Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-06
DODGING Is CHARGED
AUTHORS OE THE RAILWAY
RATE BILL CRITICISED.
Gen. Grosvenor Declares Every Cues
ton Affecting the Shipper Has
Been Ignored by Committee.

/ Frankly announcing that no one would be
| surprised II he should say something on
| two or more sides of the question, Mr.
| Grosvenor (Ohio) took the floor in the
House of Representatives yesterday after
noon to speak on the railway rate BILL He
| first criticised the claim that there was any
popular demand for the legislation. What
| there was had been manufactured out of
whole cloth in Congress. There never had
| been such fake" issue launched The
question of rebates constituted the only
legitimate complaint being made, land yet"
he continued, the gentlemen reporting this
bill have absolutely lodged every question
| of the slightest importance to the shipper
| of this country" What they had reported
| he said, not one of them could tell, exactly
| Every one thought 1t meant a different
| thing, and the whole thing was to be left
| to the construction of the courts and
I yet it was born at the dawning of a politi-
| cal millennium in this House. All the angels
| sang together on the day this bill was re-
ported and sang the same tune" laugh
| ter)
While no two of the eighteen members
| of the committee held the terms of the
| Dill to mean the same thing, they had he
| said, entered into an agreement to resist
| all amendments. Nevertheless, Mr. Gros-
venor said. he should propose an amend
| ment at the proper time to correct what he
| regarded as the real evil. His amendment
would prevent railroad companies or Of
flcers from owning productive interests
| along their lines.
Another fault Mr.. Grosvenor found with
| the bill was that it did not include the regu-
| lation of sleeping and dining cars. you
| nave been very careful to describe private
| cars for freight, but have been very cute in
| leaving out palace sleeping cars"
He had been informed that it was IN
| tended to regulate sleeping cars and why
not put them in the bill plainly.
The bill in operatio nwould kill all COM
petition and the result would be exactly
| the same as the effects of the old pooling
blll-with uniform rates, he said, the center
OF the country would not suffer, but that II
would be the extremities or border states
Having expressed himself on the bill, Mr.
Grosvenor was laughed at when he closed
by saying: And 1 shall aid in getting it
out of this House as speedily as possible"
Calls It Democratic Doctrine.
Mr.. Lamar F'lorida) announced he should
support the bill cheerfully. William J.
Bryan and William H. Hearst were back
of the bill, and 1t had been wrung from
the majority. He regretted the democratic
party had not at the last session put it
up to the republican party to vote against
a bill strong as the present measure If
| 1t had been done the burial of Judge Parker
under two and a. half million votes would
not be circumstance to the burial of the
republicans. at the next election. 1T is
wrung from you by your fears" he said
The bill ought to have three amendments,
in the opinion of Mr.. Lamar. 1t should in
ciude control of freight classification, the
commission should pass on the reasonable
ness of a rate before it was put into effect
by the railroads and the roads should be
compelled to furnish adequate facilities to
meet the demand of shippers. At the
proper time he SHOULD offer these amend
ments.
Mr.. Underwood (Alabama) contended that
the time would come when competition
would no longer regulate railroad rates.
There were three methods of government
control-absolute ownership, absolute con-
troll by a commission. or partial control by
commission, as proposed by the bill, which
he favored.
An anti-pass amendment was advocated
by Mr.. Gaines Crennessee). He never rides
on a pass himself and would provide
penalty of 81 GEO against persons accepting
passes. Passes, he said, made passenger
rates higher for the masses and were
species of corruption.
Mr.. Hardwick Georgia. justified the
legislation meeting the demand of ship
pers and then reviewed its history TO show
it was essentially democratic in inception.
Mr.. Davidson's Remarks.
That the proposed rate legislation is par
in Wisconsin was asserted by Mr.. David
son of that state. AS the result of pro-
longed 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, Mr.. Davidson
asserted that in no sense could the legisla-
tion be considered step toward govern
ment ownership, neither would it place the
business of railroading in the hands of the
government in any sense. Its purpose was
G linn lN n q M a
against 9injustices. The authority granted
to regulate private car lines and terminal
charges appealed to Mr.. Davidson as great
er in Importance than the authority to
name reasonable rate in lieu of one de-
clared to be unreasonable.
The present system, he asserted, had
brought bankruptcy to individuals and
stagnation to communities, while the ia
vored few had prospered excessively
Roads were operated now for the sole pur-
pose of making dividends rather than to
serve the people. The need for a law I'M
der which no favors could be granted and
where all shippers are placed on an equal
footing, he declared, was imperative.
Advocating the Bill.
Short addresses in advocacy of the bill
were made by Mr.. Rhodes QiissourD and
Mr.. Pou North Cardinal.
Mr.. Weber (Ohio) also advocated the BILL
Mr.. Weber concurred with Mr.. Grosvenor
that sleeping cars, and, at the suggestion
of Mr.. Mahon (Pennsylvania). express COM
panies. should be controlled the same as
other facilities of transportation
At the close of the days debate the forti-
fcations appropriation bill was reported
and at 5:25 o'clock the House adjourned
until today at IL o'clock.
Mrs. Lilburn G. McNair, prominent in
society, and champion woman golf PLAYER
of St. Louis, shot and killed herself an her
home, 1929 Berlin avenue, In that city YES