The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-06-01
is RATE BILL VALID?
SOME LAWYERS IN THE SENATE
DOUBT coNsTITUTIoNALiTY.
COURTS LIKELY TO UPHOLD IT
Little Probability That They VIII Up.
set Verdict OF Eighty.slx Senators
and Practically Entire House-How
Fairbanks Catches Up"

Washington, May 81. - Special. =
Some lawyers In tho senate who voted
for the railroad rate bill have grave
doubts M to Its constltutlonallty, the
point being whether congress has not
in effect delegated its legislative func-
tion to the commission. Whatever may
be the opinion OF these lawyers. the
practical view In that the courts will
20 ns far M they can In carrying out
the intent OF congress-. Although the
courts are known us the last bulwark
against what Ia called popular clam
Or" Ii IL n fact that public opinion In
nuonccs the courts rs II does the con-
gress. A year ago II would have been
asserted that the senate would have
held out against the rate bill and pre-
vented Its passage save In n very mild
form, but public opinion was too strong
for the senate. and those who thought II
unconstitutional and those who were
opposed to II on general principles.
with three exceptions, voted for It.
There Is little possibility OF the courts
overturning verdict rendered by
eighty-slx senators and nearly the en-
tire membership OF the house.
Had to Catch UP With Them.
Vice President Fairbanks, like every
other man who prepares n speech In
advance, furnishes such speeches to
the press 1t 80 happened that
speech he prepared to deliver In Bir-
mngham, Ala, was published in several
places on n day when he was wrestling
with amendments to the rate bill and
points of order in the senate. Finally
he went to Alabama and spoke Mt
Birmingham and other points. Upon
his return he said:
81 really had to go south In order to
catch up with the fragments of that
speech. Sometimes part OF II would
appear in one place and part In an
other, and II really became game of
hide and seek, but II Is all right now"
Tho South and the Railroads.
1t has been assumed that the south
crn states were more vitally Interested
in railroad rate legislation than any
other section of the country; but, ac-
cording TO Senator Morgan, who has
been I'm the senate longer than any 9th
er man from the south, such Is not
the case. Just before he voted against
the rate bin he said:
"Our people in the south have re.
ceived very great advantage from
these railroads, but we are more inde
pendent of them than any other peO
pie In the United States In moving our
great crops in the south, our cotton and
pine timber, our coal, iron and cement
for we have navlgable streams that
lead from the pine forests and the cot
ton fields and the coal and iron mines
and the cement beds out into the south
crn Atlantic and into the gulf of Mex
leo that very readily supply us with
all the transportation that Is needed
for the purpose of getting our crops
and productions to market We are
not I'm a hurry to realize upon our
crops, because we can cash our crops
wherever presented on the face Of the
earth"
Men Of Peace.
Bourke Cochran Is no doubt the most
eloquent man in congress, and every
body likes to hear him speak. Repre-
sentative Bartholdt of Missouri has
one hobby-univerSal peace. In the
house Cochran was discussing Bar
tholdts theory and said:
"If peace can be established upon
the basis of eloquence, we have but to
send him BartholdD to attend an in
,.,bt IN
dove will spread her wings over this
continent and all the civilized world"
"Oh, Mr. Chairman" interrupted
Bartholdt, 81 would substitute for my
self there the gentleman from New
York"
"If had the same faith as the gen.
tleman from Missouri" replied Cock
ran, 81 would be glad to accompany
him as his humble acolyte."
"The Paper Says"
How often do you hear the express
sion, 1.-THE paper says it's going to
rain" or "clear" or "be cooler" or
whatever the prediction may be. 1t
Is a curious fact, too. that right here
| In Washington, where the weather bu-
reau has It's headquarters, a major
lty of people hold the paper that pub
fishes the prediction responsible for
Its fulfillment, or at least seem to
think that 1t is the paper that is max.
ing the representations. There are
times, no doubt, when Chief Moore OF
the weather bureau would be glad to
have 'the paper" take all the blame
that is, when the predictions go far
astray-but on the whole he Is well
content with his forecasts.
A Constant Attendant.
Every Say that the senate has been
in session 1t has had one constant au'
ditor. He occupies seat as close to
the press CALLER? as he can get, being
one OF the best points OF observation
in the senate, and is always in the same
seat 1t matters not what Is going on
| he ia Interested but eniOys most the