The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-10
RAILROAD RAT
BILL B |. { PASSED. ! ] |.
Went :7 Through It'll the House
blythe Striking s. Vote l)ll':'
Of i 3265 = to !, 4. Z.
4 TRIBUTE 70.
THE !: PRESIDENT J; 1: / j. |: E. I {
John Sharp Williams Says He
Is Is .;'s a Republican Daniel P''ro-- o-
nounced the Greatest Lead
er Since the Civil War. 81
How the y Vote .....
AZ Stood.
i(By Associated Press. }

WAsIlNGTON, February fterl
nearly four days Of discussion tho House
to-day. by. a vote Of a26, to II. passed the
Esch- Townsend bill providing for the
regulation OF freight RI les. Tho mega
tive vote was made up OF eleven Republi-s "
cans and six Democra Is. 3 t5Ss:syss
4S$$s The closing hours OF the debate hero,
between !, Mr., illiams dississippi) the.
minority leader, and Mr.. hepburn (Iowa), 4
chairman A OF the committee which, rc-ll
ported &thoSbll. Mr. lllams, while sup.
porting VA the irlinori " sS measure, Il, even
though M i,es sal a III lleq knew could not
pass Easc6mplimcnt as ted tho 81 Republi leans for
bringing In q. bill which was much better
than he expected would come from them
The speech OF Mr.. Hepburn was her.
In defense OF himself. a IIc said that his
deeds and acts were! a sufficient answer
to the lilies and SANDERS which had
been heapcd upon him. The bill known:
as + the Hepburn bill. he said, had been
prepared by the Attorney General, !, and
he only yielded to his colleagues on the
committee on the Esch-T Townsend bill
because he did not want the committee
to be the targctffor scribbers who wanted
scnsa tlonal headlines. F5,
Tribute to Roosevelt.
Less than twenty-five members were
in their seats when the deba te was open
ed by Mr.. Pierce tTennessce) who. after
announcing that tho President on the
subject OF rate legislat tlon. was the great
est leader that has lived in the Repub-5
lican rank since the Civil War said he
would support the Esch- Townsend bill.s
He, however, based Ills support upon the
fact that William J. Bryan and the loem.23
ocratlc party had declared for Just such
Legislation. fS $fj
Mr.. Williams AlississippD ,,sat the out
set congratulated the House upon the
fact that not only In the matter OF rate
Legislation. but in several other particu-
lars President Roosevelt. nominated by
tho Republican party and elected by tho
people, was beginning to assume ~ dis
tinctly Democratic attitude" He said
he had begun to hope that the President
would recommend revision OF the tariff
and that tho President would see that
1t was altogether absurd TO Keep 2o'ooo
more soldiers than were n eded. 35
The Proper Policy,
Addressing himself to the Republicans,
Mr., Williams said they needed nothing
moro than a marking out OF the pathway
TO follow the President, not because ne y
president or Republican, but because
he was outlining tho proper policy for.
tho American people. li3j L ~
a ,'oh!'Shos said. amid Democratic laugh,
ter. IT know how non part tsan. you are,"I
"a Republican Daniel IS calling you, =.
he exclaimed, "and he is at the other end
Of the avenue and he Is calling you TO
do identically the same thing that you
refused to do, because It came out OF q
Democratic Nazareth" K III MI s.
Mr. Williams said the country had wait
ed ana waited for tho railroads themselves
10 do Justice, Flo agreed IN part with
Mr.. Mccall (AIassachusotts). who had
said tho right to fix rates was a ian-
gerous power to confer on seven men,
bntT sho argued 1t was q choice between
evils, as only about seven great railroad