Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-05-13
Ati5eellaaeuus Rraaing.
TAFT'S RAILROAD BILL PASSES
Measure Goes Through House With
out Dissenting Vote.

Measure Goes Through House With
out Dissenting Vote.
| Washington. May 10.-Without a
single dissenting Republican vote the
house today passed the railroad bill,
one of the chief measures that Presi-
dent Taft enacted at the present ses-
sion Of congress.
Not only did every Republican place
] himself on the side of the measure
! either by his vote or by being paired
| in it's favor, but fourteen Democrats
| joined the majority to make the total
| vote in favor of the measure 200 to
| 1875.
President Taft tonight said ne was
| deeply gratified over the passage Of
the measure. He was especially pleas
ed with the comfortable margin by
which the commerce court feature was
kept in the bill, for he argues this
court as probably the most important
forward step in the proposed law
AS to the amendments and addition
al provisions added in the house the
president said he did not feel that this
was the time to discuss them nor that
he was fully enough acquainted with
the change to discuss them. Referring
to the clause providing for the physical
| valuation Of railroads Mr.. Taft point
ed out that power practically now
rests with the inter-s state commerce
commission and that the difficulty in
| carrying out such a plan always mas
been found in the enormous cost Of the
| undertaking.
With all the amendments adopted by
| the house while in committee Of the
| whole had been agreed to, Mr.. Adam
son of Georgia, senior Democrat men,
ber of the minority on the committee
| reporting the bill, moved to recOmmit
it to the committee with instructions
that 1t be reported back with the COM
merce clause stricken out. This mo-
| tion was defeated 157 to 176.
The bill makes many changes in the
| the existing law, that, If 1t is accepted
| by the senate, will greatly affect inter-
state commerce. The court Of COM
merce Is created to adjust cases on
appeal from the inter- commerce
| commission. 1t is provided that this
| court shall be organized by the JUS
tices Of the supreme court Of the o..
| S., future appointments to member
ships on the court to be made by Them
Stock and bond issues of railroads
are controlled by the bill. Under this
clause a railroad before issuing any
additional stock, must obtain an order
| from the commission which must,
among other things, fix the price at
| which the securities Of the road may
be sold. A similar provision is car
| ried in respect to railroads which are
organized through the courts. A pro-
vision is made that upon the reorgani-
| zation Of a. road through court pro-
ceedings stocks and bonds cannot be
issued for more than a fair value Of
the property.
| The long and short haul clause OF
the measure provides that railroad
cannot without first gaining permission
| charge more for q short than long
| haul over the same line.
The interstate commerce commits
sion also is given authority. whenever
| q new rate is proposed to suspend the
| taking effect of that rate for period
of four months so that the commission
shall have an opportunity to consider
| it's reasonableness. AS amended the
| bill proposes to bring the telephone and
telegraph companies under the control
of the interstate commerce commits
sion. 1t provides for the valuation OF
railroad property as an aid to the COM
mission in the consideration Of railroad
rates.
The bill gives to the commission
authority over classifications, regula-
tions and practices of railroads, au-
thority at the present time being linn
tied to rates and matters affecting
rates.
Under its terms a railroad company
must quote a freight rate accurately
upon demand of a shipper and the
shipper is given the right to route
his freight whenever it passes over
| more than one road. The commits
sion itself is authorized to establish
| through routes by combining different
| railroad systems at it's discretion,
whereas under the present law, it can
not make a new through route If such
| route is already established.
Severe penalties are provided against
shippers who, through false claims for
damages or loss of property, obtain Sc
| cret rebates.
Champ Clark, leader of the Demo-
cratic minority, explaining the Demo-
cratic course in opposing the bill on
final vote, said
1.-The Democrats who voted against
| the bill did so because they consider
| ed that there were more bad features
in the bill than there were good ones.
When it was first brought into the
| house, it was a railroad bill, pure and
simple 1t was drawn in their inter-
ests. Not q railroad lobbyist appear
| ed around the halls Of congress in
opposition to this bill, which speaks
more eloquently than many volumes
could do that the railroads were In
favor of this legislation.
Every amendment that was adopt
ed in the house, helped the bill, but
there were not enough of them. Had
| the court of commerce feature and
some parts of sections 13, IA and
Is been stricken out. l would have
voted for the bill"
THE PARTRIDGE.