The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-04
RATE BILL ISSUES
j. CLARIFIED @: |. ! BY B. !. G G.
Minnesota Senator Explains the
Points Whereon the Fac =
r tions Differ. <'s' 5ss
BY w. w. Jermane {

! Washington, Feb. 3.-Thes periodi-
cal repetition Of the old story. that the
president has changed front on the
railroad rate Question, and is prepar-
ing to yield to the raiilroad az lobby, \ il
going the rounds, but the country neeii
not take it seriously Whatever The
president may Or may not do, there
will be no departure from the princi-
pie for which he is contending. This
story is being circulated now, as
heretofore, by the railroad people, and
the White House hardly considers it
worthy Of denial. :Ss&}zf ''@t'&. ,t$5
1t is true that some consideration is
being given the question Of changing
the phraseology Of the rate bill 50 as
to bring certain opposing elements into
lire, but should this change be made,
1T will not emasculate the bill nor
mark any departure from what the
president has been demanding. @.'.>
!. This latest revival of the "change:
cf-front'' story is due to statement
issued from the White House yester-
day denying that the president was ell
Geavoring to-; browbeat the. senate, to
force his views on that body, or that
he had issued an ultimatum, or done
any other obviously foolish thing on
rate matters. - - s-e... s..-..
Old Story Repeated. Il
With this statement as text, New
York morning papers rang changes to.
day on the old story, saying that the
rate bill, as enacted, would be a COM
promise measure, that the president
had yielded, etc, The same story was
talked freely in the capitol corridors
all day.
The rate question is now nearing the
time when it will be Invested of much
CT the obscurity which has enveloped
it. The house will probably pass the
Hepburn bill next week, and the sen
ate committee has agreed to report "a
hill to that body FEB. 16. These tw.
acts will clarity the atmosphere. II
it practically assured that the senate
committee will by a majority vote re
port the Dolliver bill, or substantially
the Hepburn bill of the house:
s Clapp, Studies Rate Matter. s.
Senator Clapp Of Minnesota is 8
he has been studying the rate question
since last4spring. 81
He attended all the spring meetings
of the senate committee, took lively
part in questioning witnesses, and was
a close observer Of the drift of the case
He attended all the fall and winter
meetings of the committee, and is as
we'll posted on the rate question as any
man in the entire northwest. On this
account, T h e ournal asked him
today for an interview, stating the
rate situation in simple language and
going sufficiently into the history oi
the case to give the present agitation
a proper setting. Senator Clapp says
Briefly stated, the subject citrate
regulation begins with the act Of 1887
called the interstate commerce law
which authorized the commission, il
they found rate unreasonable, to or.
fder it's discontinuance. Some question
arose as to whether the commission in
1897 the supreme court held that, while
the commission could order the exist
ing rate discontinued, the law did not
give them authority to order the new
rate. This left it optional with the
carrier to adopt such new, rate as the
commission might suggest (butl which
they could not, order), OF take its
chances on the commission again at
lacking such new rate as the carrier
adopted. Having power to attack the
new rate, the carrier in the main adopt
ed the suggestion Of the commission;
but. this was unsatisfaetory. and in De.
cember, 1904, the president recommend
ed changing the law SO that the com
mission, il it found rate unreas0n-
able, could also order a new rate. He
again recommended this in hiss message
to the present congress last December.
Under the existing law, the order to
discontinue a rate does not 90 into ef-