The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-10
DEBATE IN DETAIL.
Majority of Both Parties in Favor
of Legislation.

washington. Feb. 9.-The house to-
day entered upon the last day of dis
cussion of the bills to regulate freight
rates. According to the rule adopted
Monday the vote VIII be taken at )
o'clock first on the minority substitute,
known as the DaVey bill, and, should
it fail of passage, then on the bill of
the majority of the committee on in
terstate and foreign commerce, other
wise termed the Esch-Townsend bill.
Less than twenty-five members were
IN their seats when the debate was
opened by MI. Pierce CTenn), who AFT
or announcing that the president, on
the subject of rate legislation, was the
greatest leader that had lived in the
Republican ranks since the civil war,
said he would support the Esch-Town-
send bill. He. however, based his sup
port upon the fact that William j.
Bryan and the Democratic party had
declared for just such legislation
Criticised by De Almond.
Mr.. De Almond CMo). while admit
ting the necessity for legislation, at
tackled the Esoh- Townsend bill as be
ing an inadequate treatment of the
question. The bill, he said. was singu-
1aTly lacking in its compliance with
the recommendations Of the president
IT did not reach private car lines, and
fl was not to be supposed that the
courts would be eager and searching
in the endeaVoy. to find in il something
themselves could not find
Mr.. Crumpacker Ond) said he would
ungrudgingly support the majority
measure because the power to TeEu-
been recognized, The question now be-
ing simply one of policy
While Mr.. Crumpacker was speak
ing the statehood bill came over from
the senate and was laid on the speak
er's table for reference to committee.
NffII;--,-y Nra,A Cno.oL
/ The closing remarks for the minor
ity were made by Mr.. Williams CMiss.)
who at the outset congratulated the
house upon the fact that not only in
the matter of rate legislation, but in
several other particulars, President
Roosevelt. nominated by the Repub-
lican party and elected by the people"
was beginning to assume a distinctly
Democratic attitude. He said he had
begun to hope that the president would
recommend revision of the tariff and
that the president would see that it
was altogether absurd TO keep 1000
more soldiers than were needed.
Addressing himself to the Republic
ans. Mr.. Williams said they needed
nothing more than a marking out of
the pathway to follow the president,
not because he is president, or a Re
publican. but because he was outlin-
ing the proper policy for the American
oh" he said, amid Democratic
laughter. Il know how non-partisan
you are
Democracy BIazed the Trail.
Mr.. Williams said it might be true
in some things, as Mr.. GrOsvenor stat
ed yesterday. that the Democrats
"camped tonight where we camped last
night" but he loudly proclaimed, fac
ing the Republican side, that on this
question lit is understood who are
camping this year where the Democ-
Tacy camped last year"
If ne said. the majority in the house
did not follow the presidents recon-
mendations, it proved the necessity for
an automatic coupler between the
White House and the house of repre-
sentatives-
a Republican Daniel is calling you"
he exclaimed, land he is at the other
end of the avenue and he is calling
YOU to do identically the same things
that you refused to do because they
came out of Democratic Nazareth"
Choice Between Evils.
Discussing the merits of the bill.
Mr. Williams said the country had
waited and waited for the railroads
themselves to do il justice. He agreed
in part with Mr.. Mccall (MasS). who
had said the right TO fix rates was a
dangerous power to confer on several
men, but he argued that it was a
choice between evils as only about
seven great railroad magnates. acting
fn conjunction With one another, were
directing the stream of American com
merce in the channels they wished and
discriminating wherever they saw fit.
If the fixing OF rates was 20 be lodged
in some hands, Mr.. Williams said. he
preferred IL 10 be a government tri-
buna1. weak and ineffective as such
tribunals are
Declaring that he spoke as a con
servative. as he was not a radical Mr.
Williams said the time may come when
all the country except the south would
he advocating government ownership
OF railroads. The south never would
support that proposition because they
had the old-fashioned idea that the
government should not become too
strongly centralized. They were further
opposed to government ownership be-
cause they knew the government would
not operate coaches for the whites and
blacks.
Debate Closed by Hepburn.
Mr.. Hepburn. Iowa. chairman Of the
, committee on interstate and foreign