The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-08
READY FOR A VOTE
HOUSE CLEARS DECKS FOR RATE
 MEASURE.
Many Amendments offered, But Each in Turn Is Defeated. and the Biii
 VIII Be Passed Today.

its session practically to o'clock the House concluded all preliminary steps to the passage of the railroad rate bill, ordered roll call on the measures and put off the final action until tomorrow at noon.
 The time for amendment came at 1 o'clock and for three hours following one amendment after another came up, was read. debated in some instances. and went down to defeat.
 So fierce was the struggle to amend that often when a paragraph Of the bill was concluded in the reading, dozen members waved their hands and shouted for recognition.
 Not one of these were adopted. They contained all manner of propositions. such as regulating preferentials, the long and short haul. free passes, court procedure, whole rate bills and parts of bills. All went "by the board"
 Previous to these exciting periods the House had been entertained for i've hours by the oratory of its best speak . CTS. MT. Bourke Cochran, of New York, gave his approval to the measure in an elaborate speech. Mir. Mann, of Illi- nois, followed when the minority lead CT, Mir. Williams. expounded the meas ure and congratulated everybody on It's success. Chairman Hepburn closed the debate in a comprehensive speech deal ing with the arguments of its oppon- ents and the terms of the bill.
 Much Interest shown.
 Throughout the day the attendance of members was large and the gailer- fes were crowded.
 MT. Williams summarized the bill and received close attention from his Democratic associates as well as from the Republican side of the House. He concluded with an expression of the hope that the house would stay in ses- sion until the beginning of the next session before 1t would yield to an amendment which might be put on in the Senate, the effect of which might be to weaken the bill.
 Mir. Hepburn began the concluding cpeech on the bill at 2:45 o'clock. He was appfauded on both sides.
 Mir. Hepburn took up In turn the points made in opposition to the bill and disposed of each in a brief manner. First he deprecated the efforts to claim political credit. Turning his attention to the remarks of Mir. Cochran he ad- ministered what he termed rebuke against an effort to detract from the dignity of the courts.
 He summed up MT. Littlefield's ob- jestion to be that he opposed destroy ing New England enterprises which he (Llttleleld) admitted had been built up through discrimination against the South.
 Touching on the construction of words which had been made point of opposition, Mir. Hepburn declared the utter futility of getting a legislative unanimity on that point. He asserted not a member of the House could write a twenty-word sentence that would not be capable of two constructions.
 Mir. Hepburn then went through the bill. pointing out its provisions He was questioned closely by Mir. Sherley (Ky.3 and Mir. Sullivan (Mass) regard ing the right of the carrier to set into the courts. He maintained that no courts rights were lost under the bill. He concluded at o'clock and asked at once for the reading of the bill.
 An amendment was presented by MT. Underwood (Ala.). extending the regu- Iations of the existing laws and the proposed bill to express companies.
 Mir. Townsend made the statement that the bill included express companies and Pullman cars under the language "instrumentalities" of traffic.
 On vote by tellers. the amendment was defeated, 119 to 146.
 Many Amendments Offered.
 A number of other amendments were defeated among them being one by MT Stephens (Texas). to add postal cars and terminal facilities; by MT. Hardwick (Ga.) to include sleeping cars by MT. Sheppard CTexas). to in- clude carriers wholly by water" by MT. James (Ky.(, to require reports every six months; by MT. Lamar (Fla-), to relieve Pennsylvania from the coal trust; by MT. Hardwick (Ga.), includ- ing telegraph and telephone companies; by Mir. Clayton (Ala-), an amendment to give rate cases precedence in the courts: by Mir. Stanley (Ky) an amend ment to strike out the word know ingly' in defining violation of the law; by Mir. Clayton (Ala.). regarding ap- peals to the courts; by MT. James (Ky), making 1t felony for railroad officials to make campaign contributions.
 The anti-pass amendment by Mir. Gaines (Tenn.) caused some amuse- ment as MT. Gaines insisted on dis cussing its merits and was continuously applauded. You must all have passes in your pockets he ejaculated. shaking his finger towards the Republican side. On vote by tellers the amendment was defeated. 99 to 137.
 MT. Sulzer (N. Y) offered his bill as an amendment. but it went out on point of order.
 At 6:45 o'clock. when all amendments were disposed of, all proposed changes had been rejected and the bill was re- ported to the House exactly as 1t came from MT. Hepburn's committee.
 A roll call was demanded on the passage of the bill. Just as it was about to begin the House. at 655 D. m., adjourned. on motion of Mir. Hepburn untii tomorrow at 12 o'clock noon.