Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-06
WE'VE GOT THE GOODS
So Say the Conservative Sen
atOrS.
ON THE RATE AMENDMENT
Let the President Take the Credit
He'd Get It Anyway,
POLITICAL SIDE OF THE CASE
1t May Develop in the Next Week or
Two If the Democrats
Know How.
POLITICAL SIDE OF THE CASE

LET the President take the credit; we've
got the goods This was the remark, con-
elusive, if ungrammatical of the conserva-
tive senators yesterday with reference to
the railway rate amendment which has been
agreed upon among the republican senators
and with the President. The more they
studied the situation the better pleased
were the conservatives with the situation
az it stands.
However, they were inclined to rap on
wood according to the old superstition
about Dragging, because they were not GER
tain how long the thing would stay put"
They thought they had the President pretty
we'll committed because he not only thor
oughly indorsed the so-called Allison amend
ment In an interview with thirty-six news
paper correspondents Friday afternoon, but
came out Saturday afternoon in a formal
statement published in The Evening Star,
in which he backed it up again.
The conservatives realize, as they have felt
all along, that no matter how the contest
came out, President Roosevelt would take
the credit. The democrats have felt that
way. too and have been disinclned to put
their shoulders to the wheel TO help the
President in his struggle with his own balk-
ing party in the Senate. They felt that
there was not room enough in the lirneight
for any one beside the President, and that
sceneshifters for the executive.
Everything is All Right
The conservatives said yesterday that
everything has fallen out all right The
country, they said. will not differentiate on
the fine law points at issue. The bald fact
remains that the railroad rate bill will pass,
and President Roosevelt says he Is satisfied
with it, whereupon the country will join In
he rilir hat hp flan ri. tngr,
They are following Roosevelt, and not the
lawyers.
The conservatives are content to have
saved their bacon They wanted a broad
judicial review, to protect the interests of
the great corporate investments of the
country, and they certainly have secured It,
according to the testimony of some OF the
ablest republican lawyers in the Senate and
the admission of the democrats. They are
after the substance, not the public acclaim
Ihe democrats, however, in a fine
mess Here is Senator Tillman Just last
thursday declaiming against the courts and
the Judges. Now he finds himself in charge
of a bill. which, If amended will as he said
In his own picturesque way allow the
judges TO go scot free and give them full
swing with the law. He declared that there
is no limitation whatever in this amendment
upon the Judges and they can entoin and
suspend and do what they please with the
bill.
10 Senator Tiilman. was bad enough. He
satC IL would be possible to run a train OF
cars through it. Yesterday he thought the
train could run in two or more sections
Senator Bailey said the bill provided the
broadest possible form of judicial review
However. II will be remembered how SOL
EMMY Senator Bailey declared In the SEN
ate that he would be the last one to deny
any man his day in court He thinks there
Will be no trouble to get a day in court
under this amendment.
A Political Side of the Case.
There is political side to the case which
may develop In the next week or two 1t
all depends upon the skillfulness OF the
democrats in making out a case of alleged
neglect OF duty against the republicans
They hope to show that the bill Is tlnsatis-
factory and falls short of the demands of
the people for railway rate reform II Is
by no means certain, however that this
can be done.
In the first place here is the Hepburn blu
swallowed whole by the democrats of the
House and reported to the Senate in charge
Of democrat and by democratic votes in
committee. President Roosevelt solemnly
AYERS that the Allison amendment does not
materially alter the bill. Whose word will
be taken by the busy Iaymen, Roosevelt's
or Tiilman's? Roosevelt Is the original rate
reformer He says this bill Is u good
enough Morgan II satisfies him Win the
man In the street stop to ponder the legal
phraseofogy or will he run along about his
DAYS work and say that If Roosevelt IL