Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1907-03-30
Will. BLOCKAGE BE RAISED
Reform leg 8acomng mpatient--Effort May be Made
to 9rsle Knot which Corporations Have
Legislature.
INES, st. Paul Correspondent. ]

Will the oombil orows be able to
maintain the great is stsve lock
ade thruout the ses a| EoF tue past
two weeks the Hous g&Htieaiar has
accomplished pra, @e nothing.
Whenever any measure of real i'm
portance came up for consideration 1t
was in on some crowded sidetrack,
. there to remain until the corporation
orators could reload and prepare for
another onslaught of talk. Delay
has been the game; and that is to be
the program until the end. But
whether or not the reform members
will stand for this situation much
longer is now the question. ~.
. An analysis of the present situation
would reveal the reform majority ab-
solutely helpless in the hands of the
cabinet. They do not appear able to
make a single move which is not
checked by some skillful manipulation
of the committee machinery or by
some diverting maneuver on the floor.
The end of the session is not far dis
tant and unless the friends of reform
soon throw senatorial courtesy" to
the winds and deal plainly with the
abstructionists ''square deap' for the
people will not be possible for another
biannum. Several House members
are beginning to realize this condi-
tion, hence their restlessness suggest
ed in the preceding paragraph.
The Senate railroad committee be-
slowed a little consideration upon the
eastman distance tariff bill at re-
cent meeting. At this time the author
of the measure, Senator eastman Of
fered an amendment which would re-
move the clause which has aroused
. the most objection. But no! This
railroad committee absolutely refused
TO permit any amendment that would
improve the bill. If the measure must
go before the Senate they prefer that
it contain provisions which will pro-
vide them an excuse for opposing the
bill.
Senator eastman will probably
bring this most important measure of
the session to vote this week. 1t is
not at all probable that the railroad
committee will voluntarily relinquish
their tender of the bill. They have
had it in charge since the first week
of the session and have thus far man
aged repeatedly to adjourn or in some
other way defer action until the pres
ent time. Now the author and other
friends of this paramount re form will
likely unite in an effort to recall it
from its committee. Spring is here
and hibernation should cease, think
those who believe in the reasonable
regulation of freight rates provided
for in this proposed law. When the
bill is torn loose from it's moorings ii
will probably be too emaciated to sur
vive the savage treatment to which ii
will be subjected on the floor of the
Senate.
Then will come the House railroad
committee and then the House itself
But it seems a very safe assertion
that the bill will be stabbed before the
lower house gets a chance at the
measure.
Senator eastman has earned the
admiration of both friends and foes
, by his earnest and fearless fight for
this and other reform measures. He
is not one who favors any "compro-
mise" with wrong principle, but
stands squarely for what he knows to
be right, regardless of the conse-
.quences. Mr.. eastman is the author
of the most important bill of the ses-
sion and in working for the enact
ment of his distance tariff idea into
law he has been brought into conflict
with all the subtle forces of the cor
poration cabinet. 1t does not now
seem possible that he will triumph in
the fight for this particular bill at the
hut l1 hor