Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-04

dict the claim that the control Of rail-
ways was interference with private
property. Mr. Crumpacker OF lnuiana
| believed economic conditions would
stll control in rate matters, as they
should. notwithstanding the granted
authority OF the BILL which he ap-
proved.
Less than a score Of members were
in their places when the house met at
II o'clock today.
A resolution was adopted to request
the secretary of the interior TO make
full report Of the facts and cireum-
stances regarding the forms and en-
largement Of the San Francisco moun-
tain forest reservation. as to present
condition of the lien lands rights grow
ing out of the same and as to contracts
for the exchange Of railroad lands.
The debate on the railroad rate bill
was opened by Representative Dayton
of Alabama. Instead of being a new
thing, he declared the legislative regu-
ation of interstate commerce TO be as
old as the common law. The states
have always exercised this power to
The fullest extent. Congress, he said,
has the same plenary power over inter-
state commerce and ought to exercise
IL in restraint of the railroads and for
the benefit Of the public. The necessity
for the LEGISLATION Is brought about by
the unjust discrimination of the roads
through rebates and terminal charges
Mr.. Clayton maintained that the Ell
kns law preventing rebates could not
be enforced without an espionage,
viii. h was un-Amerlcan, and the pres
ent bill would make it possible to OBJ
tain information without resort to the
spy system, because the books of rail-
road corporations would be open to the
agents of the commission.
whether it be communism, anarchy
or not, the time will come when the
people will rise and follow William j.
Bryan to victory"
This was the opening prediction of
Mr.. Henry of Texas, who followed Mr..
Clayton for the bill. He was replying
to MIR. Sibley in a recent characteriZa-
ton of the pending bill. The maximum
rate case he said settled affirmatively
the constitutionality of granting the
power to fix rates. He regretted the
Presidents change of attitude upon the
question.
Il believe in his honesty and SINGER
ity. but wish he would adhere to his
original intention to give power to es-
tablish "a reasonable rate and leave
the question of the maximum rate out
of consideration" he said.
Mr.. Esch of Wisconsin said there
were five ages in railroading in Amer
ica-the age OF construction, the age
of competition, the age of combination,
the age of government control and
there is the fifth, the age of govern
ment ownership--from which may God
save us"
Mr. I1sch took issue with Mr.. Mccall.
saying that the president had INDUCED
in a non-sequetlr in his rate regula-
ton recommendation. That the recom-
mendat tion was justified by conditions
he showed by reviews of high rates,
rebates and capitalization of rail-
roads. The total of twelve billions
capitalization he declared to be half
fictitious.
An hour was yielded to Mr.. Kennedy
Of Ohio. who delivered an argument
that railroads were not private prop
erty in the strict construction of that
term. but public property, and subject
to state and federal control.
Mr. Crumpacker discussed the rate
making power conferred upon the in
terstate commerce commission as the
provision of the bill. In
his opinion the only localities which
would be benefited by the proposed bill
were those which had only a single
railway and did not profit by competi-
ton.
Mr. Hogg of Colorado questioned the
right to delegate both Legislative and
judicial functions to a committee. He
quoted the supreme court to show that
the commission was not a judicial tri-
bunal.
1t was a judicial function, he said, to
say where given rate was or was not
reasonable. and legislative function toI
a rate for the future.
Complaint against what he termed an
effort ON the part of certain news
papers to belittle the information OBJ
tanned by the house yesterday regard
ing the cotton yet to be ginned was
made by Mr.. Sims of Tennessee.
Discussing the bill Mr.. Lloyd of Mis-
souri, declared ii was the McCalls, Nc
Curdys, Rockefellers and Morgans who
We're the seeds of anarchy and social
ism in this fair land. The house ad-
journed at 5:25 p. m. until Monday at
IL o'clock.