The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1906-02-22
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT WILL
NOT SIGN AN uNsATlsFAc.
TORY RATE BILL.
SENATE COMMITTEE WARNED
WILL BE INFORMED OF THE IN.
TEMTIoNs OF THE NATIONS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE.

Washington, Feb. 22.-When the
senate committee on interstate COM
Aerce meets on Friday to vote ON a
rate bill the announcement will be
made atthorltatively that President
Roosevelt viii not attempt to prevent
amenanlent.p f the Hepburn bill; that
he will leave the committee free to
exercise its Hest Judgment and if pos
sase cc1f!sfohtse it's differences; that
If bill is reported which does not
meet bis approval and in that form is
passed bys,congress, he will content
himself with exercising his veto
power
This announcement will be made as
the resuloBf a conference during the
day between The most active persons
supporting The house bill without
amendment. It will be delivered to
the committee by a senator who has
sspporr6M an amendment providing for
a judicial review of an order OF the
Interstate commerce commission.
fire conference at the White House
is one Of many that have been held
there within week for discussion
Of the yailway rate question. 1t was
attended by Senators Dolliver and
Clapp, Speaker Cannon, Representa-
tive t;epburn and Attorney General
Moody They had under consideration
an amendment said to have been
drafted by Senator Knox and revised
by tbs attorney general.
The draft in its revised form, how
ever, IS said to be not satisfactory to
its author. It was offered in a spirit
Of compromise and the president and
attorney general wanted to know
whether It would be acceptable to the
members Of congress who are trying
to prevent the adoption Of any amend
ment that they believe would Interfere
with the operation of the measure.
Aim of the Anne nIment.
Briefly stated, the amendment aims
Ia. give Ia any complainant authority
to hle q petition in a circuit court as.
sertins that rate fixed by the COM
mission is in fact illegal, or that an
order OF the commission is in reality
unlawful and authorizes the court to
hear The suit to decide whether the
commission acted within it's authority
ana whether the constitutional rights
OF the plaintiff had been violated.
All those called into the conference
made a firm stand for the Hepburn bill
in its present form and said that none
Of the amendments suggested seems to
be an Improvement. They said that If
the bill should specify the conditions
under which complaints could be TAX
en- into court, the court might refuse
10 take cognizance Of matters not
specified in the bill They said they
would prefer to leave open every fea-
ture. on which an aggrieved person
might desire to go into court.
attorney General Moody, it is said,
contended that the Hepburn bin is
constitutional and there is no danger
ypf its being overturned by the United
States supreme court. He would not
pass upon the wisdom Of amending the
function outside Ct his official PROV
ince.
After Senators Dolliver and Clapp
returned to the capitol they told GER
tain colleagues that they would go in
to the commission on Friday and make
firm stand to have the bill reported
without amendments
When asked as 10 the attitude Of the
president they said they believed he
was satisfied with the bill as if stands,
but 1t was too much to say that he is
opposed to any amendments what
ever
Conservative members Of the com
mttee assert that they have the neces-
sary votes to amend the Hepburn bill
il they are left Tree 10 exercise their
indiyidua! judgment so that they will
not be pHt in the position Of influence
ing polio, ;. Under these conditions, it
is, said tlLat Senator'S Elkins, Foraker
Crane. kean, Aldrich, Carmack, os-
ter and McLaurin will vote for an
Amendment providing for judicial re-
view. Seven votes are majority Of
the committee.