The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-02-10
RATE BILL PASSED
Esch- Townsend Measure Oar
ried by Vote Of 326 to II.
NAyEY PROPOSITION IS DEFEATED.
williams Said Democratic Idea Of
Bryan's Had Been Usurped by Gov
eminent Pnrty-South Against
Federal Railway Ownership.

Bryan's Had Been Usurped by Gov
eminent Pnrty-south Against
Federal Railway Ownership.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10. After
nearly four days OF discussion the
house by vote of 326 to II passed the
Esch- Townsend bill providing for the
regulation of freight rates. The mega
tive vote was made up of eleven Re
publicans and six Democrats.
The Esch-Townsend bill extends au-
thoitty TO the interstate commerce com
mission to fix railroad rates
The Davey bin, Democratic substi-
tute for the Republican caucus meas
ure was defeated by 1856 to 151.
The debate was opened by Mr.. Pierce
(Tenn), who, after announcing that the
president on the subject of rate legis-
lation was the greatest leader that has
lived In the Republican ranks since the
civil var, said he would support the
Esch-T Townsend bill He. however bas-
ed his support upon the fact that Will
liam J. Bryan and the Democratic par
ty had declared for just such legisla-
ton.
Mr. De Almond (Mo), while admit
ting the necessity for legislation, at
tackled the Townsend bill as be
ing an Inadequate treatment of the
question. Tie bill, he said. was slngu-
larly lacking in its compliance with
the recommendation of the president.
1t did not reach private car lines,
and il was not to be supposed that the
courts would be eager and searching in
the endeavor to find in II something on
that subject which its authors them
selves could not find.
Addressing himself TO the Republic
ans, Mr.. Williams said they need moth
ing more than marking out Of the
| pathway to follow the president not be-
cause he is president or Republican,
but because he was outlining the prop
er policy for the American people.
t"Oh" he said, amid Democratic laugh
ter, Il know how nonparlisan you are.'
Mr.. Williams said IL might be true
In some things, as Mr.. Grosvenor had
stated, that the Democrats "camped to-
night where we camped last night"
but he loudly proclaimed, facing the
Republican side. that on this question
at is you who are camping this year
where the Democracy camped last
year" If, he said, the majority In the
house did not follow the presidents
recommendation 1t proved the neces-
sity for an automatic coupler between
the White House and the house Of rep
resentatives. "a Republican Daniel is
calling you" he exclaimed, "and he is
ut the other end of the avenue, and he
is calling you to do identically the
| same thing that you refused to do be-
cause II came out of Democratic
! Nazareth"
Discussing the merits Of the bill, Mr..
Williams said the country had waited
and waited for the railroads them
selves to do it justice. He agreed in
part with Mr.. Mccall (Mass.), who had
said the right to fix rates was a dan
gerous power to confer on seven men.
but he argued 1t was choice between
evils, as only about seven great rail-
road magnates, acting In conjunction
with one another, were directing the
stream of American commerce in the
channels they wished and discriminate
ing wherever they saw fit. II the fix
ing Of rates was to be lodged in some
hands Mr.. williams said he preferred
1t to be a government tribunal, weak
and ineffective as such tribunals are"
Declaring that he spoke as conserv
alive, as he was not radical, Mr.. vii.
liams said the time may come when al
the country except the south would bt
advocating government ownership OF
railroads. The south would never sup
port that proposition because they had
the old fashioned idea that the govern
ment should not become too strongly
centralized. They were further opposed
to government ownership because they
knew the government would not oper
ate separate coaches for the whites
and blacks.
The Townsend bill, he said, in conclu
sion was a much better bill than h,
ever thought would come from the Re
1 u Al