Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-19
FOR CONFERENCE WORK
Next Chapter in Rate BiII's
Legislative History.
NO EXECUTIVE DISAPPROvAL
President Not Likely to Veto the
Measure.
IT Is MR.. RoosEvELT's BILL
Response of Congress to Public De-
mand for Some Kind of a Rail-
way Rate Act.
Is MR.. RooSEvELT's BILL

The next chapter In the legislative history
OF the railway rate bill. which passed the
Senate yesterday afternoon, will be written
by the committee OF conference Of the two
houses over the disagreeing votes of the
House and Senate. 1t probably will be the
final chapter, for though there have been
rumors of possible executive veto, the
best posted men in Congress say they can
not see how the President can consistently
veto the bill after II has been framed to his
expressed satisfaction.
There is said to be only one possible loop
hole for executive disapproval, and that is
the action Of the Senate Friday afternoon,
in striking out the words authorizing the
interstate commerce commission to use its
judgment. But as the preponderance OF
of that elimination. it is not readily appar-
ent how the President can side with the
minority and make that action an issue.
So Many Surprises.
Still, there have been so many surprises
in connection with the bill, some of them
emanating from the White House. that SEN
ators are almost of a mind to be prepared
for anything.
Now that the noise and shouting has died
out and the work of the houses can be
tiSWcu III COlu prluleTS INK, one IdCl STANDS
out pre-eminent, and that is that the bill is
conservative measure in its liability to
court review. It's time for the II told you
SO" man to come around and tell you that
he foretold this from the beginning. For
tunately for the prophets. there have been
so many sides to the situation from time to
time that any one who prophesied as the
thing changed can now turn to one or other
of his prophecies and pick 1t out as his
original position, SO he is bound to win.
The conservatives are on top. So is The
President; he beat them to 1t, and it's
Rooseyelt's bill. say what they please. The
politicians think the country is not likely
to split hairs over the result, but will re-
gard Il In the concrete as the response of
Congress to the public demand for some
kind of a railway rate regulating bill. If
1t is good enough for the President. they
pie.
For example. the politicians say the coun-
try will not bother over the question Of
whether the interstate commerce commits
sion was or was not sustained In its de-
mand for the retention Of the words ''in its
Judgment in the bill. The learned consti-
tutional arguments in the Senate over that
point. deemed vital by some constitutional
lists, will probably be passed over by the
people, who will say that anyhow they
have secured a law regulating railway
rates.
Broad Court Review to Be Sustained
It is accepted as a foregone conclusion
that the conference committee will stand by
the Senate's broad court review proposition.
It is assured that the amendment prohibit
ing railroads from owning coal mines will
stay in the bill, especially in view OF the
testimony adduced by the interstate COM
merce commission in its pending investiga-
tion in Philadelphia of the coal roads Some
of the statesmen at the Capitol predict an
early agreement of the conferees and the
speedy enactment of the bill into law.
It.is thought to be assured that a trial
case. to test the constitutionality OF the law.
will be brought Immediately after it's pas
sage. That will be the first step of the rail-
roads. II the law is upheld their recourse
thereafter would be to fight the specific rul-
ings of the commission in the courts
Senator Morgan gave notice In the Senate
yesterday that the governor of Alabama
would take the earliest opportunity to test
the bill in the courts. as it is regarded as
inimical in its possibilities to that section of
the country, and is also held to be an inva-
sion of the rights of the state.