Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-12-01
SENATE ON THE RATE QUESTION
Republicans Are Too Sharp to Leave
Omen ADVANTAGE to Democratic.


Will the Republicans of the senate,
despite their severe differences Of opin-
ion up 10 this time, writes w. w. Price,
Washington correspondent Of the
Greenville News get together and pass
a bill for rate legislation suitable TO
the president without Democratic sup
por;. or, at least, without the necessity
of Democratic support?
Tha. Is lust what a number OF prom
inent Republicans now assert VIII De
done. The air is full of rumors, and II
is declared In some pretty authorita-
tive quarters that Elkfns, Alorlcn'
Foraker, Kean an dthe other Repupn-
can senator's who have been holding
out against giving the president all
he wanted have come to the conclusion,
after a careful poll of the senate, that
their views are certain to meet defeat
i'm that body and that the best thing
for them 10 do, from Repubncan
standpoint, Is to get in under the cur
tain. support the best bill they can get
and swim along with the current, in
stead of giving the Democrats the op-
portunity of asserting that the rate
regulation bill was passed entirely be-
cause Of their support the Republicans
being too badly divided to do anything
themselves.
Under the old traditions Of the SEN
ate the strong supposition Is that
senator maintains his views and votes
accordingly no matter what the SEN
timent Is within his own party. That
has been the Democratic plan Tor
many years, but the Republican lead
ers prefer to see their party given the
credit for certain legislation than 10
see that credit largely claimed by the
Democrats, who are divided also, out
not as badly as the Republicans. A
solid front Is a tactical politlcal au-
vantage that the Republicans have
for MANY years recognized the impor-
tance of and adhere to as much as
possible. It has not been supposed they
could get together on this railroad
proposition however, and |. Will De a
strange thing IL they should do so now.
No set of men would be more greatly
surprised than the Democrats, VINO
have believed that the Republican diff
ferenceS were irreconcilab!e. The DEM
ocrats are somewhat. uneasy over the
reports that a bill is to be passed en-
tirely with Republican votes and that
they will be compelled to become a
mere tail to the Republican kite. Such
an outcome as this would be an i'm
mense triumph for the president and
his party and would leave the Demo-
Gratis with no glory in the world.
1t is practically certain that the
Democrats of the sena'e will not be
unanimous on this que stion. Senator
German and a few other Democrats
will. 1t Is declared, maintain their
views If they are forced to do so by
voting alone, caring little what the
majority Of their party may do. Demo-
cratic caucuses in the Sc iate In the
last few years have utterly failed to
unite the members Of that party, who
act as individuals on nearly all ques-
tions while. as a rule, the Republicans,
| II not bound by caucus, know what Is
good politics and get together
1t is said to be the intention or the
Republican senators sympathizing with
the railroads in their right on rates to
apparently acquiesce with the popular
demand. get in with the others Of their
rarty. says as much as they can Tor
the roads and then vote with the 9TH
ers of he party, which means solid
party support for the policies of the
nrC sident.