Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-09
LONG HAS HIS SAY
ON THE RATE BILL

Continued from Second Page)
addressed the members of the chamber OF
commerce and explained In detail my posi-
tIon on rate legislation. / informed them
what kind of bill favored and told them
of my objections to the Esch-Townsend bill
Shortly after, ] went to Washington ana
was in consultation with members OF Con-
greSS and senators upon Whom the reSpoh-
sibility was imposed of drafting railroad
rate bill. On December Il, 1905. l made
speech to the Knife and Fork Club at Kan
sas City. That was after the recommended
lions of President Roosevelt in his annual
message and / then stated that these rec
concentrations met with my approval.
had declined at Wichita to say in advance
that | would support the recommendations
of the President. whatever they might be.
taking the position that 1t was wise ana
proper for me to wait until the recommen-
datons were made before announcing my
position in regard TO them. / declined to
state in advance that would support any
thing that the President might recommend,
for the reason that ever since l have been
In public life l have claimed and exercised
the right to consider public questions Tor
myself, to come to my own conclusions and
then to take a position that l could defend.
1t was source of much qualification to me
that was able to support the recommenda-
tons In his last message, and L was in fuli
accord with those who were preparing bill
to carry those recommendations into effect.
When the EsCh-Townsend bill was aban-
doned and a bill was drawn on entirely diff
ferent lines. / was In favor of the change.
The ESch-Townsend bill would, In my judg
ment. have proved ineffective. and would
have been a great disappointment to those
who favored additional rate legislation.
Senators Divided.
There were three distinct groups of SEN
ators who were divided on this legislation.
There was a group from the east opposed
to any additional rate legislation. and in
this group were senators who favored the
bill introduced by Senator Foraker. which
imposed the function of regulating rates
upon the courts. There was second group
of senators opposed to the Hepburn bill,
although its members finally voted for it.
They wished to amend it in way that
would have absolutely prevented its passage
by the Senate. They wanted more radical
and extreme legislation. Senator La Fol-
lette was one OF these senators.
Hepburn Bill Favored.
There was a third group of senators who
sincerely favored the Hepburn bill. They
believed that 1t was a long step in advance
and that ii would prove effective legislation.
] was proud to belong to this group. Upon
those senators rested the responsibility of
shaping this legislation and without them
the bill would have gone down to defeat
This group included Senators Allison, Dol
liver. Cullom. Hopkins. Nelson. Clapp. War
Ter Burkett Beveridge, Hemenway. Full
ton. Perkins and others. With these sena-
tors President Roosevelt was in daily con-
sultation. At different times during the
progress of the debate emergencies arose
which required wise and cautious procedure
We knew that we were opposed by two dis
tiuCt and entirely different forces in the
Scnate-those who were opposed to any
railroad rate legislation because they be-
lieved we had enough. and those who
wished to see this bill fail in order to con-
time the agitation for the furtherance OF
their own personal ambition. The position
of Senator La Toilette was clearly shown
by the extracts from his speeches, to which
I have just referred but his position Is also
so aptly described in the letter of the Pres
ident which referred to Mr.. Davidson's OBJ
Jectons to the Dolliver bill, that 1 will now
read it. 1t is as follows:
1.-THE WHITE HOUSE.
"'WASHINGTON, January 81. 1906.
"'My Dear Senator:
81 entirely agree with your position on the
rate bill. Commissioner Prouty was in yes
terday He says that the Hepburn-Dolliver
bill represents an advance so extraordinary
that he had never dared to suppose II
would be possible to pass it. and that he is
strongly against any effort to amend II by
increa sing the powers along the very hnes
indicated by the gentleman you quote
81 wish also to state my cordial agreement
with your position in declining to say that
you would be in favor of what l recon-
mended until you know what L did recon-
mend. My position now is exactly yours
II the extremists should have their way
they would completely block all chance Tor
rate legislation at all. 1t is useless to ex-
pect that any legislation will satisfy those
who desire the impossible. But The Hep
burn DoAiver bill will mark real and SUBJ
stantal advance in dealing with the ques-
ton by doing away with abuses and bene-
fitting the people whole. 1t IS, In my
Judgment, as far as We could with WISDOM
go at this time and those VINO are opposing
I'm i
can to prevent any substantial relief being
afforded. Sincerely yours.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Hon. Chester /. Long,
United States Senate.
Extremists in Kansas.
We had extremists in the Senate as
well as in Kansas, and Senator LaFol-
lette was one of them. The Senate made
fifty-one amendments to the Hepburn bill.
all of which only perfected the measure
and made it more acceptable to its friends.
Thirty-four of these amendments were &C
cepted by the House of Representatives
without any change Eleven of them were
slightly modified. These forty-five amend
ments were finally Incorporated into the
law; only six were abandoned, and these
were unimportant or Objectionable sup
ported all these forty-five amendments.
They did not change the nature or scope of
the bill, but only made its provisions more
definite and certain. The controversy in
the Senate was principally over the court
review provision. and l presented an
amendment to this part of the bill which
occasioned much discussion. l did not con-
slider that the amendment was vital. but
that 1t only made palmer what was al
ready in the bill it passed the House.
Ii provided that the United States circuit
court should have Jurisdiction to hear and
determine whether the commission had ex-
ceeded its authority or violated any rights
of the carrier secured by the constitution.
My amendment finally superseded by
the Allison amendments. The Allison
amendments were agreed 10 by all the re-
publlcans OF the Senate and President
Roosevelt. or course, this agreement did
not include or bind Senator LaFolette.
After the agreement was made, the Allison
amendments were offered In the Senate.
The principal amendment comforting juris-
diction on the courts to hear and determine
suits against the commission was being
considered. Senator Bacon offered an
amendment to 1t providing that the juris-
diction of the courts should not extend to
orders involving the exercise of discretion
by the commission. As all orders of the
commission require the exercise of dis
nd ft,.o tl,;.