Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1907-03-25
Presidents Plan to Remove
Railways From State Con-
troll StirS up Storm.
SUPREME COURT WILL
Be ASKED FOR OPINION
Thought President viii Announce
His Plan in Some Speech Be-
tween Now and June.

Washington, March 25.-The frs.
announcement of President Roose-
velt's plan to substitute entire fed
eral for state control over railroads
has stirred up the latent prejudices
of the old south. where the doctrine
of states rights is still a living is
sue.
Some technical southerners who
have been in w ashington during the
past few days have discussed the
move in fiery terms suggestive of
antebellum days, even suggesting i'm
parchment as a means of heading off
executive usurpation.
The presidents announcement that
his plan is still in the tentative stage,
and will not be officially announced
for "A number of weeks, leaves the
critics with little tangible matter
on which to base talk of impeach-
ment
1t is safe, however, to assume that
practically every state of the old
south will be prepared to resist any
encroachment on the powers of
states.
1t is assumed by the critics Of the
administration latest plan that the
combined powers of the executive
and federal courts are to be directed
to secure full power over all the
The interstate commerce commits
sion, they figure, is to be used as an
instrument, and the lately passe
rate law an excuse, and under the
direction of the president of the
United States these forces are TO bend
the railways to the federal authority
to the complete exclusion of all state
regulations.
one consequence of this would be
To a
matter of Jim Crow cars. The right
to separate the races and compel diff
ferent accommodations for each de-
pends on the right of the states to
control railway matters within the
boundaries of the states. The as
sumption of complete federal control
ends all this.
Rather than suffer this the more
radical and outspoken of the south
ern statesmen say they Will resist the
president by impeachment or any
other way that may be at hand.
In the meanwhile, President
Roosevelt is trying to calm the
storm aroused by the premature an
nounCement of his tentative plan.
The president says he is not so
strongly committed to the idea as he
has been represented to be.
The first step, in any event. will
Dt u get Il Juultldl TullIlB ITOin lHe
supreme court, defining the scope Of
the commerce clause in the constitu-
ton. If the supreme court holds
that congress can take full control
over the railway systems of the United
States and deprive the states of con-
troll even within state boundaries,
then the president will be prepared
to come forward with his ideas as to
amendments needed to perfect the
rate law. The chief OF these is that
relative to supervising the issue OF
stocks and bonds.
There is difference of opinion
among the lawyers of the cabinet as
10 what the present legal status is. 1t
Is said that Secretary Root, who Is
one of the best lawyers In the coun-
try, holds that congress will have to
take certain added action, through
amendments to the rate law, before
the supreme court will hold that the
states have been stripped of their
Jurisdiction over traffic matters
President Roosevelt is getting
ready to make a formal announce
ment at an early date of his federal
ization plans. Just when this will
come Is not determined but II will
be in a public speech, either in the
address which he will deliver at the
jamestown exposition April 26, at
indianapolis May 80, at Lansing
Mich, May 81, or before the Nation
al Editorial association June 10.