Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-02-06
m THE HOUSE.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

.,,c who could be removed at any time.
~, oue he would not accept the invi-
..,;on 10 turn over the vast business
:. This country to a, political commits
sion.
T.he new commission was to consist
~ xeven members, not more than four
- whom shall be of the same political
narty. The bin makes four a quorum.
This makes it possible for President
N remove three members and leave the
,,hole great power in the hands of three
men; majority of four. This quorum
could be OF political belief which hap
nened to predominant at any future
time. It would be then that this DAN
eerous power would rise up and curse
It's mixers.
3 Ln.Icfeld was warmly applauded.
Stevens, Mimi, said the "huge and
avfu." things which had been depict
cd would not result from the enforce
Ipent CT the legislation. He took issue
with Littlefields assertion that the
courts could only review a rate when
II was collflscatory. The bill. he said.
abridged no rights of railroads to get
10lc eIllci Oii tIts uucStiOil VI 49,
constitutional rights or on the ground
that the commission had exceeded its
delegated power to fix a reasonable
rate. -..,..
Grosvenor. Ohio, in speech first
criticised tfe claim that there was any
popular demand for the legislation.
There never had been such fake"
issue launched. The question Of re-
batcs constituted the only legitimate
complaint being made ''and yet" he
continued, "the gentlemen reporting
thts BILL have absolutely lodged every
question Of the slightest Importance to
the shipper CT THIS country
Grosvenpr said he should prop1s" an
amendment at the proper time 10 corr
rect what he regarded as the real evil.
an amendment to prevent railroad COM
panies or officers from owEing produc-
tive industries along their lines
Another fault, Grosvenor found with
the bill, was that it did not ;nclud, the
regula alton Of sleeping and dining cars.
The bill I'm operation would kill all
competition and the result would be
exactly the same as the effects Of the
old pooling bill-with uniform rates, he
said, the center OF the country would
not suffer, but that it would be the ex-
tre;nities OF border states Having ex-
pressed himself on the bill. GrosvenOr
was laughed az when he concluded by
saying land shall. aid in getting 1t out
OF this House as speedily as possible
An anti.pass amendment was advo-
Gated by Gaines. Tenn.
Dividson, Wis, advocated the bill
That the proposed rate Legislation is
particularly satisfactory to the popu-
lar mind in Wisconsin. was asserted by
Davidson of that state. As the result of
prolonged consideration he said the
most drastic of all state laws has just
been placed on the statute books there.
As to the terms of the bill, Davidson
asserted that i'm no sense could the leg
islation be considered a step towards
government ownership. neither would
il place the business of railroading in
the hands of the government i'm any
sense. Its purpose was simply to correct
abuses and provide against injnstices.
The authority granted to regulate pri-
vate car lines and terminal charges APP
pealed to Davidson as greater in inn
portance than the authority to name Il
reasonable rate i'm lieu of one declared
to be unreasonable.
The present system. he asserted
had brought bankruptcy to individuals
and stagnatiOn to communities. while
the favored few had prospcred eNces-
sively. Roads were operated now for the
sole purpose of making dividends rath-
er than to serve the people. The need
for law under which no favOrs could
be granted and where all shippers are
placed on an equal footing, he declared
was imperative.
At tho close 1T the days debate. tho
fortified tinns appropriation bill was re-
ported and ut 5.2s o'clock the House al
journed until tomorrow at II o'clock