The Sentinel=record., 1910-01-04
TAFT SPLITS BIG MESSAGE HOLDS AUDIENCE WITH RAIL. ROAD PRESIDENTS WHICH
 LEADS TO SPLIT. Msenates Ask for Such General Re vision As Will Relieve Them
 From Special comnis-
 sion Rules.

Washington Jan 3-Following a conference with presidents of six of the great railnoad systems of the country President Taft this afternoon announced change in program m sending of his message, dealing with interstate commerce and antitrust law amendments, to congress.
 The message will be split into two parts. The section dealing with the trusts win be sent to congress at noon Thursday.
 The section dealing with the in- terstate commerce law, inv hich the roads are directly interested, will be deferred until Friday noon.
 The Presidents special message on the conservation of natural resources is expected to be ready for congress next Monday.
 It has been his original intention to treat together the two subjects of interstate commerce and antitrust amendments. It was said late this afternoon. That the message would probably receive greater attention if divided into two parts, neither of more than 4,O0O words.
 As result of the call of the rail. road presidents it was said only a few verbal changes would be made in the draft of the message dealing with the interstate commerce law. and that these would be only to the end of clarifying the meaning of the recom- mendations.
 President Taft found the railroad men most considerate in presenting their views. While deprecating the idea of any legislation at all at this time, when, they declared, conditions in the railroad and industrial worlds are fighting themselves after two years of more or less depression, they did not seek to deter the President from sending his message.
 They devoted themselves to more of less specific objections to the bill prepared by Attorney General Wick ershaw. which forms the text of the message. The President, ii is de- clared, will not attempt to force the Wickersham or any other bill upon congress
 He will say in his message that such a bill has been drafted and Is at the disposal of the appropriate committees of the senate and house. The railroad presidents themselves admitted that their objections to the proposed amendments to the inter- state commerce act were general in their application to all of the amend ments.
 The President, however. had made his position clear to J. Pierpont Mor. gan in brief interview before break. fast last Friday morning.
 MT Morgan. in turn. arranged for tcday's conference. and advised the railroad men to confine<themselves to suggestions of changes in the amend ments rather than oattempt to in- fuence the President as to his gem eral course.
 Mir Taft has let it be known that he not only will make recommends tions for changes in the law, but that he expects congress to adopt the sug- gestions at this session. and thus car Y out the promises of the Republican party as written in the Chicago plat form.
 Those who attended the conference today were: Presidents McCrea of the Pennsylwnia; Lovett. of the Union Pacific and other Harriman lines: Brown. pf the New Yerl Gen. tral; Mellen. of tine New York. New Haven and Hartford; Baer. of the Philadelphia and Reading, and Fin. ley. of the Southern.
 The railroad presidents brought