New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-09
RAILROAD RATE LEGISLATION

The House of Representatives passed the
Hepburn Railway Rate bill yesterday afternoon
by a vote of $40 to Z. A substantially unanimous
support had been expected for this measure, for
il came before the House with the approval of
both the majority and minority managers and
with the backing Of every member of the Com
mittee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
But so poor showing on the part of the oppo
sition was hardly looked for. A year ago the
Esch- Townsend Rate bill was passed by a vote
of 326 to Il. 1t was said at that time that the
House was simply making a play to the gal
lerles." tanning through" legislation in which
1t did not believe because it knew that the meas
ure would be sidetracked in the Senate The
opponents of rate regulation contended that
wear of sober discussion would check the ardor
of the House and make a repetition Of the vote
of 1905 impossible But twelve months of re
Election seem to have strengthened rather than
weakened the purpose of the lower Dranch OF
Congress 10 enforce effective government regula-
ton of railroad tariffs. On yesterdays vote the
strength of the opposition fell from IL to 4. In
a House with Republican majority of "a IL
votes were mustered a year ago against rate
regulation bill This year. i'll a House with
Republican majority Of l13. only votes were
east against an almost identical measure.
The division on the final passage of the Hep
burn bill should enllghten those critics who
have been dismissing the fight made in Congress
for rate regulation as mere political buster.
One of the opponents of the bill-a distinguished
member of the Ways and Means Committee OF
the House-asserted last week that the issue
raised i'm the Esch-Townsend and Hepburn meas
ures was "a mere fungus growth 1t mad re-
suited from no evolution expression of public
opinion but grew overnight out of "A Presl-
dental non sequitur'' imbedded III a message
sent to Congress in December, 1904 Such a
misiudgment of the forces behind the movement
for rate regulation is little short of grotesque-
But the opponents of regulaton-both in and
out of Congress-haye shown from the beginning
a startling incapacty to realize the strength OF
the demand for remedial legislation, or TO meet
that demand with practical counter arguments.
We have seen Representative Perkins, of this
state and Representative Sibley, OF Pennsyl-
vania depicting the Hepburn bill as a harmless
''scarecrow," set up TO fool the public, yet car
rying no terrors TO the railroads. On the other
hand we have found Representative Mccall. of
Massachusetts, denouncing the same measure
as a fatal blow at liberty and individualism-
an experiment which, like PhaetOns attempt TO
drive the horses of the sun, may put our Amer
lean consultations to flight. dry up the courses
of our iron rivers and make of our fertile
prairies the sands of another Libya.' No won
der that the House listened unmoyed to these
contradictions in argument and that Mr.. Nc
Call the last surviving champion Of Jefferson
ianism as he understands it. should have mus
tered only six followers on the final rollcall-
among them such eminent disciples of the Nir-
glnia school as Messrs. Vreeland. SOuthwick
and Perkins of New-York: Mr.. Littlefield, of
Maine and Mr. Sibley. of Pennsylvania.
Yesterdays vote makes rate regulation legis-
latlon of some sort inevitable at this session.
The Senate cannot evade the issue Some Sell
ators contend that the Hepburn bill does not
fix with sufficient accuracy the status of the
appeal from an unjust and unreasonable rate
permitted 10 the common carrier. The Senate
certainly should amend and clarity the bill In
any particulars in which ii is defective. But
the country is ready for action on the rate ques-
ton and expects such action before adjourn
ment.