Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-02
SUPPORTFORMEASUR[
Interstate Commerce Rate
Regulating Bill.
SOME OBJECTI % N S
SENATORS OPPOSED TO PLAN AS
OUTLINED.
Personnel of Presidents Appointees
Observation-Disclosures for Future
to Determine.
SOME OBJECTIONS

1t is apparent that the support OF the bill
prepared by the committee on interstate
| commerce for amending the interstate COM
merce law in favor of a stricter regulation
of railroad rates will have a considerable
support from men who hold lightly the con-
stitutional objections to the bill and who
believe that the extreme measures proposed
| in it are warranted from the point of view
of public policy.
The bill Is decidedly Objectionable to a
large number of senator's who declare that
among other weaknesses it has the decided
| objection of mixing legislative, judicial and
administrative functions and that it will
not only introduce a dangerous precedent
in methods of legislation, but that 1t will
eventually be set aside by the courts as I'M
constitutional if it is enacted into law.
Those who favor the commissions bill say
that the objections of public policy urged
against 1t are simply objections against the
representative system of government. They
declare that it is trivial TO say that at some
time in the future radical members of the
commission may be appointed and that they
may abuse their power, which by the COM
missions own bill is made very great in re-
spect to the regulation of railroad rates and
almost all the acts that may be performed
by railroad.
That is a contingency, they say, that will
have to be handled when it ar.ses If 1T ever
does arise. They believe that the President,
whoever he may be in the future, can be de-
pended upon to appoint such men on the
commission can be relied upon TO admin
lister the law in a fair and equitable man
ner. If there should be any failure to do
that they feel confident that at that time
Congress will take such measures as are
found to be necessary in order to see that
the powers granted to the commission shall
not be abused.
What Country Demands.
Those who are inclined to support the bill
say that it provides for doing exactly the
thing that the country is demanding at this
time and that the broad principle of public
policy should dominate whatever is done.
They say that the bill carefully defines the
powers of the commission and that the COM
mission is not given any broad powers eX-
cept those which are distinctly named. IL
in the future it should be found that the
measure works harmfuly toward any in
terest Congress will have power to modify
or To repeal it altogether.
The opponents OF the measure, after the
discussion that has occurred during the last
several days, are well atiSfied that the Va
rlous objections they will raise against 1t
while ii is before the committee will a least
be sufficient to modify 1t beyond the recog-
milton of its trainers. They are satisfied
that its provisions are so clearly uncOnsti-
ttItonal. as we'll Objectionable from the
point of view of public policy, that it will
only require discussion in order to convince
a ma jority in the Senate that it should be
voted down
Will Be Voted On.
1t seems quite likely at this time that the
commissions bill in its present or in medi-
fed form will be before the Senate and
House if the majorities of the committees
should report bill that is greatly in oppo-
sition to its provisions. The hopeful feeling
h. ~ hot
has been voiced on many occasions by
Chairman Elkins of the Senate committee
on interstate commerce is still felt, not only
by Mr.. Elkins but by many others on the
committee and in the Senate They are anX-
ious that the committee shall produce such
a bill as will not only please the majority
on the committee and in the Senate but
that will also be acceptable to the President
as measure that Is calcula ted to carry out
his views. If they can do that without sac
riffcing what they regard as the essential
principles for which they have contended
they Will welcome compromise. But they
are just as determined as ever that there
shall be nothing in the bill to be passed by
the Senate that will violate those prin-
cipies. They all admit that there is a wide
gulf between the Foraker bill, which has
great favor in and outside of the committees
and the commissions bill, and they realize
that the task of getting these two views TO-
gether will be very difficult