The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-05-24
PASSAGE o. THE RATE BILL.

II
Senate. near the close OF its session last
Saturday. passed the Rate bill by the
surprising vote Of II to three.
The three adverse votes were cast by
Senator Foraker (Ohio), Republican
and Senators Morgan and Pettus Gala
| bama), Democrats.
The bill was sent from the House Feb.
8, and reported out of the Committee
| on Interstate Commerce. Feb. 26. Since
that time the bill has been under almost
continuous discussion, the Senate having
| taken up little time in considering any
thing but the necessary routine bust
| ness. The final fight was over the reten-
ton of the three words "in it's judg-
ment' in the Allison amendment. In
at between the President and Senator
Aldrich these three words were to be
retained, and Senator Aldrich's party
generally voted for their retention as a
matter of good faith, though they de-
sired them eliminated.
Arguments for striking out the words
were made by Senator's Spooner, Bacon,
and others, who contended in the
strongest way that the retention of the
words would be almost sure to invali-
date the law, as the Supreme Court
would hold the entire bill unconstitu-
tional if the Interstate Commerce Com
mission was vested with the discretion
that the words conveyed, and 1t was
N Ia q hot oil
garded as among the best lawyers of
the Senate supported their exclusion.
The vote 10y which they were stricken
out was:
feas-Alger, Alice, Ankeny. Bacon.
Bailey. Berry. Blackburn. Branuegee.
Bulkeley. Burnham. Carmack, Carter.
Clark (Mont). Clark tWyo), Clay, Gull
bers"n. Dick. Dillingham;. Dryden, Flint
Foraker. Foster, Frazier. Gallinger
Hale Hansbrough. Kean. Knox, Lodge
Mccreary. McCumber, McEnery. NAL
Tory. Martin, Willard, Morgan. Nixon.
Overnan. Penrose, Pettus Platt Ray
ner, Scott, Simmons, Spooner. Stone,
Taliaferro, Teller, Tillman, Wetmore-
so.
Nays-AIlison. Beveridge Burkett.
Clapp. Clarke (ArkD, Crane, Cullom.
Daniel. Doliiver, Eikins, Frye, Fulton,
Gearin. Hemenway. Hopkins. La Fol-
lette. Iatimer, Long. McLaurin, Nelson,
Newlands, Perkins, Piles, Warner-24.
Senator Foraker said in explanation
of his vote that there were some sec
tons which he should like to see enact
ed i'm the law and if he could vote sep
arately upon them he would be relieved
of great perplexity. He, however, was
unalterably of the opinion that Con-
gress had no right to enter upon the
rate-making power, and he could not
secure his own assent to vote for the
measure as a whole. He expected, how
ever, that the bill would pass without
any vote against it except his own.
Senator Morgan said that the advo-
Gates of the bill had furnished sufficient
reasons why he should not vote for it,
and that he believed 1t contained provi-
State of Alabama. 1t was not improb-
able that the Governor Of Alabama
would Immediately take steps to test it's
validity I'm the Supreme Court.
Senator Morgan had done his full duty
in Offering amendments. which had been
voted down. and now there was nothing
left for him but to join Senator Foraker
in voting against the bill
Senator Bailey spoke with his usual
good sense as to the matter. saying that
it was vast improvement over the ex-
listing law, and that IF not perfect il
can be amended, and If the carriers do
not respect and obey this milder law,
Congress will pass a law with teeth In
it-with teeth Of metal that will hurt"
He thought some mistakes had been
made in voting down amendments. "but
even with these deficiencies the bill de-
served to receive not only the votes of
Congress. but In some degree the ap-
prevail of the people. II the carriers
evade 1t. on them win fall the coIlsc-
quences," he said.
eff the law proves insufficient. our
successors will remedy our mistakes"
he said. '"They can and will only COM
plete their work when they write out
the maximum rate and write in the
absolute rate. 1t is for the shippers to
decide whether there shall be q drastic
law"
Senator Tillman said that he would
vote for the bill as tine best that he
could get, and that he had no hesita-
ton in according to the President full
credit for the good work he had done
in securing the passage of the meas
ure. He said:
But for the work of Theodore
Roosevelt in bringing this matter to
the attention of the country, we would
not have had any bill at all. 1t is true
| that the idea was not his, and that the
demand for the legislation was made
in three Democratic platforms; never
! theless, he seized upon the idea, and
the success of the issue is largely due
to his advocacy. I can't congratulate
him on his victory. for 1 think we
should have had better bill"
The Allison amendment struck out
the words fairly remunerative" and
substituted lust and reasonable" No
order can be suspended by the courts,
except on hearing after not less than
| five days notice to the Commission. An
/ appeal from an interlocutory order or
decree granting or continuing an in