The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-20
RAILROAD BILL
 AF TER RECESS House Not Expected to AcI Until
 After the Holidays WILL GO UP ID SENATE Lowering Bill Seeking to Secure An other Government Cotton Report
 Was Tabled By unan-
 imous Vote.
WILL 60 UP 10 SENATE
BY WATTERSoN sTEALEY.

Washington D. C., Dec. 19.-(Special)--
 There will be no railroad bill passed
 by the House before the holiday recess.
 Some wonder if the House, following
 the suggestion of Representative Tawney
 of Minnesota, is preparing to tell the
 Senate that If it wants rate legislation
 go ahead and enact it, and If good bill
 is sent over from the House of Lords
 the lower branch of Congress will pass 1t.
 At any rate the House members have
 decided to eat their Christmas dinner
 before tackling the railroad proposition.
 When that is over with, they announce.
 the subject will be looked into. Members
 of committees say that a Hepburn bill
 will be reported shortly after the holidays,
 passed by the House and sent whizzing
 over to the Senate. What 1t will be
 exactly no one knows, along the lines
 of the Esch-Townsend bil',' said mem-
 Der of the committee.
 Payne Bill Reported.
 The House agriculture committee made
 short work this morning of the Lowering
 bill designed to secure another cotton re-
 port from the department of agriculture,
 which it was hoped would reduce the
 price of cotton to the advantage of New
 England mills. Representative Bowie of
 Alabama made the motion to lay the
 bill on the table, and it was adopted un-
 anmously The members from cotton
 growing states have waged a vigorous warfare against the bill since it's intro-
 duction and are highly pleased at the days result.
 In a brief statement before the com-
 mtte, Representative Lowering of Mas sachusetts, the author of the bil dis claimed any purpose of questioning the integrity of the Secretary of Agriculture.
 He said, however, that 1t was we'll known that the south always under-estimated the size of the cotton crop and the gov ernment ought in the interest of the cot ton textile trade try to arrive at an impartial estimate.
 The committee on ways and means to- day reported favorably the Payne tariff bill reducing the tariff on Philippine sugar to 25 per cent of the Dngley rates. In the language of Wilbur of the Wakeman 1t Is '.breach in the tariff wall and one that will likely be followed by many others in the next few days.
 Bill Is In Line.
 The democratic leader. Representative
 Williams of Mississippi. offered d substl- ute providing that all articles. the growth or product of the Philippines Into any port of the United States. shall come in : free of duty and that all articles the growth and product of the United States or appurtenances when shipped to any port shall enter any port of the Philip pines free of import duty.
 MT Williams substitute was defeated, every republican voting against 1t. MT. Williams then calle dup his bill Ito es- tablish a minimum tariff in the United States" He urged favorable report on ,, the grounds that conditions In general and the German situation in particular de- manded such legislation. His bill would establish the minimum at four-ffths of the Dingley rates, this minimum Ito apply to and be levied. collected and paid upon all articles imported into the United States from such countries as do now admit the products of the United States for sale or consumption within their borders upon an equality with like products of such country or countries as are or may be admitted to their ports at the minimum rate of duty levied by them It also extends this minimum to such countries as have now or may hereafter establish
 a minimum and give us the benefit thereof. Cotton Bill Tabled.
 While the Williams minimum tariff Is IT. line with the maximum and minimum declarations of the Chicago national con vention and while Senator Lodge. Senator Cullom and other republicans have de- clared in favor of such tariff, It was defeated by Q strict party vote.