The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-24
At Last Committee Brings Rate Legislation to Attention
 of Upper House
ATTITUDE OF PRESIDENT
 WATCHED WITH INTEREST
It Is Expected That Debate On the Subject Will Be Most Exhaustive Ever Given a Measure In
 the Senate.

| Washington February 23.-(Special)-A
 railroad rate bill came out of the Senate | interstate and foreign commerce commit ! tee today and it was the Hepburn bill.
 The report is a dodge and throws upon
 the entire Senate the question of railroad
 rate legislation. This resolution was not
 unexpected. It has been apparent for
 some time that the subject was of such
 importance that the Senate as a body
 would consider 1t. The important fea-
 ture of the report is that d democrat,
 Senator Tillman. will report the bill to
 the Senate. This is considered a slap at
 the President by the republican members
 under the leadership of Senator Aldrch. Aldrich Sees Advantage.
 The regular order would have been for
 @ report to be made by Senator Deliver, 1 the ranking republican in favor of the Hepburn bill Senator Aldrch however.
 quick to see the advantage which would
 accrue to the republicans against railroad
 legislation moved that Tillman make the report instead of Deliver The motion
 was adopted by the committee. The re-
 suit is that the President and the admin
 istration are technically represented on
 the floor of the Senate, by democrat.
 The democrats themselY As claim ths this
 is the proper course to persue The agita-
 tion for railroad legislation was original | ly begun by the democrats and the Presi-
 dent afterwards stepped in and appro-
 prated ther thunder As a democratic
 memper of the committee said after the
 adjournment today:
 | "The democratic party has been in favor
 of such legislation for years and it Is be- l coming that a democrat of the Senate
 should officially be the leader in the fight. | We are glad to have the President with
 us and welcome to our side the republic
 can members of the Senate"
 Foraker Scheduled for a Speech.
 Senator Foraker is billed to make q speech in the Senate next Wednesday on | the subject of railroad legislation but 1t
 will probably be some days before ths
 subject is finally settled by the upper
 branch of Congress. In the mean time.
 the anti-railroad legislation senators will | spend their time In the effort to secure | majority for a review amendment and | they confident in the belief that when
 q bill passes the Senate it will contain l such an amendment.
 The action of the committee today real
 ly makes little change in the situation.
 The Senate instead of the committee is
 to thresh out the whole subject and there will be speeches from nearly every law | yer in the body. In the meantime the | President will be appealed to to support | either this amendment or that and the | White House officers will daily have for
 their visitors members of the Senate. | The developments of the past forty
 eight hours have placed the White House ] in a very bad light, according to the gossip among the republican senators. | The President is declared to have held | at least three different positions on the | subject during that time. Senator Knox | of Pennsylvania Is declared to be the most disgruntled republican among those | who have been trying to solve the rail- | road problem. He is alleged to have | been asked by the President to draw up | as amendment which would receive ad- | ministration support. Much to the sur | prise of Knox, the President Is said to have referred 1t to Attorney General | Moody for revision. Knox accordingly | went ahead and offered his amendment | in the Senate with the result that 1t can | only pass as his own views on the sub | ject. Deliver and clapp are also up in l the air as they understood that the Pres- | ldent would stand with them for the | Hepburn bill without amendment
 Presidents Attitude Uncertain. The indecisive action of the committee l today makes Messrs. Deliver and Clapp | feel a little more comfortably but they are very far from sure that they can 1 depend upon White House support for | the Hepburn bill On which side the | President will. next line up no one seems | to know It Is considered pretty certain. hOWaVpr " hands | In view of the action of the republican senators in placing Into the hands of the | democrats the guidance of railroad legis- | laton. Senator Tillman and the Presi- | dent are not on speaking terms, as the | South Carolina Senator was once Invited | to d White House dinner and the next | day the invitation was recalled owing to his fight with former Senator McLaurin | of South Carolina, the floor of the | Senate. MT. 1fllman has not been at | the White House since and on several | occasions has severely criticised the Pres | ident. Should the President finally con | cude to stand for the Hepburn bill with | out amendment he will probably carry | on his negotiations through Senator Gull | lom If he is able to return to Wash | ington from Florida, where his Ill health now detans him.
 owing to the fact that he has been ab- sent ever since attempts at reaching an agreement have been under way, Senator | Cullom is the only republican senator on the committee who Is not at dagger's points with the President.
 Tillman Given the Honor. Washington. February 23.-(By Asso- ciated Press. .)-By a vote of to 5. the Senate committee on interstate commerce today agreed to report the Hepburn rail- road rate bill without amendment, but