The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-12-16
HOUSE PASSES
THE ESCH BILL
coMPELs RAILROADS TO REPORT
EVERY MONTH CONCERNING
ACCIDENTS.
THE PANAMA CANAL BILL
Offered BY Mann, of Illinois, Warmly
Debated Until Adjournment
After NighfalI--Whte
Slave Bills.

! Washington, Dec. 15.-Sitting until
after nightfall. the house today passed
the Esch bill requiring railrads to
make full monthly reports to the in
terstate commerce commission of all
accidents, and the measure empower
ing the commission to compel rail
, roads to provide uniform equipment
for cars, then took up the Mann Pan
anna canal bill, on which the general
debate was not concluded before ad.
journment.
/ Considerable opposition developed
to that section of the Esch bill pro
hibitlng the admission as evidence or
use in action for damages, of reports
furnished by the railroads or the re-
ports of the commission of its investi
cations. Chairman Mann of the COM
merce committee urged that this re.
main unamended in order to encour-
age the railroads to give the commits
sion the benefit of their fullest infor.
nation of accidents. Several amend
ments calculated to modify or destroy
this section were defeated.
When the Panama canal bill was
reported, its abolishment of the canal
commission and Capitalization of re-
sponsibility and authority for the con
struction of the canal and the govern
ment canal zone under the president,
In director general, were bitterly
opposed. 1t was commended that oofi-
gress had no power to delegate legis-
lative or judicial authority to , the
president. Harrison, of New York,
charged that Roosevelt assumed the
role of dictator and usurped au.
thority in the canal zone he did not
possess. Olmstead, of Pennsylvania.
insisted that Roosevelt had not ex-
ceeded his authority. Mann declared
that in the acts of congress and in
the treaty with Panama would be
found justification for Rooseyelt's ac.
tions.
That section comforting the judicial
ipower in the zone on one circuit
court and such inferior courts as the
president may constitute, was also at
tackled. Sterling, of Illinois, en-
deavored to show that there is work
enough for the three circuit judges
now In the zone.
Consideration of this bill will be
/ resumed soon after the holiday re-
cess. The house adjourned until to-
morrow.
During this afternoons debate,
answering Harrison's question whence
Roosevelt derived the right to govern
| the canal zone, Mann said:
Il justify the presidents action
upon the necessity of this civilization
preventing chaos upon the zone, and
when congress chose not to provide
| a form of government after the end
| of the 5Sth congress by it's specific
enactment. think we wrote into the
law without language that we be.
! lieved that we believed the president
had the power to carry on the gov
ernment and did not intend that any
government should exist on the
zone
Harrison thereupon denounced the
bill, designated Roosevelt as a "dic-
tator" and "despot.' Madden, of Illi-
nois, spoke for the bill, and Gardner,
Of Michigan, attacked that section
abolishing the commission, and ar.
gued that while it was evidently tho
purpose to continue Col. Goethals in
charge as director general. he might
die and no other man as efficient
might be available, whereupon the
commission would be well night in
despensihle.
The power to govern the zone was
vested in the president by the act of
April 2S, 1904, but that law ceased
to be effective automatically with the
expiration of the 5Sth congress. Since
then several efforts have been made
to pass a similar law, but none have
gotten through the senate and in the
4 fCnunIuJod IN Civfh noro