The San Francisco call., 1906-04-01
President Roosevelt and
Other Friends of the
Measure Agree to Accept
Court Review Feature
CONFERENCE HELD
IN WHITE HOUSE
Chief Executive Himself
Submits the Paragraph to
Be Inserted as a Provision
of the Proposed Law

WASHINGTON, March 31.-Frfends O.
the House railroad rate bill, In confer.
ence with President Roosevelt at tn,
White House today, agreed upon m
amendment providing especially fol-
judicial review of orders of the Inter.
state Commerce Commission. Thi,
amendment will be presented ON Mon.
day by Senator Long.
Senators Allison, Cullom, Dolliver
Clapp and Long, Attorney General Moody
and Interstate Commissioners Knapp ano
Prouty were called to the White House
late this afternoon. Soon after they as
sembled the President submitted the court
review amendment that was afterwarc
indorsed by all present. A number OF
the conferees previously had seen the
draft, but its authorship was not dis.
closed. The President announced that
he had called the meeting because he
desired to ascertain the present state OF
feeling in Congress regarding judicial
review feature in the legislation. 1t was
made clear that he had not changed his
views regarding the pending bill and
similar positions were taken by the 9TH
ers. The President believed, however
that in Difference to the large number OF
Senators who honestly believed that the
bill without such feature would be un-
constitutional, the bill should be amend
ed If 1t could be done without a surrender
of the purposes of the legislation.
This could be done. he believed, by ar
amendment which he then read. 1t pro-
posed to strike out the paragraph at the
bottom of page Il and insert as a part
of section 16 the following:
"That all orders of the commission
except orders for fhe payment of money
shall take effect within such reasonable
H.. - ~.
mission and shall continue for such
period of time, not exceeding two years
ms shall be prescribed in the order OF
the commission, unless sooner set aside
by the commission or suspended or SET
aside I'm suit brought against the com
mission in the Circuit Court of the
United States, sitting ms court OF
equity for the district wherein any car
rier, pIaintiff In such suit, has it's prin-
cipa1 operating cffice, End Jurisdiction Ia
hereby conferred ON the Circuit Cour,
of the United States to hear and deter
mine In any such suit whether the order
complained of was beyond the authority
of the commission or I'm violation of the
rights of the carrier secured by the con-
stitutiOn."
The discussion continued an hour. The
proposed amendment was apalyzed to as
certain whether under its terms an order
of the commission lowering a. rate could
be delayed in taking effect.
When the President asked whether al
amendment of that character would be
adopted by the Senate the Senators pres
ent said they thought they could promise
twenty-nine Republican votes for it and
that there was little doubt that prac.
tically the entire minority would sup
port 1t.
1t was agreed that the amendment
should be offered as soon as possible
Senator Lodge had given notice that he
would address the Senate on Monday and
therefore he was chosen to offer the
amendment and speak upon it. He will
say that the amendment meets the de
mands of those who have opposed the
pending bill on the ground that withou
q provision for judicial review the meas
ure is unconstitutional and that 1t is sat
isfactory to the real friends Of the bill
Others who participated in the con
ference have pledged themselves to sup
port the amendment. They believe thai
If 1t is shown that there is a majority
of the Senate in favor of the measure
as it is proposed to amend it the bill will
be adopted practically by full vote o.
the Senate.