The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-05-13
WASHINGTON
From our Regular Correspondent.


The Republican stand patters
struck a tartar when they
undertook to squelch Senator Dol
liver of Iowa. Mr.. Deliver per-
sisted in demanding how an in
crease of the tariff rates was revi-
sion downward. He wanted to
know why the consumer was to be
taxed inordinalely on every article
made of wool or cotton, why Sena.
tor Aldrich has permitted certain
New England manufacturers to
make the wool and cotton sched-
ules and dozen other things which
is was impossible for the Republi-
cans to answer frankly and which
1t greatly embarrassed them to
have brought to public attention.
Throughout speech lasting the
greater part of two days, Mr.. Dol
liver kept his temper under the
most trying circumstances, answer
ed inuendo with witticism aud
turned aside the angry shafts of
Mr.. Aldrich with jests which won
for him the sympathy of the Sen
ate and even the applause of the
galleries, although applause is for
bidden in the Sanate and each time
it occurs the presiding officer grave
ly warns the galleries that if it oc-
ours again he will be obliged to
clear them. Senator Aldricb, al
though hardly daring to charge it
outright, plainly intimated that
Mr.. Delivers opposition to the ex.
oibitant schedules which are the
Rhode Island Senator's particular
pets emanated from the fact that
the Iowan was angry because he
had not received a place on the Fl
nance Committee and that there
was no more worthy reason for his
opposition. That any man should
have the interests of the ultimate
consumers at heart apparently new
er enters into the calculations of
the Rhode Island statesman. Prob
ably the fact that it is generally
known that Mr.. Dolliver has the
sympathies of the President with
him in his fight on the exorbitant
schedules adds nothing to the conf
fort of the Rhode Island Senator.
The indications all point now to a
continuation of the session of Con-
gress until June IS and possibly
later.
***
The decision of the Supreme
Court in the so called commodities
clause of the Railway Rate Bill
constitutes another blow at the con-
consumer and a victory for the rail
roads, although the Court upholds
the constitutionality. of the law.
This clause was enacted in order to |
prevent the outrageous discrimina-
tion which the railroads commonly
practiced against those who sought
to compete with them in any side
line in which they are engaged, es-
pecially in the production of coal.
Many railroads own extensive coal
mines. Where this was the case
any private owner of mine was
almost certain to receive an offer of
very moderate price for his mine.
If he refused to sell he found him
self hampered on every side. The
railroad simply could not supply
him with cars. His shipments got
side tracked and his coal arrived so
late that he broke his contracts and
in some instances he was complete.
ly undersold by the railroad which
could haul its own coal free. FL
nally, finding himself on the verge
Of ruin, the private mine owner
would give up the fight and sell his
mine to the railroad at its own
price.
A provision in the commodities
clause provided that railroad not
only must not haul its own coal,
but it must not haul that of any
company in which it was directly
or indirectly interested. The Su-
preme Court decides that this does
not prevent a company from hav-
ing stock in corporation which
operates a mine and hauling the
coal of that corporation. In other
words, under the decision, the rail-
road need only organize subsidi-
airy to the mine and then own the
company. The Attorney General
points out that this is consistent
decision as the Courts have always
held that owning stock in a compa-
ny does not constitute legal in
terest therein. He says, however,
that if the law had provided that
holding stock must be regarded as