The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-04-17
HEARINGS BEGIN
TODAYON REBATES
Elkins Committee VIII Take
Care OF Railroads
WILL DRAFT NO BILL
EscH-ToWNsEND MEASURE DE-
cLARED TO Be A "BRAzEN
BIT or DEMAGoGuERYs
1T MEANT NOTHING.
Special to The Bulletin.

Special to The Bulletin.
Washington. April l6--That the Ell
kins committee, which will begin publ
lie hearings on railway rate legIsIa
ton today VIII recommend any dras-
tic Legislation no one believes. That
Is not the Republican policy. TheyI
are siandpatters on the present inter1
state commerce commission and El@
kihs laws as surely Az they are on the
tariff reform laws. These satisfy the
railroads. The E,seh.Townsend bill
that indirectly gave the interstafe
commerce commission the right ia
make future freight rates. was a bra
zen Bit OF demagoguery a Republi
can sop to the people, as now appsars
land Republican members Of conf
grels who voted for It knew the sem
ate would XIII 1t as It did. The sena
tors viii now bury It deeply BY way 81
the senate committee hearings. And*
Republicans generally Will be glad tc1
sac that done. for the whole movemeNI
fcr government railroad ragulationH
antagonizes their chief campaign conl
ributors, and is a Democratic mea{
sure, It was declared for in the Dem
lcratic national platform In 1896, re-
peated In that Of 1900 and reiterated
In 1894 No Republican platform has
aad Il as a plank. The recent agita-
ion was wholly RooseYeltian, and the
majority In congress is not in sympa&
by with the agitation.
Republican Leaders Talk.
One OF the Republican leaders said
recently: We were carried away by!
che idea that we were yfegdins TO pub
10 opinion In passing the Esch- Towr
Eii 4 :sssi.'s ..sa nj: II fsn pahs4a esns,
Ten Tor p..sse cpsr \ 4, .le i :.s - Sfss
i the .ssgull.cvn p1rty. oar z HIS
aea have f-e..l, G2s c.s.so@el 10 thd
c1tinuaacc & Z shc agitation. Cr- ph5E
,lc 10 -os t-.se =. &. ocls in frcight
ega,ating proportions; the business:
community IL against It. and what ii
more 70 the point, the public press is
adverse 70 Roosevelt and his rate-con
trolling propositions. The alleged I'M
constitutionality OF the thing will be
good blanket to bury It, under. and
hat will be used effectively.Y
Did Not Please Democrats.
Democrats are not sat.siied with the|
bill II was-a subterfuge n did nod.
10 away with the private, car line
abuses II left the power to correct
determinations untouched. it did nod
punish the terminal and phantou
railroad abuses that are combination
% take the place of rebates and dis
sflminations;s il was abortive in fair
lng to reach the things complained d:
~ the peoples. Its plan to give the|
eommia sion the right 10 fix future
-ates was one that the railroad people<
say was confiseatory. enc that tooh
from the owners the right to manage
the,r own property within rights grant
"a by charter and vested II In a ma.
chine that could and would have been
used for palitical purposes II threat
sned the values OF investors, the
wages OF workingmen and vested
rights and Il gave none Of the RELIEF
he people begged for.
Stone in Place Of Bread.
AS a means 20 satisfy the demands
Of the people it was farce. II was
he stone given 20 them when they
asked for bread So its end win be
nouTned BY no one. For true remedia
.egislat1on the people must wait fos
he coming OF the Democracy to power
n the congress. The senate will GER
ainly give nothing worth while; moth
'ng that VII serve to satisfy their al
nands.