The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-03
PRESIDENTS
 MIND IS OPEN Not Tied to the Hepburn
 Rate Bill, THE MEASURE IS FAVORED
AtSame Time, Amendments May Be
 Acceptable.
Statement From the white House De- anes the Attitude of NIT. Roose- veit on Bills Now Pending in
 Congress.

Roosevelt Is not trying to dictate to the Congress what 1t shall do or not do regarding railroad rate regulation or any other problem of Legislation. He has not delivered to the Senate or to the House any sort of an ''ultimatum on subjects of legislation and has not held over the heads of Congress the threat of extraordinary session if he does mot obtain the legislation for which he Is hoping"
 This statement Is made by authority.
 Also that suggestions of a compro- mise oe any sort on rate regulation which do not embody the substance of the Presidents message oil the subject have not appealed to the President. It can be also said that he doubtless would refuse. to accept agcompromise which would affect any essential fea- ture3of the proposed legislation. what Is known as the Hepburn bill now un- der discussion by the House. ernbodtes substantially the Presidents views as set forth in his last message.
 Tn the early days of the present ses- sion, he thought theFmeasure proposed by the Interstate Commerce Commis- sion was. the most practical offered but to him that the Hepburn bill was the better.
 wiIl Report BiIi.
 Members of the Senate Committee, on Interstate Commerce have assured the rresident that either the Hepburn bill or measure resembling 1t In essen tial features will be reported to the Senate. The report of the Senate Com niittee will not be unanimous but 1t will represent the views Of majority of the members. The report will be supported, 1t is expected. by Senators Eullom, Deliver and Clapp and possi- dbly by other Repubrcans; and by the Democratic members of the committee.
 It can be stated that while the Pres ident desires that such rate regulation shall be established as he has reconl- nrended, he Is iirm in his attitude that the railroads as well as the shippers, shall be dealt with Justly. He Is coh- fideut that the legislation to be franlti substantially on the lines of the Hep burn measure will prove Eair alike to the railroads and to the people, He is. not trying to dictate matters of detail. and. of course, will preserve an open mind as to proposed amendments which do not affect the material and 5ubstan- tai features of the bill
 Senators Deliver and Clapp had an- other talk with the President today on the rate regulation question. following a meeting of the Senate committee aI which the subject was under consider ation. They called atsthe White Housr while the Cabinet was in ssssic1 blIt the President saw them alni 1st inlmr- dately and with one or two members of the Cabinet discussed the sEojec: with them.
 The President Is interested deep.y in both the Philippine tariff i'll and the Statehood measure Concessions as to either one of them have not, 1t is stated, , been given serious consideration.
 Joint Statehood BilI.
 At the White House 1t 's understood that an effort is to be made n the Sem ate first to eliminate Arizona and New Mexico from consideration as q joiht State. and if that should stil secondly to Incorporate in the Statehood bill provision for the reference of the ques- tton of Joint Statehood to the voters Of the two Territories.
 I sSnator Beveridge. of Indiana, chair man of the committee on territories, has assured the President that In his Judgment the measure as It stands ul- timately will be enacted into law. That would be as the Pref dent desires. but 1t is not unlikely that he would sISn the bill even if it were sent to hIm with the referendum provision includ- ed.
 A vigorous fight is being made on the Philippine blll Just now 1t Is not a question of there being merely a majority and minority on the measure, for the Senate particularly Is divided into several groups on the measrre, each one of which represents a diff ferent view.
 secretary Taft. who Is a staunch 1d- rocate of the bill, has let |; be un- derstood that no compromise involving an increase of the tariff rates Of Phii- ippine sugar and tobacco imports over the twenty-five per cent rd.e proposed in the pending measure will Le ex- pected if his views are to 5c obtained. He spurns the suggestion that, Tn cr- der to secure votes for the Hepburn rate regulation bill, the Adminis;ra. tion would be willing to permit 'Se Philippine sugar and tobacco imports 10 come into the United States at q lte of fifty per cent of the Dingley tariff rates. Secretary Taft would rather see the Philippine bill defeated on direct vote rather than be a party to ary such compr omise.