men entertained
the same opinion either as to what was
in the bill or as to what ought to be
in it.
Hepburn digressed for a moment and
received sympathetic applause from
both Democrats and Republicans when
he asked to be excused for intruding q
matter Of personal interest into the
proceedings, which was the first time
he had done so in eighteen years
service.
If l have been criticized" he said,
with emotion, Il have borne it. I have
been slandered and lied about; 1 have
my acts, might be placed in opposition
to and answer to the libels of those who
traduced me-"
The bill he drew. said Hepburn, he
regarded as but rough draft, after
conferences with the President and
members of the Cabinet He denied
that the Townsend bill was an admin
istration measure; nor, said he, was
any bill that he knew of an admins
tration bill. AS finally offered, he said,
that which was known as the Hepburn
bill was, with the exception of but two
words, the product Of the brain of the
Attorney General He had yielded,
however, to his colleagues on the COM
mittee in the matter of the Esch- Town
send bill, not that he did not have con-
fdence in his bill, but because he did
get for every scribbler who wanted
sensational headlines"
After commencing the court-of-
transportation feature of the bill. Hep
burn, in conclusion, urged the railroads
to a strict obedience of the law. They
| must learn, he said, that there was a
power greater than they; that the in
terests of the multitude were greater
| than the interests that could be SUBJ
served by money and wrongdoing and
| disobedience.
! RESULT OF FINAL VOTE.
The bill of the minority was then de.
feated, Gaines of Tennessee, Rider and
Scudder of New York and Livernash
and Wynn of California voting with
the Republicans.
The roll was then called on the Esch-
Townsend bill, which was passed-326
! to IL.
The following Republicans . voted
| against the bill: Adams, Carter and
Dwight of New York; Gardner Of New
Jersey, Hill of Connecticut, Huff of
Pennsylvania, Mccall of Massachu-
setts, Porter of Pennsylvania, Sibley of
Pennsylvania, Southwick of New York
and Vreeland of New York.
| The following Democrats voted no:
Harrison of New York, McDermott of
New York, Rider of New York, Scudder
of New York, Goulden of New York
and Hull of Pennsylvania
>