The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-02-24
DE-I|GH
IS. PRES.
TEDDY
Over the Favorable Report of
the Senate Com
mittee on
THE HEPBURN RATE BILL
It Is Thought That the Measure May
Pass the Senate Without
Amendment.

'SsO0SSsSAS 40 oebAo " NC III cACSllcuL
spirits over the favorable report of
the Hepburn railroad rate bill by the
senate committee on interstate COM
merce. "The president is delighted"
is the way Representative Hepburn,
author of the measure, put it. "The
president Is greatly pleased" said
Senator Dolliver, member of the SEN
ate committee, after his conference
with President Roosevelt. Several
members of the house and senate, who
are particularly interested in rate leg
islation, had talks with the president
today. Senators Dolliver and Clapp, of
the senate interstate commerce COM
mission, and the speaker and Repre-
sentative Hepburn discussed briefly
the situation with the president.
There Is no gloom around here"
remarked Senator Dolliver, as he was
leaving the executive offices. "The
president is greatly pleased and offe:s
no criticism at all. l believe the bill
will pass the senate, perhaps without
amendment. 1t will go through in
practically its present shape"
Especial to The Evening Times.l
Washington, D. c., Feb. 24.-"Stand
by Roosevelt on the railway rate ques-
ton" Is the request that is coming to
senators from their respective states.
II the great public mind could be con-
centrated or focused SO as to compre-
hend the real situation in Washington
on this rate question the senate would
be regarded In altogether a different
light from what it is. For some years
1t has been the popular thing to de-
nounce the senate, and yet the best
legislation that has been given to the
country has been in consequence of
the exercise of that care and thorough.
ness which is characteristic of the
senate. The senate is a conservative
body and invariably refuses to be
stampeded. 1t prefers to deal with
public sentiment, which is altogether
different from public clamor.
Senator Lodges recent speech ON
the railroad rate question, intended by
Mr.. Lodge no doubt to reflect the views
of the president, was an eye-opener
even to the numerous members of tho
house who had voted for the Hepburn
bill. What are known as the railroad
senators >wero pleased with Lodges
speech, and the common inquiry now
is. What is the view of the president?
1t is known that Mr.. Roosevelt himself
is in doubt about it, and many sena-
tors are waiting patiently for some
sort of declaration coming from the
White house that will put an end to
all cavil. This declaration, it is be-
lieved, will be made in due time by
Senator Knox in the form of m
amendment to the House bill. The
House bill does not provide for re-
view by the courts of the orders of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
Mr.. Knox, it is generally understood.
is so close to the president on the rail-
way rate question that whatever. he
offers on the subject will be accepted
as the thing that President Roosevelt
wants. Knox himself is sticker for
the judicial properties, and his amend
ment will no doubt provide for judi
cial review of the commissions orders,
AOAVAA6 tAC OluSI III lOTCe uuTlUS LuG
pendency of the case.
On the other hand there are many
senator's who have minds of their own
on the subject, and 1t is likely that II
the Knox amendment should provide
for judicial review and be accepted
as voicing White house opinion that i:
would not receive successful support.
Certainly the Democrats would not
feel like swallowing it, and thus SUBJ
ject themselves to the charge that they
had abandoned the strong ground
taken by their party and gone over to
modified Roosevelt view. And there
are several republican senator's who
realize that to amend the house bill
at all would make a farce of the whole
thing. There is another class of re.
publican senators who would not be
satisfied with the Knox review amend
ment. They want to clip the wings
of the commission close to the body.
With these two republican extremes
opposed to the Know amendment-one
because 1t does not go far enough and
the other because 1t goes too far, and
with the democrats refusing to sup
port It on the additional ground that
It is the final modified Roosevelt plan.
Senator Knox may ind himself with
- +.