Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-06-28
THE Bill REJEcTED
The Senate Sends the Railroad
Rate Measure Back to
Conference.
COnFEREEs REAPPOIMTED.


Washington, June 27.-When the
senate Tuesday voted not to accept tha
conference report on the railroad rate
bill Senators Tillman, Elkins and Cul-
lom were reappointed to conduct q fur
Their conference.
The house acceded to the request
Of the senate for another conference
on the railroad rate bill Immediately
upon the receipt Of the senate request
Tueday. Messrs, Hepburn, Sherman
and Richardson were appointed con-
ferees.
When the conference report was
taken up in the senate Tuesday Sena-
tor Elkins, who was one of the senate
conferees spoke on the amendment to
the commodity provision using the
word railroads" instead of the phrase
common carriers. He gave imme-
date attention to the contention that
the change has the effect Of eliminat'
ing pipe lines from the requirement oil
the bill. He said that West Virginia
is the largest oil producer In the union
and that the greater part Of the oil is
sold to the pipe line owners SO that
the owners transport their own oil
and are not strictly speaking common
carriers.
Senator Long spoke at some length
on the pipe line amendment and in
doing so dealt with the Kansas OIL
legislation. That state had declared
pipe lines common carriers, as means
Of hitting the Standard Oil company,
but It had not had that effect. There
had been no effort In Kansas to pro-
hibit the pipe lines from transport
ing their own products because 1t was
known that the effect would be dis
astrous to the independent producers.
All of the protests he said, had come
from people of that class who were In
no wise connected with the Standard.
Extreme, unjust and unfair legisla-
ton directed to the injury OF corpo-
ration like some Of that in Kansas Is
likely to fail of Its end" he said,
but continuing said that all the legis-
lation had not been Intellectual. He
also stated that the agitation in that
state had the effect Of increasing the
number of independent reflneries from
one to seven. There are also indepen-
dent lines but unless the senate
amendment ia altered, he said, they
could not carry their own oil. Furth-
ermore, there is a movement on foot
to construct a pipe line to the Gulf OF
Mexico which would be under the same
restrictions.
Mr.. Long said that producers do not
want to sci their oil at the reineries
but at the well. In the eastern states
he said, the Standard Oil company is
now prepared to evade the law be-
cause practically all Of its tank lines
are in the name Of the National
Transit company. The Standard COM
pany would buy the oil in its own
name and transport 1t through its lines
held by that company under another
name.
In his own section the legislation |
would be especially disastrous be-
cause many Of the Independent re-
flneries of Kansas are just across the
line from Indian territory, where the
richest oil wells are located, making
the transportation of the oil inter-
state commerce under the terms Of the
law.
The senate later decided by an al
most unanimous vote not to accept
the conference report and to insist
further upon its amendment.