The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-23
DEMf gRATS
 HfZD THE KEY Botf Sides Need Votes of Minority. SENATOR'S HOLD CONFERENCE Amendment of the Hepburn Bill
 Yet in Doubt. TilIman, McLaurin and Foster Consider Various Schemes, But No Decision
 Is Reached--split On Re-
 view Feature.
SENATOR'S HOLD CONFERENCE

Washington. Feb. 22---what the mem- bers of the Senate committee on in- terstate commerce will do when they face a vote on the court review fea- ture of a railroad rate bill tomorrow is question that tonight is provoking unlimited speculation and wide vari- ance in predictions.
 The Democratic members of the com mittee hold the key to the situation but at a conference tonight they were unable to agree. When they adjourned to meet tomorrow morning they fav- ored sending the bill to the Senate floor without a report of any charac- ter. The conservative Republicans de- clared they would win with an amend ment and Senators Deliver and Clapp continue their stand against amend ments.
 The introduction today by Senator Knox of a railroad rate bill contain ing a feature for court review seemed to clarify the situation for time. The conservative faction of the com mittee, consisting of Senators Elkins, Aldrich, Foraker, Kean and Crane, was ready to accept this feature and they held a conference at which it was agreed to offer 1t as an amendment to the Hepburn bill. They counted on certain Democratic votes in the com mjttee to give them majority, but the hesitancy of these Democrats In committing themselves to the amend ment upset their plans.
 Conference of Democrats.
 The Democrats said they desired to consider the Knox plan we'll before ag- reeing to vote for 1t. As a result Senators Tillman. McLauren and Post CT conferred. They took into their con- ference the Knox plan, an amendment prepared by the conservative Republi- cans. and the plans proposed in various other rate bills with the intention of deciding among them. The conserva- tive Republicans said they did not care what amendment was selected but urged the Democrats to bring out some plan even though 1t develops new scheme
 In any events the Democrats will go into the committee tomorrow In ab- solute control of the situation. They can amend the Hepburn bill or they can report 1t to the Senate in the form passed by the House
 There will be eleven members of the committee present when the committee meets. Six members are a majority. There are five Republican members who will vote together for a court re- view amendment. One Democratic vote, therefore, is sufficient to amend the bill.
 Until the Democratic members de-
  Republicans claimed two Democratic votes. It is not likely that the Demo cratic position will be disclosed be- fore the meeting tomorrow.
 The minority members today said frankly that they were up in the air They. said they were inclined to favor a plan, suggested some time ago, or reporting the House bill to the Senate without any strings attached" By this expression they mean that re- port of the committee will have little bearing on the decision of the Senate and therefore all amendments might we'll be considered on the floor. Their theory was that the contest in the committee would have to be fought over again on the floor.
 The Other Amendments. If additional time Is demanded by the Democrats. the committee will to- morrow consider numerous pending amendments relating to provisions oth- CT than the court features. In that event, the committee will not attempt to formulate it's report until Saturday. If the conservative faction succeeds in amending the Hepburn bill by in- sorting the review feature of the Knox bill, several Republican senators will | endeavor to amend the amendment at- ter the bill reaches the floor. Their scheme, if successful, would limit the ! review to the question as to whether the commission. in making rate had exceeded it's authority, and whether the order was issued in violation of the constitutional rights of the com plainant, This restriction would be made by inserting half a dozen words l in the Knox amendment
 That portion of the amendment for i tho institution of proceedings would then provide that "any carrier, person ar corporation party to the proceedings affected by the decision of the commits sion, as to the rate or practice GOV cred by the complaint or by its order prescribing T different rate or prac- tice, and alleging either or both to be i beyond the authority of tho commits sion, or violation of Its or his con stitutional rights, may institute pro- ceedings to have such questions re ] viewed
 The supporters of this plan are among | the leading lawyers of the Senate in | the faction anta Sonistic to amending | the House bill. Ii Is said their efforts would leave the Knox amendment very i similar to the revision by Attorney i General Moody. which was disapproved i hy Senator Knox.