The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-04-10
MORGAN OPPOSES
THE RATE BILL
Alabama Senator Thinks Government
Regulation Would Mean Confis-
cation in the End.
STATES SHOULD CONTROL
UTAH UNIVERSITY GETS TRACT
OF LAND.

Washington, April 9.-In the senate
today a bill granting to the University
Of Utah a small tract of land not need
ed by the Fort Douglas military reser-
walton, was passed.
Mr.. Berry Of Arkansas appeared in
the senate today after a three months
campaign He was given a warm re-
ception by his colleagues. who eX-
pressed their regret over his defeat.
Messrs. Hale, Allison and Teller were
appointed conferees on the urgent de-
fciency bill.
McLaurin on Rate Bill.
Mr. McLaurin then discussed the rate
bill. Mr.. McLaurin announced himself
in full sympathy with both the lead
ing propositions Of the Bailey amend
ment, that for a full court review and
for prohibition Of temporary injunc-
tiOns. The latter part of the speech
was devoted to a discussion of the po-
litical aspects of the question. MT.
McLauTin also touched upon the tar
iff. saying:
Let us remove by this bill one of
the curses of a prohibitive tariff
He advocated the removal of the
duty on steel rails i'm order to reduce
the cost of railroad construction, also
the removal of the duty on iron
Senator Morgan's Speech.
Mr.. Morgan in addressing the sena tie
on the railroad rate bill, said that he
was opposed to the bill under cOnsid-
Grafton. known as the Hepburn-Dolli-
YER bill. because it created a national
commission that would ultimately I'M
dertake the control of the railroads. He
said that the bill repealed a law that
was sacred to the English-speaking
people. the right OF jury trial. and vest
ed in commission the right to deter
mine the reasona bleness of a rate. He
states the right to determine what was
a reasonable rate and vested the pow
er of determination in a national COM
mission.
States Could Control.
"In the end" he said, 1.-THE United
States will own all the railroads." a
condition which he did not like to con-
template. He spoke of the dangers of
the management of the railroad SyS-
TENS Of the United States by fifty mag
mates, and predicted "a cyclone of So
cialism,' with consequent wreCkage of
values. as the result of their unbridled
control Of this great power He be-
lieved the states could control the
roads single-handed, but if aid from
the national government was necessary
it could be granted by a few simple
enactments without entering upon an
effort to regulate rates.
AIR. Morgan argued that the proposed
-
zTrol of the railroads by a process of
cOnscriptiOn and he declared that mas
much as the railroads were private
property this was a violation of the
constitution-the taking of property
without due process of law.
Remedy Proposed.
THE people of the states that have
built the roads refuse to submit them
to the control of congress" he said.
THE United States cannot control the
roads because they have no prOprie-
tOrship i'm them; the states can control
them. because they have proprietor
ship in them through their charters"
Outlining the congressional legisla-
ton he would support, he said ne
would deny to any railroad the major
ity of whose stock was controlled by
another company or held in another
state than that in which the road was
owned, the privilege of doing an inter
state business He said also that he
should not favor a policy that would
prevent judicial review of the find
ings of IA railroad commission.
The senate adjourned at 4:25 D. m
after an executive session of five min
utes' duration.