The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-02-06
Senator Patterson Declares Sem
atoriaI Caucus Violated the
Constitution.
HOUSE DEBATES RATE BILL

Representative Discussing Measure
Providing For Supervision Of RailreAc
Freight Charges by Interstate Com
msrcs Commission = SuIzer Wants
Sale Of Custom House Probed.
Washington, Feb. 6.-The senate was
treated to a distinct sensation by Mr..
Patterson (Dcm., Colo), who followed
up his retirement of last Saturday
from the Democratic caucus by intro
ducing in the senate resolution in eff
feet declaring the action Of the caucus
to have been contrary to the constitu,
tion OF the United States.
The caucus declared it to be the duty
of the Democratic senators to vote
against the pending Santo Domingo
treaty.
1t is expected that the Democrats
generally viii resist the adoption Of the
resolution and that the Republican SEN
ators will sustain AIr. Patterson's con-
tentions. Aside from the personal in
terest in Mr.. Patterson's political for
tunes the resolution raises new ques-
tion as to the rights of senators gener-
ally.
Considerable fault was found with
the railroad rate bill in the house, con-
sidering the fact that it is the measure
OF both parties Mr. Littlefeld (Me.)
opened the day with whirlwind
speech, in which he pointed out the
drastic and far reaching effect Of the
provisions. The committee, he said,
had gone much farther than the presi-
dent had recommended and much far
ther than be was willing to 60. He will
not vote for the bill
0rosvsnor Attacks Bill.
Mr.. CFosvenor (O) ridiculed the al
legged popular demand for the legisla-
ton, picked Jaws In the construction Of
the bill, complained because no amend
ments were to be allowed and conclud-
ed with the statement that he should
10 bis best to get the bill out Of the
house at the earliest possible moment,
which was taken to mean that he
would vote for It.
Mr.. Stevens (Alinn.), Mr.. Weber (OD.
Mr. Davidson (Wis.) and others spoke
In advocacy Of the measure.
The attention Of Secretary Root and
OF members Of the senate committee
on foreign relations has been called
to a "joker' in the Santo Domingo
treaty, and it is reported that it Is caus-
ing them great worry. The 'joker'' 10
in article /, which provides for the re-
demptlon of Santo Domingo's debts,
foreign as well as domestic"
It was the original intention Of the
president that the money collected
from the Dominican customs should be
used In settlement OF the fo@eign claims
only. Under the heading of domestic
claims will come between $8.000,00O
and $9,OO00OO OF scrip Of ia deuda
deferida," the deferred debt. The scrip
for forty years has been Of practically
no value, not worth 5 cents on the dol
lar. because of the doubt whether It
ever would be redeemed. The scrip,
which has been bought up by specu-
lators, was mostly issued by reyolu-
tIonists
Wants Custom House Sale Probed.
Representative Sulzer introduced a
resolution calling on the attorney gen
eral for information as to when the
government executed the deed for the
custom house property in Wall street,
where the deed is and why it has never
been recorded in the county Of New
York and other facts in connection with
the sale Of the custom house property
TO the National City bank,
Mr.. Bartlett (Ga), minority mem
Der Of the committee on the rate bill,
made two hours speech, in which he
discussed the legal and constitutional
questions Involved and advocated the
passage Of the bill as q proper remedy
for an intolerable condition
In his opening address on the rate bill
Mr.. Townsend of Michigan elucidated
practically every phase Of the railroad
rate making problem and described in
detail the terms of the Hepburn bill.
In brief, the bill attempts, he said, to
place under the supervision of the inter
state commerce commission every form
OF interstate and foreign commerce and
all instrumentalities Of commerce and
transportation.
President Roosevelt promptly turned
the Gillespie resolution from the house
calling for the facts in the case Of the
alleged Pennsylvania combine over to
The Interstate commerce commission.
The commission reported that the
Pennsylvania does not own control
ling interest in any of the railroads
In question
nLL NAf..AI aaL