The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1910-04-01
WON'T GET RAIL BILL.
Aldrich Refuses Request Of Senate In.
suruents to Recomn,jt Bill


suraents to Reeommit Bill.
Washington, March 26.- rhe request
of the senate insurgents that the rail.
road bill be recommitted to the Elkins
committee, so that certain amend.
ments might be made there, and not
in the full glare of the open senate,
has been refused. Senator Aldrich
has informed Senator Clapp of Min.
nesota, who took the question of re.
committal up with the regulars, that
there is nothing to be gained by re.
Committal unless the entire bill can
be fixed up as a result, and both sides
brought into line to support 1t. Clapp
out of the question.
There are minor defects in the bill
as the insurgents look at It, which it
would not be possible to fix up in
committee, but which must be fought
out on the floor. What Clapp wanted
was to have the committee look after
those larger matters of amendments
which the insurgents think involve
the consistency of President Taft.
The president is on record as favor.
ing certain things in his speech ac-
cepting the presidential nomination
and. in his messages to congress. The
railroad bill, which has the presidents
approval, goes contrary to those state.
ments.
1t was the desire of the insurgents
that these matters might be looked
i after in the executive sessions or the
committee, for the general party good
as well as for the presidents per-
sonal sake. But Aldrich was obdurate,
and so these matters are to be thresh-
ed out in the senate debate.
Senator Cummins has already re-
| ferred to them in his speech, and it
is the purpose of Senator Clapp and
| the other insurgents to do likewise.
One of the points on which the rail
road bill runs counter to the public
utterances of Taft has to do with traf-
! fic contracts. The Chicago platform
says these contracts should be made
subject to approval by the interstate
commerce commission, and Taft, in
his letter of acceptance, says these
contracts should be valid when ap
proved by the commission. In his Des
Moines speech, last September, he
said the same thing. The bill pending
provides that these contracts shall be
validated when filed with the commits
sion.
| The president, in his interstate com
merce special message, quoted the
| interstate commerce commission as tC
the value of requiring notice before
restraining orders are issued, and the
value of appeal by the shippers from
| interlocutory DEGREES. The pending
bill cuts out the necessity for such
notice and the right of the shipper
to appeal from interlocutory DEGREES.
The president is on record in speech
es as saying that there is no advant
age in having rates go into effect un
til Investigated and approved by the
interstate commerce commission, anC
that the commission ought to have
the power to prohibit advances o.
rates until such investigation and ap
proval can be made.
The pending bill defeats this propo
sition by allowing the commission tt
stay an advance of rates for sixty
days. The insurgents insist that this
time is not sufficient for the commits
sion to go into the question of the
reasonableness of the proposed rates.
The foregoing three points were the
ones put before Senator Aldrich by
Senator Clapp in the request that the
bill be recommitted for amendment.