The San Francisco call., 1905-02-07

had been accomplished. That object,
! he said, was TO let the President of the
United States and the minority men,
bers of the majority party know that
there would be no mere partisan and
factional opposition TO a great public
measure. The rule, he said, amid
Democratic applause, had been brought
III for the purpose of preventing ma
jority of the entire House, composed Of
| the Democrats sclidly and a number Of
Republicans, from formulating a bill
which would accomplish the purpose
sought.
Your object is" he said, ito prevent
your own men from amending your
own bill with our assistance"
The Townsend -Esch bill, he said, had
been framed on the presumption that
1 the Interstate Commerce Commission
would commit an error, which was to
| be guarded against. Williams then Of
feged to surrender every moment Of
| debate if the rule were so amended as
/ to permit the vote to be taken on these
| amendments. He even offered to give
up the vote on the minority substitute
! if the privilege he asked was accorded.
ADOPTED BY REPUBLICANS.
Dalzell, however, denounced the prop
osition. The three amendments Will
J lians demanded were, he said, to give
the Interstate Commission power to
substitute rate for one declared un-
fair; 10 make that rate operative until
! laid aside by final judgment of court,
and to base an appeal or review to a
court upon evidence adduced before
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
The debate was brought to a close by
Dalzen, who said, amid Republican
! laughter, that a Democratic caucus
vas an exceedingly unnecessary thing
when ii sought to give aid TO the Presi-
dent and the Republican party.
He congratulated the Democratic
party that since November last they
have discovered that the man in the
! White House is a good man not only
for Republicans but also for Demo-
Gratis to follow
He argued that nothing could be
fairer than to permit the House to
/ pass on the TWO propositions-the bill
! of the majority and the minority sub
stitute. Dalzell would not agree to a
| suggestion by Cochran of New York
/ that the time for debate be dimin-
! ished, the remaining time to be de-
/ voted TO considering amendments.
/ Ihls caused Cochran TO remark that
! the Democratic party proposed to sur
render debate and substitute action
| in its stead.
On a rollcall the rule was adopted,
166 to 140. The House then went into
/ a committee OF the whole TO consider
! the Townsend-E Esch bill, with Currier
! of New Hampshire in the chair
TOWNSEND OPENS DEBATE.
Townsend of Michigan, one of the
authors of the measure, began the
! debate. He said that the bill present.
ed ample occasion to bring into promi-
nence the agitator who desired no.
toriety before his constituents and
who was eager to strike blow at the
railroads, above or below the belt
The occasion, he said, was equally
fruitful for that greed and selfishness
born of great power and nurtured by
a desire for financial gain, which
would deceive the Congress and
! the nation into believing that the
creatures Of the Government are out
side and beyond its control and that
| the problem is SO great and complex
that only the railroads can solve it,
Townsend. in reply to Richardson
of Alabama, said positively that the
bill. Ia Connection with the so-called
Ell1ins act, would reach the private
car lines.
Richardson of Alabama said the de-
mand for legislation TO regulate
freight rates had come in such an
earnest way that Congress could not
for a moment disregard it, but he
counseled against engaging in flasty
or hostile legislation. He was par
ticularly antagonistic to special
court to pass on rates, maintaining
that it was departure from the ju-
dicial system of the Government.