Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-23
FOR THE HEPBURN BILL.
Senate Committee Decides to
Report the Measure.
THE VOTE WAS 6 TO 5
Tillman Was Chosen to Present the
Report
CONFERENCES OF DEMOCRATS
Efforts to Reach Agreement Were for
Long Time in Vain-Cullom
and Carmack Send Views.
CONFERENCES OF DEMOCRATS

By vote Of to 8. Senators Cullom and
Carmack not voting. the Senate committee
or interstate commerce this afternoon de-
clGed to report the HepburS bill to the Sen
ate without amendment, with the recon-
mendation that it pass, leaving to senators
the right to individually support any amend
ment to the bill In the Senate that they
see fit.
This practically throws the entire subject
of rate legislation into the Senate. as 1t Is
| understood that at least one of the senators
| who voted to report the bill will favor an
amendment for judicial review 1t takes
frcm the report of the committee that force
that would have characterized 1t had sena-
tors voted to report the bill without the
reservation for amending 1t.
This agreement was reached after forty
| minutes of discussion, following the meet
ing of the democrats in Senator Tfllman's
room, when they failed to arrive at any
| understanding that would allow them to
stand more closely together. The COM
mittee authorized Senator Tillman to re-
port the bill TO the Senate. According to
| this situation every senator the COM
mittee is about free in the course he
will pursue in the Senate as he would have
been had the bill been reported specifi-
cally without recommendation. 1t throws
the whole controversy into the Senate
and Is important ending the further
consideration of 1t by the committee and
allowing the senate DEBATE TO Degln as soon
as the bill Is laid before that body, which
will undoubtedly be on Monday morning.
When the committee met this morning
there was much confidence on the part of
| the advocates of the Hepburn bill that that
measure would be acted upon favorably.
Senators Dolliver and Clapp were known to
| be standing soidly for the bill without
amendment. with the assurance that Sen
| ator Cullom was in full sympathy with
| them and was record as requesting the
| committee to permit the casting of his vote
| In that way. Joining them, also, were
nearly all of the democrats.
AS the situation stood at that time It
! looked as If there a lively prospect of
having vote taken that would result in
Z to in favor of the Hepburn bill.
Conference of Democrats.
Prior to the meeting the democrats had
come together in a conference and an eff
fort was made on the part of several of
them TO agree upon report OF the bill to
the Senate without recommendation. Had
that been accomplished it would have re-
leved from embarra ssment two of the
democratic senator's who were strongly n
favor of the Hepburn bill, as whole, but
WHO were much inclined to insist upon an
amendment for a judicial review of the
findings of the interstate commerce COM
mission. That effort, however failed, so
that when the democrats went into the
committee meeting they We're without any
L
The committee took up the Hepburn bill
and proceed TO dispose Of such amend
ments as could be agreed upon practically
! unanimously. There were many of these
minor changes, none of which had any i'm
portant effect on the BILL Finally Senator
Deliver produced telegram from Senator
Cullom, whose health still makes it de-
sirable that he should remain in Florida for
several weeks to come. In this telegram
Senator Cullom requested the committee TO
permit his vote to be cast against any
amendment to the Hepburn bill that should
| not be unanimously agreed upon by the
| committee.
| 1t also authorized the casting of his vote
for the Hepburn bill without amendment.
This proposition did not meet the ap-
| prevail of the republicans, and it was stated
| that IL could not go into effect except rs
| to the vote on the Hepburn bill.
Moved to Report Hepburn Bill.
| Senator Doliver quickly stated that If
| that was the case there was very prompt
! way out of the situation, and he moved
| that the committee report the Hepburn
bill to the Senate without amendment That
| proposition had startling effect in the
committee, and It was seen that the best
way TO allow both sides to get together
was to take a recess which was done.
AS soon as the meeting was adjourned
| all the democrats on the committee retired
| to Senator Tillman's room, where they
| again endeavored TO unite on some course
! for the disposition of the bill After this
| meeting was in session short time IT was
understood that Senators Foster and Nc
! Laurin insisted that they would both vote
| for the report Of the bill TO the Senate
| without recommendation, only on condition
| that they would be perfectly free to favor
| an amendment for judicial review.
! The democratic sena tors closed their con-
| ference without reaching any agreement.
| When they adjourned 1t was with the un-
| Outstanding that all of them should vote
| as they pleased in the committee.
Carmack for Appeal Amendment.
The committee reassembled at o'clock,
| all of the members being there except SEN
| ators Culom and Carmack. Senator Car
| mack is in Tennessee, but has requested
| that his vote be considered IN favor Of an
| appeal amendment, which offsets the vote
| of Mr. Culom, which is against such an
| amendment.
| The Hepburn rate bill was ordered to be
| reported favorably by the committee. Sen
| ator Tilman. the leading democratic mem
| Der of the committee. was authorized to
make the report 1t is stated that other
members of the committee will submit re-
| ports one of which will be by Senators
| Cullen. Deliver and Clapp.
| The vote for the report was G 10 D. but
! the democrats. who composed the jor-
| ity, reserved the right to vote for amend
ments. Neither Senator Cullom nor Sena-
/ tor Carmack was recorded in the vote.
] Mr.. Aldrch made a motion that Mr.. Ell
! kins should make the report. and this was
| carried by a vote of to >. Mr. McLaurin
! voting with the five conservative repuhll
! cans.
Mr.. Tillman said a friend of the bill should
| make the report. and Mr.. Aldrich then
1 n amend motion he