The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1906-07-06

"Snh LL9uEos
Washington. - Congress completed
Friday the execution of its legislative
programme and adjourned Saturday.
On the eve of adjournment the diff
ference between the house and senate
on the important bills pending were
adjusted. AS a result Of the action
taken the following measures were laid
before the president for his approval:
The railroad rate act.
The agricultural appropriation bill,
including the meat inspection amend
ment.
The pure food act.
The president signed the railroad
rate bill at HAS Friday night. 1t goes
into effect in 60 days.
New Epoch in Legislation.
Had rothing else been done this con-
gress these measures would stand out
as monuments to the present national
administration, In emphatic manner
they mark the beginning of a new
epoch in federal legislation-govern-
mental regulation on corporations and
the Invocation of the police power, so
10 speak, to stay the hand of private
greed and protect the pocketbook and
the health and general welfare of the
masses.
In the end the house has had It's
way mostly regarding the railroad rate
bill. Oil pipe lines remain in the meas
ure as common carriers, but the COM
modify provision of the bill has been
fixed SO as to make the prohibition of
an alliance between transportation
and production apply only to railroad
companies" The railroads cannot own
coal mines or transport their own
products, but Standard Oil and the in
dependent oil companies can pipe their
w product. The senate yielded on
this point because the house refused
to give in by an overwhelming vote,
and otherwise the whole bill would
have died.
Senator Tillman contented him If
with a severe roast" of the Standard
Oil influence, and then as the one in
charge of the measure voted to accept
She conference report. The senate
gained a part Of It's contention in a
REIMBURSEMENT of the anti-pass feature
of the bill which prohibits free trans
DOrtation to every one save certain
excepted classes, including railroad
employees and their families, and the
officials, attorneys. surgeons, etc., of
the companies.
House Victory in Meat Bill.
The meat legislation was a complete
victory for the house, The senate
agreed to the conference report and
Che house formally ratified it. There
were two points in controversy-the
payment for inspection service and the
question of putting dates on the labels
of cans and packages Of meat prod
uCts. The government will pay the
cost Of inspection, instead of the pack
Grs, and labels. will not ~eauire the
date or inspection or canning of the
contents.
In announcing the failure of the SEN
ate conferees to win on these disputed
points, Senator Proctor said the bill
accomplished a great deal, inasmuch
as it provides for thorough inspection
of all meat products and the sanitary
regulation Of packing plants, and that
the c0nferees felt they could not lose
everything by holding out for distinc-
tive features which the public would
not accept. He paid his compliments
20 the packers in strong terms and
charged them with having engineered
the scheme that created sentiment in
favor OF making the government pay
the cost of inspection. Other senators
entered their protest against the con-
troyerted provisions of the measure,
but finally the conference report was
adopted.
In the house, acceptance of the re-
port was a pure Formally, One i'm
portant new feature of the measure
as it passed both houses is an added
appropriation of 5000, 900 to the 49,
600, 900 for inspection provided In the
house amendment. This was brought
about by combining the amount orig
fnally appropriated to the bureau OF
animal industry for inspection under
the old system with the new perma-
nent appropriation.
Pure Food Bill Criticised.
The conference report on the pure
food bill was adopted by both houses
without any change. In the opinion
of Dr.. Wiley and other officials of the
agricultural department, it is a good
as far as it goes, but Mr..
Mann, Of Chicago, who had charge of
the conference report, says that it was
not as good as had been hoped for.
1t is weak in that it does not provide
a standard by which drugs, foods and
drinks can be measured to determine
whether they comply with the law.
That important question is referred to
the courts, which under the bill as 1t
will become law must add to their