The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-02-23
lie Puts IT UP
10 / 1! /! SENATE!

.tPREsipEtiTfs ATTlT uuE ON sAllL.
Road slLl -REs q on cor: n
EEREAcEs:
WASHINGTON, heb. 2a.-H7ne the
senate COMMITTEES q Interstate Com,
nerce meets to.dsy 70 vote % . ra!l.
road rate bEt the 6nnounc cement glll
be made authoritattyeIy that Presl.
Edent Roosevelt iRillaot attempt 70 rse
vent amendment q the Hepburn bill
aat he win leaye.the committee free
.Ito. exercise It's best utgment. and, u
| possible, compromlse It's diferencesi
/ that il 9 bill Is reported which does not
meet his approval and IN that FORMS
passed BY Congress he vim conttat
himself to exercise his veto power.
This announcement viii be made as
the result Of a conference yesterday
between the President and the most
active persons supporting the House
Ebnl without amendment, but will 10
delivered to the committee by a Sen.
ator who has supported an amend.
ment for judicial review Of an order
Of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion.
The conference at the White House
Is one Of many that have been held
there in the past week for discus.
sion of the railroad rate question. Il
was attended by Senators DolIivcr
and Clapp, Speaker Cannon, Represclt-
tatve Hepburn and Attorney General
Moody. They had under considera-
| ton an amendment said to have been
drafted by Senator Knox and revised
by the Attorney General. The draft
in its revised form, however, is sald
not to be satisfactory to its author.
1t was offered in spirit Of compr0.
mise, and the President and Attorney
General desired to know whether 1t
would be acceptable to the members
Of Congress who are making a fght
to prevent the adoption Of any amenl-
nsnt which they believe would INFER
fere with the operation of the meas,
ure they purpose to enact into law.
No Amendment Suits.
Briefly stated, the amendment ailas
to give to any complainant authority
to Gle a petition in circuit court as.
serting that rate fixed by the com.
mission was in fact illegal, or that
an order Of the commission was in
reality unlawful, aud authorizes tho
court to hear the suit to decide wAeth.
or the commission acted within its
authority, and whether the constIul.
ttonal rights Of tie plaintiff had been
violated.
AS they had previously announced
they would do, all those called into
the conference made a firm stand for
tho Hepburn bill in its present form,
and said that none Of the amendments
suggested seemed to be an improve.
ment, They said that II the bill IN.
dertook to specify the condition 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 every feature on which an ag.
grIeved person might desire to &c
into court. Attorney General Moody,
II is said. contenled that the Hep.
burn bill is constituted and that there
is no danger of ITS being overturned
by the United States Supreme Court.
He would not pass upon the wisdom
Of amending the bin, taking the posi-,
ton that that is a function outside
Of his official province.
Hepburn Bill Advocated.
After Senators Dolliver and Clap
returned to the Capitol they told Ger.
tain colleagues that they would go into
the committee on Friday ana make d
firm stand to have the bill reported
without amendment, When asked
concerning The altitude OF The Prcsl,
dent. they said that they believed h.
Is satisfied with the bill as IT stands
but that 1t is too much to say he Is
opposed to any amendments whateyur
The President was described by then
as ready to consider any amendments
thai might DO offered and willing to
listen TO any proposition up to the
time the bill Is placed on Its final pas.
sage. They said that II anything
should be brought forward, which, iii
Tie opinion Of friends Of the bill,
would hetteTy It and not obstruct its
operation, the President would give It
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