Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-04-28
HAS GOT A MOVE ON.
is CONSIDERING THE MATTER
OF RAILROAD LEGISLATION

Asks Some Pertinent Questions Of the Depart.
ment Of Justice That Have Already Been
Affirmatively Answered by Former Attorney
General knOx-The Committee Seem to Re-
gard Their Duty From a GarfisIdian Point
of View-Charman Elkins Favors "Mild'
Measurss-New FoundIand Threatens Our
Fisherman.
From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. c., April 20.
The Senate committee on Interstate
Commerce has gotten to work and is
holding daily hearings on the subject
OF railway rate legislation. As starter
Senator Elkins, chairman OF the COM
mittee, invited nearly fifty railway men
to appear before the committee and tes-
tify as TO why the Government should
not attempt to fix railway rates. When
the railroad men have concluded their
testimony "such others as may desire"
will be at liberty to testify. To the un-
prejndiced observer it will appear as if
the committee was more anxious to
hear the railway men than the oppo.
sition. OF course the railway men who
come to Washington will have all their
expenses paid by their companies and
their salaries will 60 on just the same,
while the shipper or other opponent Of
the present system must come here at
his own expense, often leaving his bust.
ness to suffer in the meantime.
Senator Elkins has also appealed to
the Department Of Justice for opinions
on two questions as follows: first, Can
Congress delegate to commission the
power to fix railway rates? second can
a federal commission allow ditferential
rates between ports without conflicting
with the ninth section of the consti.
tuition, which prohibits discrimination
between the ports of the several States?
The answer to these questions are
not likely to meet with the approval
OF some OF the members of Mr.. Elkins'
committee or with that OF the railway
men. Both questions have already
been answered by high authorities on
the subject. Senator Knox, former At.
torney General has assured your cor.
respondent that Congress has the right
to delegate its authority to fix railway
rates to a commission, and Senator
Spooner has informed your correspon.
dent that there is nothing in the prac-
tice OF allowing railway differentials
which conflicts with the section OF the
constitution referred to.
There is, unfortunately, an obvious
disposition on the part of the Inter.
state Commerce committee to regard
the current hearings as little short of
a farce. While they are unwilling to
be quoted on the subject they admit
their belief that it is the intention of
the chairman of the committee to con.
duct the hearing with the purpose Of
beclouding the issue rather than with
the hope OF calculating it. Moreover,
they are convinced that the Chairman,
with the assistance OF several members
of the committee are determined to re-
port to the Senate at the earliest op.
portunity, measure which will furnish
just as little remedy for existing evils
as the necessities of the situation com.
pei, rather than a measure which will
remedy existing evils to the full extent
of the power of Congress.
There are some members OF the com.
mittee who to defeat what they believe
to be the purpose of the chairman.
These include all the Democratic men,
bers and Senator Cullom and Dolliver,
II they hold together they may be able
to accomplish their aim but the chances
are against them. 1t is asserted that
Mr. Elkins believe that if his commit.
tee can report to the Senate a mild"
railway measure before the next House
can effect it's organization and pass a
railway measure along the lines of the
Townsend. Esch bill, for instance, he
can hold the Senate to the programme
reported by it's committee and thus
prevent the enactment of drastic legis
lation. In this regard, however, there
are some indications that Mr.. Elkins is
, counting without his host. Their are
a number OF Republican Senators, not
members of his committee, who declare
their intention Of so amending any
railway rate bill which NAV be report.
ed as TO make it adequate and effective
in dealing with those grave evils to
which the President called attention
in his last message and on which he
will dwell even more extensively in his
first message to the next Congress.
Official announcement has been
made that the Venezuelan affair, is,
for the present at least, a closed Incl
dent; the modus riuendi with Santo
Domingo has been accepted and seems
TO be working without friction; the
United States has refused to become
involved in the Franco German dis
pute regarding the "open door" in
Morocco and now New Foundland has
seized the opportunity to advance to
the center of the stage and threaten
American fisherman who may seek to
ply their trade in New Foundland
waters. Disappointed by the failure
OF the United States Senate to ratify
the Hay.Bond reciprocity treaty, ma
iurally disappointed perhaps Premier
Bond has procured the passage through
the upper house OF the New Foundlaad
legislature Iof retaliatory legislation
which, according to the telegraph re.
ports from St. Johns, violates the rights
granted to the fishermen of this coun-
try by the treaty with Great Britain of
1878 and which is still in force. The
dispatches relate that once the Bond
bill becomes law the New Foundland
royor N N, ant mill coizo onv n, or.co .,