Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-01-30
RATE BILL WILL PASS.
J(Continued from page l.,

that meets the full appreciation of the
President and satisfies all who stand
with him on the rate Question.
New In Legislative Experiences.
Speaker Cannon asserted after the
agreement had been reached that he
had never before known of parallel
case. Unanimous reports upon pen.
sion bills or measures of a private
character involving no controversy are
not uncommon, but Mr.. Cannon says
he never before heard Of case In
which, upon great question In which
the entire country Is interested, in.
volving such opportunities for honest
differences of opinion, every member
of a committee could fully agree. The
speaker declared that the perform.
ance proved Colonel Hepburn to be a
wizard in the gentle art of harmonic.
ing The President was not less com
plimentary in expressing his personal
THANKS to Colonel Hepburn.
Bill Is Satisfactory.
During the four or Ave days of de-
bate upon the rate question 1t can
scarcely be hoped or expected that
amendments will not be proposed, es-
pecially in view of the fact that the
door will stand wide open and amend
ments may be offered at WILL in the
absence Of any rule to the contrary.
It Is the ardent hope of the friends Of
rate legislation, from the President
down the list, that amendments may
not be proposed. Every section, SEN
tence and word of the bill has been
analysed, dissected and subjected to
every known test in the effort to dis
cover blow-holes or weak places in
the bill This was done with the Dol
liver bill introduced prior to the Hep
burn bill, identical with it in every es-
sential and with differences Of
phraseology only. Both bills provide
for precisely the same thing in the
same way and under exactly similar
conditions. The, house committee
thought that here and there the
change of word or phrase, that in
no manner affected the doing of the
thing sought for, would make the
meaning trifle : more clear and
this was done. The democrats de-
sired transportation of the sentence
providing for the fixing of rates, and
this was agreed to by the republicans
because 1t did not in any particular
AFFECT the vital point involved Insthe
senate committee the majority of the
members may substitute other words
with view to making more emphatic
or clear some other point in the bill,
without impairment of the essential
features.
AS Colonel Hepburn put 1t, the more
people having trained minds who study
such a proposition, making sugges-
tons, che nearer will perfection be
reached.
Amendments Are Expected.
While 1t Is not improbable that DUR
ing the debate some jealous con-
gresham, who, perhaps, needs a little
advertising in his district, will intro
duce amendments Of radical nature,
all such Amendments will certainly
fail and the bill will pass by vote
that It is believed will equal the rec
ordsvcte when the house passed the.
bill placing $50,000,000 in the hands OF
President Mckinley to begin the war
with Spain. That vote was unanimous
and it is believed the ballot next week
will show every vote In the aff1rma-'
tive
The Senate Situation.
The difficulties in the way of the
Dolliver bill or the Hepburn bill in the
senate are vastly greater than those
confronting 1t in the house. In the
house it was merely a question of
reaching the same goal by different
routes. In the senate all members are
not aiming at the same goal; there
are three or four goals and dozen diff
ferent routes.
Bills Are Plentiful.
Senators Foraker, Aldrich and Kean.
favor the Foraker bill
sion to fix rates. Senator Elkins has
a bill Of his own which is mixture of
a little of everything. Senators Dol
liver, Cullom, Clapp and Crane, consti.
tuting the balance of the committee,
are united on the Dolliver bill. Among
the democrats Senator Newlands and
Tillman each have bill and Senator
Culbertson, democrat, has bill. 1t Is
believed that the democrats will ulti-
mately join with those favoring the
Dolliver bill, although doubtless some
changes In the phraseology will be
made to meet their views without i'm
pairment Of the strength Of the bill.
With the aid of three democratic votes
The four senators who are for the Dol
liver bill will be able to make ma
|ority vote and control the situation
It seems probable. however, that all
he democrats or at least four, will
DIN the four republicans.
OF course a unanimous report from
he senate committee is unthought of,
Ind Is out of question. Senator Elkins
nay, at the last ditch, join in with the
our republicans for the Dolliver bill,
,ut Senators Foraker, Aldrich and
kean will not agree to 1t.
VIII Pass In Senate.
However, the moral effect of the
passage Of the Hepburn bill by unan-
nous committee report and unani-
nous vote in the house, will be SO
great and the pressure upon the SEN
tie and those opposing the administra-
ion bill will be SO terrific and per-
;istent that the impression prevails
that the few senators who