The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-17
President Dominates, and People
Look to Him to Secure
Law.
Senate's Insecure Position Made
More So by Growing IN
popularity.
BY w. w, Jermane.

scenes of the struggle over railroad
legislation remain to be enacted. Sen
ator Knox, who is not member of the
interstate commerce committee, re-
tie difference what this senate commit
tee did, since the bill itself would be
made in the open senate. This is likely
to be true so far as the senate goes.
but this is not the final stage of legis-
lation.
What becomes of the house with it's
nearly unanimous vote for a different
sort of a measured Ordinarily, in such
a situation, the conference committee
would make the bill. The six men
who serve in that capacity on this rail
road measure will have an interesting
task before them; there will be three
parties in interest, the senate, the he
their business to perfect in final de-,
tails measure that will receive the
approval Of Mr.. Roosevelt.
Houses possessed of overwhelming
republican maiorities cannot afford to
invite veto from republican 2resi-
dent; the republican party. never does
things that way. Thus, altho he has
he will prove a large factor in its
work.
The Conference.
In legislation of partizan character,
the wrangling in behalf of the two
houses is done by the two conferees
from each body who represent the ma
iority party. The three house members
viii be supposed to stand for the house
idea, embodied in the Hepburn bill;
the three senate m, mbers, standing fot
the senate idea, embodied in the pro-
visions for court review and such other
means as the senate may take to render
the measure inofensive to railroad oper-
ators and freed from all danger to rail-
road investors.
If the house members really meant
business on the Hepburn bill which they
have passed, they could make short
work Of any conservative PLAN that
the senate might develop. They do not
have to agree to anything unless they
want to do so. What would be ahe
penalty of refusing to agrees The
hf Sae Of be the gfoaa do hS ?T1 s
is not an item in a general appropria:
ton bill upon which an agreement
"must be reached.'
Breaking Deadlock.
II the house positively refused to &C
cept any senate plan, and the senate
was equally stubborn, how could tn
refuse to adjourn until there was legis
lation. The president could announc
his purpose to call congress in extr;
session Immediately after adjournment
in case this was done.
The material for a first-class quarre
would be On hand, and one, it may b
asserted, in which it would not be tn
President IS house that was involved
He does not want another term.
One-third of the senators come up TO
reelection next winter, as a result o
the legislative elections held in Noven
Der, and there. is heavy popular It'd
in the air against st the - man1pulatlons? o
are breaking out with literature whicl
in such a struggle. would iniure tn
senate with the voting millions.
g.. The house would be safer, if an,
thing, to go to the polls in Novembe
after a vigorous defiance Of the senat
than after a complacent surrender
an unsatisfactory legislation. But VIII:
is the standard of satisfactory legisl
ton? Where is the thermometer t
which the public will measure the pro
er temperatures
One Dominating Figure.
Obviously, the views of one man-ol
dominating figure in the scene. TIL
is Theodore Roosevelt. The house W
not resist the senate ON any bill. wifi
the president signifies his willingne
to accept The house cannot afford n
! to resist any bill which this one mi
purposes to fight. 49,
The voting millions Of the great v:
ley which dominates American pol1ti
are somewhat vague in their ideas {
| legal and technical points; but tn
want the Roosevelt rate regulation pls
! and they have appointed him their
: terpreter of it. Hence the enormo
Z strategic Importance Of his judgme
:. and his final conclusion. s~* ..
Is it any wonder that senators W
=, have railroad idea, radical or CT
sentative, rush to the White House
try to impress its wisdom upon hill
When the conference assemblies
will not sit about its table, but he W
absolutely dominate it's work, from. t
logic Of events. He wants peace wi
: his party, and from his own point
view moderate and cautious legislati,
This is the safety Of the conservati
! interests of the country. He will VII
within these limits, as he understar
them, for the sake Of the other grt
policies in which he is Interested, a
f. because his great preference is alws
for actual accomplishment-to
l. things! But he need not ssrrend
And he knows it. There is nothing
7 the layout of forces on this batt}ef
! which suggests even remotely such
= necessity. M
FEE .Nr,u ,h,coppopAr,onIs 9 Il