Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-05-04
TAFT RAILROAD
BILL. BADLY
DE:NTED
TRAFFIC AND MERGER
PROVISIONS ELIMINATED
Senate and House Put in Day
Boring Holes III Measure as
Backed by Administrations
Progress Rapid.
ny Morning Journa. snceiai L.ases w,rel

my Morning Journas sncciai I~aseS wirel
Washington, May 3-The dis
mantlng of the administration rail-
road bill proceeded in both houses to-
day
Section N-thc traffic agreement
provision eliminated by both
senate and house The senate struck
cut section / , also, which would
have permitted amy railroad owning
80 per cent of another railroad TO abb
sorb it altogether
Tho section prohibiting railroad
from charging a higher rate for
short than for long hau WAS adopt
cd By the house in the form reported
by the committee on Interstate com
merce, but with an additional prOvi-
sion for a report to congress by the
interstate commerce commission Of
the facts relative to the long and
short haul question.
There is no section corresponding
10 this in the bin as ii is pending in
the senate but an amendment Of
fcrcd by Senator Hepburn today to
modify the existing law similarly pre-
cpitatcd an debate. which
WAS still in pt gress When the sena
adjourned.
strictly speaking, each house today
was boring holes in a separate bill
the senate in the senate bill intro
dueed by Representative Elkins the
house in the bill introduced bv Rep
rcsentatiVc ToWnsend-bu the bins
at tho outset were identical, though
they were made different in various
respects by the committee that re-
ported them. Each version Of the
bin has Yet to be passed in its own
house and then viii have to undergo
the tender mercies. Of the other.
Whether either viii ever emerge
from the final stage of joint confer
ence is question
Never since il was reported to he
senate some nine weeks ago, has the
bill moved along With such celebrity
as today
In ibid success the Cummins an3
the Crah fqrd- Elkins amendrfents 10
the traffic agreement provision were
withdrawn and the entire traffic and
merger provisions stricken out
Immediately after the bin wa
taken UP in the senate Mr. ElGins, in
charge Of the bill, proposed 70 lay on
the table the Cummins amendment
requiring the approval of an agree
ments with rates, by the interstate
commerce commission in advance Of
their taking effect But Mr.. cum
Minis saved the trouble Of taking
vote hY withdrawing his amendments
The democrats had agreed To vote
against the Cummins provision in con-
SlAltlfll ION Ni tic GNNlltlbl tl illi ! lay
amendment striking out the entire
section
Mr.. Elsins followed this action with
the withdrawal OF the Crawford 81
kins substitute.
This was acquosced in by Mr. /
Crawford under protest.
The Clay amendment striking out
the agreement provision thea was pre-
scnted and was accepted without di- /
vision This was followed immediate
ly by adoption without division Of /
motion Of Senator Nelson striking OUT
section ~, which covered the cues 1
tons Of merger.
Mr. Hepburn then precipitatcd the (
debate Of the day by presenting an (
amendment prohibiting the greater {
charge for short than for long hauls.
He spoke at length in support of his .
amendment. presentin@ many in
stances OF alleged discrimination.
Many of his statements were Chal- I
lonsod by senator Aldrich and con-
trorcrsy ensued, in which several SEN
ators participated.
Admitting chat apparently there
were some cases Of injustice, Mr. AL
drich said the trouble was to lin0 n
remedy Declaring that many cities
such as ST. Paul, Kansas city and
Denver, had been built up by the {
railroads he asked Mr.. Heyhurn I
whether he advocated their annihila-
tion i'm the interest, for instance, or
some unknown place in Idaho. he
declared that Mr. Hcybun's conten- +
lions carried TO their legitimate re-
suit, would convert the great central
part Of the country into barren
waste
'That is the old siren song. re-
sponded Alr. Hepburn. He would nor
admit its applicability and declared
that ~ ~ the .
railroads were lair and remuneratiNe +
here could be no injustice in charging
the same prices for a short haul.
The Hepburn amendment was un-
der consideration when the senate adj
joumcd
Voting was hegun on amendments
10 the long and short haul section all [
ter two hours debate in the house.
BY 80 to 1872 an amendment by Mr.
Hardy Of Texas 10 strike out the pro-
vision permitting the Interstate com
mcree commission to permit the MAX
ing of low through rates in Wow of
water competition was defeated.
An amendment offered by MI
of Massachusetts To strike
out the entire section relating to the j
long and short haul clauses, leaving
lhe law i'm that respect unchanged. al
so was defeated, IS to lf2. The house
accepted an amendment offered by
Aif- stevens of Minnesota proNidins
Tor an investigation of facts relating Z
10 the short and long haul
The section relating TO the long and
short haul clause was then agreed to
n practically the form in which il Was
reported As agreed To by The house
me section permits r4iirca as TO- charge Z
Low rates for a long haul in view of
ne water competition only after such !
lower rates have been approved bN 7
aC Interstate commerce commission J
thc provision authorizing traffic S
'sfeements between railroads was
non taken up.
Alr- Townsend Of Michigan offered
u amendment providing that in case
ny such agreement should result "a I
li-her rates than previously charged. 4
no interstate commerce commission 1
'hpdld approve the rates before they 1
become effective. Mr.. Martin of
'pnin Dakota offered a substitute pro- i