Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-07
RAILWAY BILL DEBATED
RULE PROVIDING FOR CoNsID-
GRAFTON ADOPTED.
Mr.. Townsend Opens the General Dis
cussion and Argues for the Bill of
Which He is Part Author.


day afternoon after The Stars report
closed Mr.. Williams, the minority leader,
took the floor to oppose the proposed rule
for the consideration of the bill to regulate
railway freight rates. He declared that the
real object of the rule was not to pre-
vent the democrats from urging the Davey
Dill, not to prevent the democrats from
onering amendments. but to prevent the
solid strength of the democrats and enough
republicans to make a majority getting
together and formulating a real, honest
and powerful measure that would actually
serve its purpose. The rule, he said was
merely applied to prevent anything being
accomplished at ALL He said that the
democratic minority was anxious and will
ing to carry out the recommendations of
President Roosevelt, but that the republic
cans would see that they didn't do it. AS
a result of the rule and the bill when it
was passed under it, the measure would
be strangled to death in the Senate or
changed that it would be even worse than
it Is now.
Mr.. Williams then offered to surrender
every moment of debate if the rule were
SO amended permit vote three
amendments. He even offered to give up
the vote on the minority substitute if the
privilege he asked was accorded.
Mr.. DalZell, however refused the PROPOSE
ton. The three amendments Mr.. Williams
demanded were, he said, TO give the COM
mission power to substitute a rate for the
one declared off; to make that rate opera
tive until set aside by final Judgment of
a court and to base appeal or review to
a court upon evidence adduced before the
Interstate commerce commission.
Mr.. Dalzell Closes.
The debate brought to a close by
Mr.. Dalzell, who said, amid republican
laughter, that a democratic caucus was
an exceedingly unnecessary thing when it
sought to give aid to the President and
the republican party, neither of whom
needed 1t. He congratulated the demo-
cratic party. that since November last
they have discovered that the man in the
White House is a good man for not only
republicans, but for democrats to follow
He argued that nothing could be fairer
than to permit the House to pass on the
two propostions-the bill of the majority
and the minoritys substitute Mr.. Dalzell
would not agree to a suggestion by Mr..
Cochran On. W that the time for the de-
bate be diminished the remaining time to
be devoted to considering amendments,
which caused the latter to remark that
the democratic party proposed to surren-
der debate AID substitute action in its
stead.
The Rule Adopted.
On a roll call the rule was adopted. 1876
to 40. Messrs. Southwick and Vreeland
On ", republicans, voted against the reso-
il'ticii anu Nlciili.j, dtiloCf at, hot'u
for it. Immedia tely the House went into
committee of the whole to consider the
Townsend BILL Mr. Currier On. HI in
the chair.
Mr.. Townsend (NIich), one of the authors
of the measure began the debate. He
said that the bill presented ample occa-
sion to bring into prominence the agita-
tor, who desired notoriety before his con-
sttuents and who was eager to strike a
blow at the railroads, above or below the
~ he 1Sin hn u-oc "
fruitful for that greed and selfshness
born of great power and nurtured by
desire for financial gain, which would de-
ceive the Congress and the nation into
believing that the creatures of govern
ment are outside and beyond its control
and that the problem is so great and COM
pick that only the railroads can solve it,
Taking up the merits of the bill, Mr..
Townsend said that it had the two-fold
object of giving to the interstate COM
merce commission power to fix rate and
to hasten and expedite the work of de-
termning whether the rates would stand
or not through the special court created
for the purpose of expedition.
Warning to the Railroads.
There will never be a day. he said. in
the history of this country when the peo-
pie would ask less. Tomorrow lie said,
they may demand more because they
had suffered long ard now were demanding
a fair deal Let the railroads comply
with this law he said in conclusion. land
voluntarily correct any evils not covered
by this bill. and 1t will be well with them.
Let them oppose it's just provisions and
they will but accumulate troubles against
the day of Judgment
Before taking his seat M. Townsend, in
reply to Mr.. Richardson (Ala), was posi-
tive in the assertion that the bill, in con-
nection with the so-called Elkins act, would
reach the private car companies.
Mr.. Richardson (Ala) said the demand
for legislation to regulate freight rates had
come in such earnest way that Con-
gress could not for a moment disregard
it, but he counseled against engaging in
hasty or hostile legislation. He was par
ticularly antagonistic to the feature of the
bill under consideration providing for a
special court to pass upon rates, main
tairing that it was a departure from the
judicial system of the government. Pres-
dent Roosevelt. he said, was a practical,
straightforward man. who had, in a recent
speech in Philadelphia, stated that this
republic should not fail for the same causes
that governments and republics of history
had failed. The President, he declared,
did not give that admonition idly 1t be-
Ecoved the railroads. he said, to come in
and join hands with Congress in the mat
ter and prevent even the probability of a
calamity to this government.
The bill was then laid aside and Mr.. Bur-
ton (Ohio) had reported the river and har-
Dor appropriation bill.