The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-18
DEBATE IN HOUSE
ON RAILROAD BILL
1t Was One Sided and Was
Mostly for Personal
Prestige.
TWO SENAT0RSHIPS in 1T
If THE ORATORS CAN WIN
"reminiscences of Former Fa-
nous Bills to Regulate the
Rates on Railroads.
Special to Tho Tribune

Special to Tho Tribune
WASHINGTON, Feb 1s.-The debate In
the House Of Representatives on the rail-
road ratio bill. ono-sidcd as 1t was. pres
ages an earnest md interesting discussion
in the Senate. IN the House the result
was a foresone conclusion and TO some
extent It seems that there will be n SINH
lar result in the Senate, and 1t will not
be reached without opposition and until
every feature OF the bill and its effect
upon the country Is thoroughly discussed.
Although there was no stinting of time
and debate was closed by unanimous con-
sent OF the members OF the House. as II
Will finally be In the Senate, yet the time
In the House was controlled and parceled
out In hours. half and quarter hours by
the men In charge of the bill. In the
Senate men will speak when they are
ready They Will take such time as they
desire. and the discussion Will become
general at any time that Senators for or
? against any proposition desire TO enter the
debate. For instance the constitutional
quef tons involved Will be literally
"threshed out" Every phase or the small
est point Will be considered, not in long
set speeches but in query and answer,
In quotation from authorities and In a
running debate" In which the best legal
talent OF tho Senate will participate Be-
Sides these constitutional questions which
u
brought forward the pros and cons OF the
main contention. the granting OF power 10
the commission to fix a rate, maximum,
reasonable to any other kind In the dis
cusslon no doubt much or the interesting
testimony taken by the Senate Commit
zee on Interstate Commerce VIII be
brought forward, and in this Way the
whole railroad problem will come into
view That is the outlook now And vet
9y m9any predictions fail. Sometimes the
senate lS very unmndful of Shrcwd
what wi 1p nd
expected might happen and rate bin be
speedily rushed through. But the outlook
IS for a long talk"
Reaching for Senatorships.
Two speeches made in the House of
Representatives during the debate on IN.
railroad rate bill. 1t is a fair Inference TO
say. were intended 10 make United
states Senators. They were made by
men who are candidates for the Senate.
and as the speeches are TO be circulated
largely In the Stntes where the members
i've. no doubt they Will go a long way
toward helping along the campaigns OF
tne men who made them. Philip Pitt
campbell OF Kansas made 81 very strong
argument against trusts, and more espc-
clally did he 'lambaste" the Standard OIL
company, which is far from popular i'm
Kansas. Campbell. with four other mem
berS OF the House from Kansas, is Geek
ing the seat to be vacated by Senator
Burton. Campbell Is one OF the Younger
n embers of the delegation. and is sery-
Ing his second term In Congress He is
ambitious and full OF confidence and ovI-
IDENTIFY Is going I'm 20 win "A Senatorial
toga II possible. Eben Viewer Martin OF
South Dakota Is the other man who is
suspected OF having made a speech for a
Senatorial campaign In his attack upon
me trusts Martin hopes to defeat Sen
ator Gamble. who Is no slow man when
IT comes TO making political campaign
Martins pet theme Is the beef trust and
he ls as well informed regarding the I'm
iquity OF that monster" as is the Kansas
man on Standard oil. Martin made a
speech on the beef trust in the last Con-
gress which created a great deal OF talk
AT the time Whether or not these men
shall go to the Senate they have certain
ly established themselves as trust bust
ers OF the first magnitude,
Compilation of Bills.
The Senate Committee on Interstate
Commerce has made an interesting com
pilation OF all the bills that have ever
been introduced In Congress affecting the
control and regulation OF railroads
Enough measures have been proposed TO
have swamped all the railroads In the
world II they had been enacted into laws
Some rather interesting facts are found
In this record. which is more OF grave
yard than anything else for not more
than one In a hundred OF these various
cure all measures ever the light
of day. Some never got any further than
reference to a committee. A few were re-
ported back and discussed. Some passed
one house the other, and still less
rumber became laws
y
from Ohio. introduced bill which
passed. authorizing the President TO take
possession OF railroads and telegraph
lines in certain cases This was a wnr
measure. resolution. introduced by W
S, Holman OF Indiana, month later.
which explained and modified the first
act also passed
The first bill ever introduced Ito rcgu-
late commerce between the States" was |
presented by Charles Sumner In Deem |
Der. 1865. II was referred TO the Commit
10. IH,N
nf 1t. bill introduced by James A
Garfield in the House in December. 1865.
became a law, II provided only Ito IA
cilitate commercial postal and military |
communications among the several
States
David Davis's Bill.
David Davis. then a Senator from Iul-
nols, opened the campaign in January. !
1865. with a resolution requiring the Com |
mittee on Commerce to inquire into and |
report ON the cxpediency OF regulating |
Interstate commerce railways TO secure |
lust rates for passengers and freight" |
This resolution was agreed to- In the |
House a similar move was made two |
months later. when William Loughbridge |
Of Iowa had passed a resolution desiring J
the Committee on judiciary to inquire In
atos charged by railroads engaged in |
commerce between the States, In April. |
The same year. Godlove S. orth OF In
diana introduced md secured the adop- |
lion OF a resolution directing the Commit |
tee on Railroads and Canals to Inquirc |
Ito rYcry phase OF the subject of reglI- |
ld:ion and control Gf interstate commerce |
railroads. including safety OF passengers |
uniform and EQUITABLE rates and proper |
connections with each other. The com |
'nittee made report In juno of that |
year.
Bills OF this and similar character seem |
10 have been introduced every year |
thereafter. We find among those present |
Ing bills of this character John Sherman. |
Ben Butler. Roscoe ConklinR. William |
NJ. Stewart and William Window Win |
dom headed a eelnct committee on trans, |
nortation routes TO the scaboard which |
was composed of Sherman. Conkllng.
Ames Lewis. Casscrly and Norwood
which made an exhaustive report on the
Subtect. In December, 1876. J. c. Cannon
"f Illinois introduced n bill Ito promote
commerce between the States and TO
"heapen transportation between tho At.
lontic seaboard and the Western States
"nd Territories" II won't to railroads and
canals and was never heard OF again A
rear later Henry Watterson of Kentucky
introduced a bill 10 regulate commerce
smong the States" and II died In the
Commerce committee