The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-10
AGAINST THE
 PENDING BILL MT. Morgan Opposes
 Rate Measure. CONTROL OF THE RAILROADS They Will Be Under the Commis-
 sion's Domination. Hepburn-DoIliver Biu, Says the sens. tor. VIII Interfere With the
 Rights of the states to
 Regulate Corporations.
CONTROL OF THE RAILROADS

Washington. April o.--Mr. McLaurin and Mir. Morgan addressed the Senate today on the Railroad Rate question, the former advocating legislation and the latter opposing.
 The Mississippi Senator announced his Intention to support an amendment providing for a court review of the decisions of tho Interstate Commerce Commission and also stated his adher- ence to the Bailey amendment prohib- iting the temporary suspension of the commissions order by the inferior courts. He criticised what he char acterized as an effort to inject politics into the consideration of the bill.
 MT, Morgan took the position that the proposed legislation was an inter- ference with the rights of the States to control the corporations created by themselves and said that the best way to check exorbitant railroad rates was to keep the waterways in such condi- ton as insure competition.
 When Mir. McLaurin concluded the bill creating the Mesa verede National Park was passed.
 MT. Morgan in addressing the Sem ate on the railroad rate bill, said that he was opposed to the bill under con- sideration known as the Hepburn Dof- liver bill because 1t created a national commission that would ultimately be under the control of the railroads. He said that the bill repealed & law that was sacred to the English speaking people. the right of jury trial and ves- ted in a commission the right to de- termine the reasonableness of a rate.
 He said that the bill took away from the States the right to determine what was a reasonable rate and vested the power of determination in a. na- tional commission.
 Will Own the Railroads.
 'In the end" he said, "the United States will own all the railroads" a condition which he did not like to con- template.
 "The demand for the control of the railroads Is q sudden growth" he said. land is Ape to the enornsuus increaze of commerce. But 1t must be remefn- bered that much of the business is done by the State railroads and the rights of the States must be respect ed"
 He spoke of the dangers of the management of railroad systems of the United States by fifty magnates and predicted "a cyclone of socialism" with consequent wreckage of valuables as the result of their unbridled control of this great power. He believed the States could control the roads single
  government was necessary, 1t could be granted by a few simple enactments without entering upon an effort to regulate rates.
 He said that Congress was under taking to secure control of transpor- tation of the country by tearing out of the books and kicking out of the halls of Congress the constitutional barriers that stand in Its way. Con gress." he said. Ifs given the right to regulate, but not to destroy interstate commerce." which he added was the tendency of modern legislation.
 Violation of Constitutions.
 MT. Morgan argued that the propos- ed enactment was intended to secure control of the railroads by a process of confiscatlon. and he declared that inasmuch as the railroads were pri- vate property, this was a violation of the constitution--the taking of prop erty without due process of law.
 Outlining the congressional legfsla- tion he would support. he said he would deny to any railroad the ma tority of whose stock was controlled by another company or held in another State than that in which the road was organized. the privilege of doing an interstate business. He said also that he should not favor a policy that would prevent a judicial review of the f1nd- ings of a railroad commission.
 In conclusion Mir Morgan declared that the most reasonable means of pre- venting railroad extortion was to inn- prove the waterways of the country and force a natural ana healtny conn petition.
 The Senate adjourned at 4:25 ?. m. after an executive session of i've min- utes duration.