Evening star., 1908-01-27
Railroad Men Have Conference
With President.
THE GROUND OF COMPLAINT
Want a Test Case on Commodity
Provision.
AN OPTIMISTIC CONVENTION
President Invited to Address 1t, But
Declines and Says He Will
Send Letter.

Ten Of the operating VICE presidents of
leading railroads of tho country assembled
al the White House today by appointment
made some time age After being with
tho President about fifteen minutes they
were sent to the interstate commerce COM
mission for conference with the officials
there. The object of the visit was to lay
, before the admins: ration features of the
, railroad rate law tia; work hardship upon
the railroads As operating men they felt
they could tell the President more about
how the new law works than any other
class Of men .tt the same time they were
extremely rcticert. and when they went
away from the White House they said
they had hardly begun their conference
and hoped to talk with the President
again before they left the city. They
We're supplied with all sorts o. papers.
drawings etc. The President. it is under
stood. directed the interstate commerce
commission 10 give the railroad men "a
fill hearing and report to him the facts.
! These present We're {. X. Gray. the Frisco
railroad: |. 6. Rawn Illinois Central; H..
L. Nudge. Rock Island; u. Willard Bur-
hngtoB: W. \. Garrett. Sea board. G. r..
Sehaff. New York CentFa.: W. \. Card
ner, Chicago and Northwestern: G. III.
: Ackert. Southern; G. L. Potter. Baltimore
5, and Ohio. +. g. Burkand, New York
New Haven and Hartford.
: Complain Of Commodity Provision.
The chief complaint the railroad men
!. had. ii was stated on pretty good au-
3. .Ihority. was as TO what is known as the
: commodity provision of the railroad rate
!, Law. This prohibits the railroads from
! carrying commodities produced by them
: ana is especially aimed at the coal-carry-
ing lines. This law goes into effect May;
I, and the railroads are making strenil-
!. Gus efforts To get an agreement out of
the administration by which prosecutions
d will not begin at that date. but that a test
! ease will be made up and put into the
courts by which the constitutionallty OF
the provision may be tested. Attorney
General Bonaparte is not so far inclined
10 agree in full to the wishes of the raj
roads. which want the existing law sus-
pended until the case has been settled In
the courts. Mir. Bonaparte is of the
. opinion that the railroads should have
bsgun long ago to arrange test case.
and then tue law would not have been IN
, effect upen them before the decisions
OF the courts could be obtained.
Baltimore's Optimistic Convention.
Baltimore is TO hold an optimistic con-
vention. and today sent an optimistic man
to the White House to try to get the
President to deliver an optimistic speech.
. Ex-Representative Frank Wachter in
vited the President to go TO Baltimore
and make a speech March 4 before the
travellers and merchants convention, to
be held there. Wachter used all oe his
persuasive powers Tie President, tell
; ing him how much good he could do in
J the business world by one of his ringing.
rrheerfui speeches. The President told
-wachter that he would be glad to oblige
him and the convention, but he was con-
sistently declining all invitations. lie
would, however, write letter which the
convention could use as 1t thought best.
Taft Strength in Massachusetts,.
4 think a recent poll of the Massachu-
setts legislature correctly represents the
political sentiment In that state,'' said
Representative Gardner to Star repre-
sentative. This poll. which appears to
have been made with care. shows that
i A. republican legislators expressed them
selves as to their choice for the republi-
can presidential nomination. while thirty
/: one were non-committal. OF the total
who gave their choice. eighty-ive were
: for Secretary Taft. considerably over
: nalf, twenty-eight were for Hughes four
teen for Roosevelt. nine for Crane and
one each fo- Lodge. Guild. Cannon, Fair
banks. Root and Doiliver
The men who voted were under no pres
sure: and probably correctly. represented
sentiment in their respective coInmuni-
ties. As to my own congressional dis
trict. j believe il TO be overwhelmingly
favorable to Mr.. Taft. The wish may be
father 10 the thought. but there is this to
he said that is significant: All the can
didates who have been mentioned for dele
gates from the district are for Taft; but 7
have no dou%3t there will be one or more
spring up who desire TO go uninstructed
This. of course. means reactinnary."
air. Gardner was absolutely sanguine
that far more than majority Of the
Ma ssachusetts delegates will be for Sec
retary Taft.
Editorial Committee Received.
The members OF the executive commit
tee Of the National Editorial Associa ton
were received by President Roosevelt to-
day. The committee is in session here for
the purpose OF arranging for It's annua;
session TO be held at ST. Paul next Au-
gust.