Morris tribune., 1906-02-17

spirit and intent of the constitution
and that any senator who should be
thus coerced on a treaty matter weak
ened his state, degraded his office and
assailed the dignity and standing of
| the senate. This the Republicans We're
inclined to support
| On later day Senator Patterson de-
| Tended his bolt and encountered the
oratorical lashing of his Democratic
colleague, Senator Bailey Of Texas.
Bailey charged that boiling was habit
rather than a principle with Patterson,
| citing his record.
Passage of the Rate Bill.
After over a week Of discussion and
many futile attempts to amend, the
Hepburn bill, giving the interstate
commerce commission the right to fix
railway freight rates subject to court
review, was passed by the house. Feb.
8, almost unanimously. The amend
ment which received the most support
was that proposed by Underwood of
| Alabama Dem.) to include express
companies within the scope of the bill
On q rising division the vote on this
was tie-129-but a count by tellers
disclosed 119 yeas to 146 nays. By a
vote of "A to 143 the house refused to
include sleeping and dining cars. A
proposition by Gaines of Tennessee
| Dem) to prohibit the issue of free
passes failed, 80 to 1877. On final pas
| Go ero +loo xyoto stood 70
Mccall of Massachusetts, Grosvenor
Of Ohio and Littlefield Of Maine were
chief among the few dissenting Repub-
leans. Grosvenor proposed to prevent
the railroad owners from being inter
ested in mines. ear lines or other indus
tries supplying business to the rail
roads. Littlefield's chief objection was
to giving the commission power to sus-
pend preferential rates. Sulzer of New
York Dem.) declared the railways
liked the Hepburn bill because of the
thirty day suspension clause.
In the closing hours of the debate
Cochran of New York and Leader Will
liams had summed up for the minority,
while Mann Of Illinois and Hepburn of
Illinois closed for the majority. Cock
ran denounced the frauds of the rail
roads and criticised the courts for being
lenient to them. He favored the bill
as a barrier against public ownership
and socialism. Williams congratulated
all on ''the triumph of a cherished
Democratic principle under a Repub-
lican administrations Hepburn said
the bill did not apply to express COM
panies and that it was limited strictly
''to the imposition of a reasonable rate
after it had been ascertained that an
unfair discriminatory rate had been
established by railroad company in
ther words. after it had been deter
| mined that a crime had been com
mitted"
! -. r. r. Facts For Congress.
The president transmitted the reply
! Of the interstate commerce commission
| to the house resolution asking informa-
ton regarding the alleged combine Of
/ the Pennsylvania, Baltimore and Ohio
and other railroads. 1t states that the
only definite facts known to the COM
mission bearing on the subject are those
/ appearing in the annual reports Of the
| companies named. It says, however,
that the Pennsylvania Railroad conf
pany. with all outstanding capital Of
1902. 513.3oO, appears to control and is
understood to control the lines ernbrac-
ed in the Pennsylvania system, so call
ed, with a mileage of 10,O0O999.S6. But
in this system the B. and O., the Nor
folk and Western and the Chesapeake
and Ohio are not included The report
shows that the Pennsylvania owns 4
large but not controlling interest in
these three companies AS to whether
these facts tend to show violation Of