Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-02-15

four days of discussion the house yes
terday by vote of 326 to IL passed
the Esch-Townsend bill providing for
the regulation of freight rates. The
negative vote was made up of IL re-
publicans and six democrats. The
speech of Mr.. Hepburn was rather a
defense of himself. He said that his
deeds and acts were a sufficient an,
swer to the lies and SANDERS" which
had been heaped upon him.
Hepburn Closes Debate.
The debate closed by Mr. Williams
of Mississippi for the democrats ana
by Mr.. Hepburn of Iowa for the re-
publicans. During his address Mr..
Williams said the republicans needed
nothing more than a marking out of
the pathway to follow the president,
not because he is the president or a re-
publican, but because he was outlining
the proper policy for the American
people.
Mr., Williams said 1t might be true in
some things, as Mr.. Grosvenor stated
Wednesday, that the democrats.
"camped tonight where he camped last
night" but he loudly proclaimed, fac
ing the republican side, that on this
question, sit is you who are camping
this year where the democracy camp.
ed last year" If, he said, the major
ity in the house did not follow the
presidents resolutions, it proved a ne,
cessity for an automatic coupler be.
tween the white house and the house
of representatives. "a republican
Daniel is calling you" he exclaimed,
and ne is on the other end of the
avenue, and he is calling you to do
identically the same thing you refused
to do because it came out of a demo
cratic Nazareth
In discussing the merits of the bill.
Mr.. Williams said the country had
waited and waited for the railroads
themselves to do justice He agreed
in part with Mr.. Mccall of Massachu.
sets, ho had said the right to fix
rates was dangerous power to con-
fer on seven men, but he argued 1t
was choice between evils, as only
about seven great railroad magnates.
acting in conjunction with one another.
were directing the stream of Amer
lean commerce in the channels they
wished and discriminating wherever
they saw Il If the fixing of rates
was to be lodged in the same hands
Mr.. Williams said he preferred it 20
be government tribunal, weak and
ineffective as such tribunals are"
The Townsend bill, he said, in con,
clusion, was much better bill than
he ever thought would come from the
republican side of the chamber
Emotion of Hepburn.
Mr.. Hepburn of iowa. chairman of
the committee on interstate COM
merce, closed for the republicans. He
explained the difficulties of preparing
such measure as the bill reported.
saving that no two men entertained
the same opinion either as to what
was IN the bill or what ought to be in
49, NiSNdoDCu IOl moment ana
received sympathetic applause from
both the democratic and republican
side when he asked to be excused
Tor intrUding a matter of personal in
terest into the proceedings, which was
the first time he had done so in Is
years of service
If l have been criticized" he said
with emotion, Il have borne it.
have been slandered and lied about.
i have submitted to it, content that
my deeds, my acts, might be placed
III opposition to and in answer TO the
hbels of those who traduced me-"
The bill, he drew, said Mr.. Hepburn.
he regarded but a rough draft, after
conferences with the president and
members of his cabinet. He denied
that the Townsend bin was an admin.
istratiol measure. nor, said he, was
any bill that he knew Of an admins.
tration bill. AS finally offered he
said that what was known as the
Hepburn bill, was. with the except u
OF but two words the product of the
brain Of the attorney general He
had yielded, however, to his col
leagues on the committee in the mat
ter of the Townsend bill not
that he did not have confidence in his
bill, but because he did not want the
committee "to be the target of every
scribbler who wanted sense tionai
headlines" After commencing the
court of transportation feature of the
bill Mr.. Hepburn in concluding urged
the railroads &c strict obedience to
the law They must learn, he said.
that there was a power greater than
they; that the interests of the multi
tude were greater than any interests
That could be subseryed by money
and wrong agd disobedience. They
must learn, too. that the people are
alert now lest the menaced concentra-
ton of immense wealth become a ter
Tor in the future, if not restrained.
Substitute Voted Down.
He was loudly arplauded as ne
took his seat. The substitute Dill OF
The minority then was defeat cd ISL
To 1S6. Messrs. Gaines Of Teunes-
see, Rider and Shuddert Of New
York and T1ve--rnsa ora Tr-.-r -