The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-04
ENDORSED BY REPUBLICANS
 - ESch- Townsend Bill Party
 Measure.
 ----e-~-- MEMBERS ARE NOT BOUND Talk of Coalition of Minority With Democrats. The Easrs siaas to ro.spsns Aessea i~ Voted Down--LeadsE rayns speaks for the ceninsst-
 tees werk.
MEMBERS ARE NOT BOUND

. cans of the Houaesof Representatives II, conference this afternoon adopted as party measure the bill extending rafe- making powers to the interstate Com. merce Commission. as agreed upon bv the Committee on Interstate Con1nerce. and known as the Esch- -TOwnserd bIll. The conference instructed the Houze Sommlttee on Rules to bring In a rule providing for confederation of tho measure. beginning at ii o'clock T,es- uay morning next, and continuing untiI I Q o'clock Wednesday. when vote ehalI be taken. No amendments will ba nI lowed to the bi1i. although the first voEa Is to be taken on the Davey bill. as the Democratic substitute for iegislaElon on the railway subject.
 The conference, which lasted three hours, developed opposition to line measure. The only test vote taken was on a motion to postpone the matter Tor a further conference next Tuesday. This was losf--l4 to ao7.
 Efforts were made to amend the bill during the .conferenoa. but all of theee failed, Fault was found with fhe biif on the ground that 1t did not Include regulation for the private car evil and terminal charges The advocates of the bill contested these criticisms. claiming that authority was contained in the bill to correct the complained o9 evil.
 Members Noe nound.
 The change of the meetings from caucus as tho call stated. to q @confar~ ence. leaves members participatanE free to follow their own inc1inatf0nss II is understood that the opposition may organize with the purpose of Sofxts ing the minority in the House Ia tho vote on the rule prescribing the man ner of considering the blli in the House. These plans, however. have not been actually and definitely decidad on.
 Messrs Mahou and sibley Of Paun- eylvania were conspicuous In khoir 0n~ tiipeltl0nstp any leEislafiou at tngs time, both eentsncipg that auii1ciaht tifae had not been given to khe Consideration of the subject Pcnnsyivania 11r AGa- hon Gafd. was the State most afEactea. and he thought that the millions If money involved in the proposed iesis- iation should not be paraiyzed by hasty iegislatlon.
 In addition to his protest that sum cient time had not been given for con- alteration, MT. Sibley expreased the opinion that the members Of the coin- mittee which reported the bill were not themselves clear in their Interpretation of 1t
 Mr. Wagner, also Of PennsyIvania. took different attitude to that of his CQAAG7AAC anu 1A&0 uG W0uAH @4ANH&s the proposed measure unless he wea convinced that something potter could be offered.
 Cannpe Advises Aetiom.
 At this jancture, Speaker Cannon advised his associates that if action was to be taken at all It must be done now. He suggested that recess might be taken until evening. in order that the members might further consider the question. The sentiment of the members present, however. was se overwhelmingly in favor of immediate action that the Speaker did not press his subject
 The speech that most impressed meEn~ bers was delivered by Mr. Payne Of New York, the majority leader, who. in answer to Mfr Mahon's allegations that the proposed bill would result In con- fiscation and great hardship, said that the bill in its present shape did not provide for anything more than what was in the original Interstate conn merce act, and which had stood for ten years, at the end ok which time tho railroads raised the question of tho legality of the enforcement of the de- cision of the commission as to rates. the courts sustaining the contention that there was no power vested In the commission to fix rates. Tn other words, he said, the very law now pro- posed was in effect for ten years and had operated to the satisfaction of the railroads.