Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-22
FORAKER GETS BACK
Disagrees With Taft on Every
Question, He Says.
WHERE AND WHY HE DIFFERS
Hepburn Bill Was Imperfect as
Originally Drawn.
AS TO REVISION OF THE TARIFF
Demands a Definite Opinion on State
Railroad Legislation in
the South.
AS TO REVISION OF THE TARIFF

GEORGETOWN, Ohio. August 22.-In his
first address after the Columbus speech Of
Secretary of War Taft United States Sen
ator Foraker before the Chautauqua as
sembly here yesterday, discussed his fellow
townsmans opinions. with which he diff
fered In many particulars.
Quoting freely from the speech of the
Secretary of War and from his own re-
marks in the debates in Congress, Senator
Foraker expressed his opinion on the vari-
GUS public questions discussed by Mr.. Taft.
In the course of his speech Mr.. Foraker
said:
"All the provisions of the Hepburn rate
bill specifically mentioned by Secretary Taft
in his commentator of that measure, ex-
cept the ratemaking provision, were incor-
porated in that bill by the Senate-most Of
them with my active assistance and some
of them upon my own motion. The bill
as it came from the House was a very i'm
perfect measure.
THE interstate commerce committee Of
the Senate recognized this fact. but a ma
jOrity of that committee, acting under in
structlons that should never have been
gwen. refused to allow. any amendment
whatever to be made in the committee, and
it was only after parliamentary contest
upon almost every point that the amend
mentS that were finally adopted were made
in the open Senate.
IF the bill had been put through the Sen
ate as 1t was put through the House and
the Senate committee, under orders to al
low amendments whatever. 1t would
have been without any redeeming features
whatever. except such as the friends of that
proposition may claim to find in the pro-
vision comforting the ratamaking power on
the interstate commerce commission
He Opposed That Proposition.
ut was to that proposition 1 was unal-
terably opposed.
1.-The objection to comforting the rate
making power upon the interstate COM
merce commission is not in my opinion,
answered by Secretary Taft.
He makes no answer to the suggestion
that the three powers of government-the
! legislative the executive and the judicial
are all conferred on the commission, and
that this. comminglng of these powers is
unprecedented and in violation of both the
spirit and the letter of the Constitution.
Il have contended tina t. SO far as / have
vet been informed, there has been no low
erng of rates since the Hepburn law was
passed whereby the shippers Of Ohio have
been benefited. except only such as would
have been made in all probability II the
Hepburn law had never been passed. On
the contrary, since the Hepburn rate law
was passed the majority of their rates have
been advanced. Very few, II any, have
been lowered
The purpose of the Elkins law was to
give the shippers of the country a speedy
remedy against rebates and determinations
of every kind and character and absolutely
to break up and destroy such practices.
There was much doubt expressed in the
Senate committee to the wisdom of fol-
lowing the recommendation of the inter-
state commerce commissioners to repeal the
Imprisonment clause.
AT any rate after nearly twenty years
of experience. there was no case of success
full prosecution for any offense punishable
by imprisonment and there had been no
case of imprisonment. The law was in
that particular a dead letter. All this
seemed reason enough for the change.
'Inasmuch as the Secretary entertains
the views he so expresses as to the diff
Guilty of convictions in such cases. and in
asmuch the interstate commerce COM
missioners. for precisely the same reason
as given by the Secretary, recommend the
abolition of punishment by Imprisonment as