The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-22
Willing to Consider Any AneOd- nsnts Suggested to the
 Hepburn Rate Bill
VOTE IN THE COMMITTEE
 WILL BE TAKEN FRIDAY
# Measure Passed By Congress Is Not Satisfactory to Roosevelt, He Will Simply Veto
 Same.

Washington February 21.-When the Senate committee on interstate commerce meets on Friday to vote on a rate piil' the announcement will be authoritat1Vely made that President Roosevelt will not at- tempt to prevent amendments to the Hepburn bill that he will leave the com mittee free to exercise It's best Judgment, and if possible compromise its differences; that if bill Is reported which does not meet his approval and in that form is passed by Congress, he will content him. self to exercise his veto power.
 This announcement will be made as the result of conference held at the White Ho SC today between the most active persons supporting the House bill, with out amendment but will be delivered to the committee by senator who has sup ported an amendment providing for judi cial review of an order of the interstate commerce comission.
 Consider the Knox Amendment.
 The conference at the White House is one of many that have been held there in the last week for the discussion or the railroad rate question. It was at tended by Senators Deliver and Clapp; Speaker Cannon, Representative Hepburn and Attorney General Moody. They had under consideration an amendment sald to have been drafted by Senator Knox and revised by the attorney general The draft fin it's revised form. however, is said not to be satisfactory to the author. It i,, of the President and attorney general want ed to know whether it would be accepta- ble to the members of Congres. who are making a fight to prevent the adoption of any amendment which they believe would interfere with the operation of the meas ure they purpose to enact into law.
 Briefly stated, the amendment aims to give to any complainant authority to file a petition in a circuit court asserting that rate fixed by the commission was in fact illegal, or that an order of the commission was in reality unlawful, and authorizes the court to hear the suit to decide whether the commission acted within it's authority, and whether the con stitutonal rights of the plaintiff had been violated.
 Firm Stand for Present Bill.
 
 would do, all those called into the con- ference made firm stand for the Hep burn bill in it's present form and said that none of the amendments suggested seemed to be an improvement. They said that if the bill specified the conditions under which complaints could be taken into court the court might refuse to take cognizance of matters not specified in the bill They said they preferred to leave open every feature on which an aggrieved person might desire to go into court. At torney General Moody, it Is said, con tended that the Hepburn bill is constitu- tional and that there is no danger of it's being overturned by the United States supreme court. He would not pass upon the wisdom of amending the bil taking the position that it Is function outside of his official province.
 After Senators Deliver and Clapp re- turned to the capitol they told certain col leagues that they would go into the com mittee on Friday, and make a firm stand to have the bill reported without amend ment. When asked concerning the atti- tude of the President, they said that they believed he is satisfied with the bill as 1t stands but that it is too much to say that he Is opposed to any amendments whatever.
 Will Consider Any Amendments.
 The President was described by them as ready to consider any amendments that might be offered, and willing to listen to any proposition up to the time the bill Is placed on it's final passage. They said that if anything should be brought for ward which in the opinion of friends of the bill would better it, and not obstruct its operation, the President would give it careful study.
 Conservative members assert that they have the necessary vote to amend the Hepburn bill if they are left free to exer- else their individual judgment so that they will not be put in the position of op- posing the Presidents policy.
 Under these conditions 1t Is said that Senators Elkins Foraker, Crane. Kean, Aldrich. Carmack. Foster and McLaurin will vote for an amendment providing for Judicial review. Seven votes is a ma jority of the committee. Senators Gull lom and Carmack will not be present when the committee meets Friday. but as Senator Cullom Is opposed to amendment, this will not affect the result.
 An informal meeting of the committee will be held tomorrow, but 1t is agreed that no important amendments will be