The Washington herald., 1907-03-04
HOURS BILL PASSES
Interstate Commerce Com
mission Nay Postpone Law.
MEASURE SToUTLY CONTESTED
House COnferees Instructed go In
sist ON Nine-hoEr Day for TeIe-
graph Operators, with Thirteen in
Observation-Disclosures of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission.


/ law this session. The Senate yesterday
morning rejected the conference report
which included the provisions of the
/ House bill, and when the matter came up
I in the House on the conference report, on
motion of Mr. Davey, OF Louisiana, the
| conferees were instructed to insist on the
] House amendments, with the further
amendment that the telegraphers should
I work nine hours in twenty-four, and IN
! case Of emergency thirteen.
The Speaker appointed new conferees.
| consisting OF Messrs, Hepburn, Wanger,
and Adamson, instead of Hepburn, Sher
man, and Dayey. The conferees met
again and an agreement was reached with
1 the Davey amendment inserted and
proviso added to the effect that the Inter
state Commerce Commission might, after
taking evidence and giving a full hearing,
postpone the operation Of the law
Chairman Hepburn, Of the House Com
! mittee on Interstate and Foreign Com
merce. found himself alone and unaided
| in his struggle before the House to pre-
/ serve the committee bill.
| Defending the conference report. ar
Hepburn said the information before the
conferees was that If the Davey PROPOSE
ton carried, II would be utterly impos-
sble for the railroad companies 20 Sc
cure tie number of operators that would
be required. which had been estimated at
$1,000. The constitution Of the operators
union prohibited members from teaching
their art 20 apprentices or students. and
therefore there was d scarcity of skilled
telegraphers.
The motion of Dir. Davey was supported
lby Messrs. Bartlett, Addmson. and Rich
iaTdson, Democrats, and Representative
iSterling, Republican. of Illinois. The lat
ter asserted that the action OF the con-
ferees left the situation with respect 10
the operators exactly as it was. afording
no relief whatever.
In response 70 the several objections. Mr..
Hepburn gave d history Of the legislation,
with some comment on the grounds on
which It was demanded. one OF these.
he said was the charge that many acct
dents had occurred on railroads because
Of the fact that employees had been over
worked yet not a single instance Of the
= kind had been established before the
committee IN all its long investigation Of
the subject and he challenged members
? TO name one where that was the fact.
, When the second conference report
! came into the House il caused a CommO-
, ton. There were members who thought
, the House conferees had yielded toe
much Mr.. Adams0n. one Of the minority
c0uferees. said that ne did not approve
! OF the pOgtponemeut amendment but he
had 20 agree 10 that OF get no law al
all Mr. Williams, the minority leader,
p made a brilliant speech defending the
action Of the conferees. He said the in
structions had been obeyed and that the
House had not told the conferees not
to agree to the proviso and they were
. free 20 do so. After some partisan
speech-msking participated in by Mr.
! Mann, MI Hepburn. and others the re-
port was agreed TO.
Mr. Murphy, OF Missouri, who has takeT
great interest in the bill. made a stirrins
speech .n the afternoon. telling how hC
D had been oveTworked as a telegraph Oper-
j ator and barely escaped causing a col
= lision, while a friend OF his had, after
r working many hours at his post failed
! 70 send two orders, and thereby had
caused a collision, with loss OF life AZ
the evening session Mr. Murphy criticised
Mr. Moseley, the secretary of the Inter
I state Commerce Commission. for statine
that he represented the President befor,
? the conferees and was seeking 10 get th,
: bill IN a shape that was unSa satisfactory
, 20 the laboring men Mr. Mann and Mr
: Hepburn defended Mr.. Moseley and criti
!, cised Mr.. Murphy for criticising Mr.
4 / Moseley,
= Mr.. Hugh Fuller, OF the Pennsylvania
: Railroad, and a member of the Order Of
j, / Railway Conductors, who has had chaTg,
= OF the struggle to set the bill passed
+. | said last night: IF the railroad com
!, panies try 20 carry out the law IN Il!
: spirit it will be a distinct gain to railway
: laboring men. II they do not it will prac
: | tcally be worse than no legislation. 1t i
| not the best law we could get but IL Il
the best we have got We hope il ma,
= prove to be a benefit TO the men employee,
= by railroads and TO the travelling nnhlic