The Topeka state journal., 1906-05-19
PASS RATE BILL.
Senate Adopts the Measure Al
most Unanimously.
Only Foraker, Pettus and Nor
gan Voted in Negative.
PRESIDENTS VICTORY.
Even Senator Tillman Gives
Him Credit.
Bill Now Goes to the House for
Approval.
PRESIDENTS VICTORY.

Washington. May 19.-After seventy
DAYS of deliberation the senate late
yesterday afternoon passed the rail-
road rate bill by the vote of II to g.
The three negative votes were cast by
Senator Foraker, who opposed the en-
tire theory upon which the bill was
prepared. and Senator Morgan and
Senator Pettus of Alabama who op-
posed the measure as a violation of
the rights of the states under the con-
stftution. Senator LaFOllette also ex-
pressed his disapprovaI of the meas
ure as incomplete and unsatisfactory,
but voted for it.
The house passed the Hepburn rate
bill early in the session and the meas
ure passed by the senate must now go
to a conference of the house and SEN
ate. as the house bill has been greatly
modihed
The passage of. the rate bill is a
tremendous victory for the president.
Few people were prepared to believe
when his first message on the subject
was sent to congress that he could
force a bill through the senate. The
president has never -cOntended that
the Hepburn bill was d perfect rate
regulation measure. He has only in
sisted that it was as effective a bill as
could be secured under prevailing
congressional conditions and would
mark a forward step. Even his Sc
verest critics concede this. as was
shown by the candid speech made by
Senator Iillman- who asserted that the
measure could never have passed both
branches of congress except for the in
sistence and determination of Presi-
dent Roosevelt
In his fight for rate regulation, the
president has been confronted by OBJ
stacles which would have deferred a
less determined executive. He had at
the beginning genuine ennnOrf
from any of the New England sena-
tors. These senators for years had
dominated the upper branch of con-
gress- A clear majority on the Repub-
lican side was either Indifferent to the
bills success or actually hostile. All
manner of pitfalls were prepared for
him by constitutional lawyers.
The president did not even have the
approval Of his cabinet in what he had
set about to do. Moody alone aggres-
sively supported the presidents con
tentions before the rate bill passed the
senate. Every other piece of impor-
tant legislation in which the president
was interested was done to death. He
could have saved them all by sacri-
fcing the measure which he was de-
termined should be enacted. None oi
these. nor all of them, seemed so i'm
portant to him as the regulation o.
freight rates, and every other consid
Grafton was made secondary to it.
OF the senators who We're chiefly in
strumental in accomplishing result
the names of Allison. CIapp, Dolliver
Nelson, Long and Fulton are mos
conspicuous This group of senator
never wavered in its support Ever
when i'm committee through tn
Vaccinations of Aldrich the bill wa
given over to the management of Till
man. the presidents personal enemy
This group of Republican senators ac
oepted the situation without protes
and worked effect oe
AS for Tillman he was as loyal to tn
bill as any of the presidents friends
NO member Of the presidents own part
could have pressed the bill more vigor
ously at all times. He demanded tha
all other senate business be stoppet
until rate bill was passed. and h
kept the senate In session an hour ear
Tier and an hour later than it was ac
customed to sit. He was in his sea
almost every hour during the wear,
weeks Of fighting. He made no mis-
takes which in any way jeOpardized tn
bill and he was frank enough and hon
orabIe enough to say even after his vim
aicttve attack on the president tha
Roosevelt deserved the credit for tn
senate's action.
In the final debate on the bill senate
IlIlman paid tribute to the president
After announcing that he would vot
for the bin he came bluntly to the point
saying:
Tflluan Praises Roosevelt.
But for the work of Theodore sRoose
velt in bringing this matter to the at
tenfion Of the country we would no
have had any bill at all 1t is tru
that the idea was not his and that tn
demand for the legislation was mad
In three Democratic platforms; never
theless he seized upon the idea and tn
success of the issue Is largely due {
his advocacy. can't congrat atulate hir
on his victory. for / think we shoul
have had a better bill"
Senator Bailey announced his convic
tIon that the bill was a vast improve
7aent over the existing law and said h
would vote for it.
sTf not perfect It can be amended an