The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-13
Gossip From the By
 Capital of the Nation :" "A' "''F''

 provements such as the improvement and preservation of river and harbor navigation and the provision of ade- quate public buildings for the Federal service. is determined to repeat his fight, even though the Administration should insist upon the carrying out of Secretary Morton's program to Ko on with the construction of a big navy. It may be that the rivers and harhors bill will have to fail.
 One of the best informed men of long experience in the handling of ap- propriations on the House side. said today to your correspondent
 T doubt if the river and harbors hill will pass the Senate. That and the public buildings bill, I think, are doomed. This administration needs money and will need 1t during the fis- cal year much more than did either McKinley's or CleveIand's last admin | istration. It was the administration. 1t is an open secret, which had Senator Carter of Montana. to talk the rivers and harbors bill to death."
 Notwithstanding all the debate that has proceeded on such important meas ures as railway rate regulation and the Statehood biile. the Republican lead- CTS, despite the administration's will tlsat something shall be done at this session for relief of what he deems crying needs. 1t is certain that 50 far. the astute gentlemen who have been in the habit of guiding legislative pol icy and conduct for the Republican party have completely Succeeded in their predetermined way of doing noth- ing except to handle and dispose of the regular appropriation bills one way or another. They may be getting near the parting of the ways with the ad. minfstration, but just how and when it will appear will be disclosed within the next three or four weeks.
 Private Car syatem.
 portion of the debate on the Esch. Townsend bill, in the House Thurs day. which attracted more attention, pernaps, than any other. was the au- thentic and ofieial denial by Repre- sentative Hepburn, of Iowa, that Pres- ident Roosevelt has ever expressed himself as insisting on an amendment to the bill including private car lines. or as in favor of the proposition winch has been presented to Congress. for legislation abolishing the private car system. In his speech today Rep- resentattve Hepburn said: T say that the President of the United States has never said a word recommending lea- islation either upon the private car or the private switch--not a word. He has been misread; he has been mis- quoted. If they had quoted him cor rectly' they would have found in that declaration of his. that in his opinion. there was no necessity for further leg islation upon these two Instrumental ities of commerce."
 In view of the statements which have appeared to the effect that the President had been calling in various members of Congress and Senator's with a view to having the Esch Town send bill amended so as to include pri- vate car lines. the positive denial made by MT. Hepburn created quite a sensa- ton. They are already prohibited. so the President says" said Mir. Hep- ourn' "hy the law now existing. When he makes reference to them, 1t IS to make the pledge that existing law, Republican law, shall be enforced against them" Mir. Hepburn then took issue with Representative Lamar, of Florida. whom he charged had mis- quoted the President. and said: T was sorry to hear the gentleman from. Florida so misquote the. President on the day before yesterday" He thought 1t would be excusable for young law yers when they are getting their stage legs" and appearing before country justices of the peace, to nia, quote authorities, but in later days. when We are old-when the hose are a world too wide for the shrunken calf: when the eyes weep amber, when the head is white as the driven snow when we are old men as and the gem tleman from Florida, we ought not to indulge in that kind of reprehensible practice" At this there was prolonged laughter and applause joined in by both sides of the chamber.
 The colloquy arose over Mir. Hep- burn taking exception to statements made by Representative Williams, of Mississippi, "and other gentlemen of this House" who had been solicitous because the Republican party would not use the toe.marks made by the Presidential shoes. in this, that they would not meet his recommendation for legislation with regard to the pri- vate switch and the privaate cer.''
 After the vigorous denial of Repre- sentative Hepburn that President Roosevelt favored Legislation affecting the, private car lines. MT. Lamar asked him to quote the remarks of the Press ident on that subject, and Mir, Hep- burn quoted the message of the Presi- dent to the effect that the legislation of the SSth Congress prohibiting the granting of rebates and "the abuses of the private car and private terminal tracks and side track systems must be stopped" by enforcing existing law.
 Within the past two months-ever since the question of comforting the rate-making power upon the Inter- state Commerce Commission became has been a feeling anfonR holders of railway stocks and bonds that any legislation in the di- rection proposed would be a step to- ward taking from their authorized l agents, the directors and officers of the | companies. the power of ad- usting the gross income to the oper- | lting expenses and of thus regulating ! he net income to the stockholders, l md vesting in 1t a government board. | Some of the individual holders of | ltocks and bonds, in amounts rang | ng from a few shares to fairly large | holdings, feeling their interests would | ,e better protected if they were united | rave formed an organization called the 1 Association for Maintaining the | aights of Property They have em- ,loyed counsel to examine carefully | nto the operations of the Interstate | Commerce Commission during it's ex- | stence and the decisions of the courts | n all matters affecting railroad rates, md while the examination has been | oy no means completed enough has | 1een brought to the attention of the ! members of the Association to lead | hem to believe that any movement in | his direction is against the interest of | every owner of railroad stocks or |