Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-26
Railroad Bill to Provoke "Biq
Talk" in Senate.
HARD SHEDDING BEFORE 1T
Measure Has Few Friends in Form
as Reported.
INSURGENTS PLAN TO AMEND
Senator Cummins Will Fight for
Features of His Bill-New-
lands Explains Vote.

That debates in the Senate on the ad-
ministratjon interstate commerce amend
ment as reported from the Senate COM
lnittee on Interstate commerce Yesterday
will continue for at least two months. is
being freely predicted around the Capitol
today.
Realizing that there is a. long struggle
ahead of the measure in the Senate, the
committee voted to report out the bill
as amended by Attorney General Wick
ersham, without making any amendments
o. its own: vet the committee is practi-
caliy agreed that some changes should be
made. II was decided to get the bill be-
fore the Senate for discussion and ar
range to make the desired amendments
or -the floor
The fight in the Senate will involve
many features of the BILL The insur-
gents have already announced their in
1ention to fight the provision for a court
o. commerce to pass on the orders of the
interstate commerce commission. And
there will be opposition to the Plan to
take out Of the hands of the commits
sion tho legal work of defending the Or
ders of that body in the commerce court
or in the federal courts.
Control Traffic Agreements.
There will also be a move to have the
bill give the interstate commerce com
mission supervisory power over traffic
agreements As it comes from the COM
niittee, it is pointed out. the bill simply
provides for the filing of traffic agree
ments. Some of the senators think the
commission should have power to set them
aside or suspend them, in case the COM
mission believes they are not for the
public good.
Much strcter limitations on the issue
Of stocks and bonds OF railroads are de-
sired by some of the insurgents. AL
though the sections dealing with that
feature OF railroad regulation have
been recently rewritten by Attorney
General wickersham, they are still far
from satisfactory to the Insurgents.
Railroads Not Hampereo.
The railroads can do, under these Sec
eions, what they can do now remarked
q member Of the Senate Interstate COM
fnerce committee. after Attorney General
the provision. ''Of course, they cannot
do Il In tho same way
IT would undertake to plaster over
with stock new railroad from one
coast to the other" said another insur-
4ert today, when speaking of his opinion
Of the effectiveness of the stock and
bond restrictions in the administration
ball. His opinion is that the provisions
do not reach the evils OF watered stock
and overcapitalization. Senator Cummins
has put in his bill provisions which he
believes will prevent stock watering In
the future. and he will urge the sections
of his bill in preference to those OF the
administration bill; and some support for
his contentious Is in sight.
Senator Newlands has announced that
he will propose an amendment to the
bill providing for the national incor-
poration OF trunk line railroads. This
will first be brought up in minority
report which Mr.. Newlands will put in
within the next few days.
Wrong to the States.
The present system OF merger under
the laws of New Jersey or some other
state equally lax in it's restraint OF cor
porate abuses Senator Newlands said
today. should be ended. Under the pres
ent system interstate railroads are oper-
a,ed by corporations organized in states
in which not mile OF the roads operated
exists I believe In the consolidation. un-
der proper restriction, of great trunk
lines. but this should he under national
legislation III which all the states share,
rather than under the legislation of a sin
gle state. This can only properly be done
by the nation under the interstate COM
nercc power. Tie most sacred right the
states have IL the right to insist that the
nation shall exercise the powers granted
TO 1t by the states. and not turn over the
exercise of so important a power to the
1surpafion of a single state
In reference 70 his vote against the
reporting of the administration bill from
committee yesterday, Senator New
lands said:
THE vote was not on the merits.
The bill as amended had not yet been
introduced. and l thought it ought to
Hrrt han mt too in
tive session before reporting. 1t has
many excellent features, but ! think
requires amendment in certain respects.
j voted against precipitate action