Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-03
RATE BILL is DISCUSSED
Senators Devote six Hours to consid-
GRAFTON Of Measure
IN Aeaoclated Press.

BY Associated Press.
wASHIr, ,GTON, Feb. 2.--Oratory on
the railroad rate bill held the atten-
| tlon OF the house for six hours today.
/ The speeches of Burton OF Ohio, Nc
| Call Of Massachusetts and Russell of
] Texas were features, while Thomas of
North Carolina. Burke of South Da-
kota and Goulden of New York took UP
particular and specific topics.
Mr.. Burton discussed the broad field
| of proper national ideas and growth
Of Industry, corporation development
and traffic increase; Mr.. Mccall made
an attack on the bill opening the op-
position to Its fundamental features
and making, as he knew, a vain eff
fort to have the power to regulate rail-
road rates administered by the courts!
Point after point he made to show
what he contended were the weaknesses
and evil of government rate making, IL
lustrating by records Of foreign coun-
tries.
Mr.. Russell argued for the measure.
He spoke as a Democrat and gave that
party credit for sustained effort and
for careful scrutiny in the perfecting
of the measure.
Mr.. Burke, a member of the COM
mittee in which the bill originated, ex-
planned its details
Before proceeding to consideration of
the railroad rate bill today the house
passed a bill extending the public land
laws to q tract of land ten miles square
in Wyoming ceded to the government
in 1897 by the Shoshone and Arapahoe
Indians.
Mr.. Thomas of North Carolina opened
the discussion on the rate bill, making
an argument In its favor.
Mr.. Thomas said the bill was in line
with Democratic position; the presl-
1o.N -. &c -
state commerce commission; CONNER
cial bodies all over the country, in
cluding his own state, and the out
growth of public sentiment. Referring
to the losses sustained by the truckers
of his district last spring, he insisted
refrigerator cars should be placed under
the control of the commission.
Mr.. Golden of New York gave the
reasons for supporting the bill 1t
was the best of it's kind ever presented
Its benefits were greater than it's de-
fects.
In beginning an hours speech in ia
vor Of the bill Mr.. Burton of Ohio dwelt
upon the enormity of the corporations
in this country. He could remember
when this was not the case; when
small businesses flourished. Now the
mechanism of steam has transformed
industry completely so that the en-
ploye is but a cog in tremendous
mechanism.
The greatest strides in traffic had
also taken place. Regulation was de-
manded by the conditions. The two es-
pecial features of the bill were, first,
the fixing of a rate, and second, the
speedy adjudication of a rate in the
courts.
With $50, 900 rate schedules related one
to the other he was not sure what the
resolution would be or what the court
of last resort would decide. However,
he did not anticipate revolutionary or
ders by the commission nor havoc as
the result of them. The difficulties Of
the policies to be inaugurated, such as
the long haul and short haul and the
basic point questions Mr.. Burton be-
lieved should be fixed by congress. 1t
was the failure to exercise such re-
sponsibilities that results in the COM
plants that the house was losing its
power.
AS to rebates, he said. human in
genuity had hardly If ever, been exer-
cised to evade the law as had been
the case since the passage of the FL
kins act. Discrimination between indi-
viduals, he maintained, could and
should be stopped. The discrimination
between places was a diff prob
lem, in which many clements entered
and which it may never be possible to
overcome.
IF we seek for the real evil" said
Mr.. Burton, 1--WE must look to the ideals
of the people," and he added: 1--WE
have had Sickening examples of dis
honesty in high places."
Success, he said, and the admiration
for great wealth breaks down the line
between honesty and dishonesty. Legis-
lation could do much to correct these
evils of dishonesty. Publicity was one
step; to cease condoling great offenses
was another; to provide equality of op-
portunity the third. To make it plain
that this corporation was so great that
it was above the law was he said a
duty of congress, and this should not
be confined to railways.
Mr.. Burton concluded with the state
ment that the present bill was a step
in the right direction and that he hoped
year by year others might be taken.
Throughout Burton commanded the
close attention of members and re-
ceived applause and congratulations
on his conclusion
Mr. Burke of South Dakota followed,
having been yielded an hour. He ia
vored the bill and reviewed the legis-
lative status of rate regulating laws.
Mr. Burke emphasized the necessity
of defeating all amendments that may
be proposed to the bill and have it
pass the house by the largest vote pos
sible. When Mr.. Burke concluded Mr.
Mccall took the floor in favor of the
bill.