Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-11
PARAGRAPH IN RATES BILL
Conferees Declare Inability to Force
Control at This Time.
SAY DEMOCRATS ARE IN WAY
President Demands Provision for
Investigation as Alternative-Re-
publicans Will Attempt It.

to the Senate and House conferees that
the railroad bill should contain either a
provision for government control of the
issue of stocks and bonds or authority
for commission to go into the subject
and report to the next Congress the best
plan to prevent watering of securities by
common carriers.
The conferees and the railroads will be
badly harassed over this ultimatum of
the President; the former because it may
delay adjournment of Congress. and the
railroads because the creation of COM
mission will mean that the railroad ques-
tion will continue to be an issue in the
next Congress and probably in future
campaigns.
when this railroad bill is out of the way
they Will have year or two of quiet,
with no Interruptions beyond the action
of the courts in passing upon cases now
pending before them. The commission
plan, which President Taft insists upon,
will hang a vital part of the railroad
problem up as political issue for some
time to come and afford room for agita-
tiOn of all sorts.
Personnel of Conference.
The President had with him in a long
conference this morning Senators .Aldrich
and Elkins of the Senate conferees Rep
resentative Mann of the House conferees,
Speaker Cannon and Attorney General
Wickersham. While the entire railroad
legislation. as now before the conferees.
was entered into, the President expressing
an earnest desire to see speedy action,
he was unusually forceful in his insist
ence that the pledges of the party in
the Chicago platform be carried out.
These pledges included one looking to
the control by the government of stock
and bond issues so as to prevent water
ing and similar transactions in railroad
securities, he asserted.
The President was again told by the
Senate conferees that the situation was
such that it would be impossible to Sc
cure assent to an agreement of conferees
including the stock-and-bond paragraph
of the House bill. The President was
informed that every democrat in the
Senate, except one, is opposed to this
paragraph on the ground that 1t is an
attack upon states rights. sF+
Besides this. the regular republicans of
the Senate entered into an agreement
with the democrats by which this pro-
vision was left out of the Senate bill,
ard they feel bound by this agreement
The Senate conferees would not dare at
tempt to favorably report this provision
to the Senate, it was stated.
Con1ereeS agree to Try.
President Taft said he believed the
provision could be SO worded that the
democrats would accept it, and was ex-
ceedingly sorry they were on record as
against what he regarded as one of the
principal demands of the people of the
country. If the law did not contain
the control provision of the House bill,
or something like it. then he would in
sist upon the creation of a commission
which would go fully into the subject
and report recommendation that would
protect the public against stock and
bond inf1ations, watering, ETC., and at
the same time recognize the rights Of
the railroads.
When the conferees left the White
House it was understood that they would
attempt to arrange the commission plan.
The President has not made any threats
about veto of the railroad bill. He was,
however, firm in insistence that the re-
publicans in Congress must stand by their
platform promises and keep faith with
the people.
Unless this is done he may consider
stringent methods. This, however, is con-
sidered imI robable.
President to Be Away Next Week.
The President hoped to let his views
be fully known to Congress through to-
away from Washington much of the time
next week and the week after. The Pres
ident will leave the city at midnight Tues
day for Marietta. Ohio. to attend the
CONNIE ncement exercises or historic oio
Marietta College.
He will spend the whole day there, re-
turning to Washington Wednesday night
and reaching here Thursday morning.
Friday he will give to cabinet meeting
q fa6 business
Saturday morning he will again leave the
city.
He has two engagements next Saturday.
One is at the commencement exercises at
Villa Nova College, Villa Nova. Pa, a
| Catholic institution. The other is at Lin
coin University, cOlored institution;
also in PENNSYLVANIA. He will not get
back to Washington until late Saturday
night.
Sunday he will start for New Haven to
attend the commencement exercises at
| Yale He will be accompanied by Mrs.
| Taft and children, who will go from Yale
| to Beverly to begin their summer Naca-
tion. The President will not get back
| TO Washington from this trip until
! June ~.
The President before the conferences
! on legislation. shook hands with a big
| batch of callers, introduced by senators
! and representatives
Among the callers were the walking
| wonders-George f. kufer and wife, who
are on their last lap of a sixteen-thou-
sand-mile walk over the United States
| The President gave Mrs kufer rose
| from the bouquet upon his table.
| Representative Smith of Michigan saw
| the President in behalf of Rev. L. A
| Spencer of st. Luke's Cathedral. Orlando
Fla. who wants TO be a chaplain in the
| army Mr.. Spencer was citizen OF
| Michigan when he went to Florida.
/ B. H. Warner also called on the Presi
dent Mr. Warner said he will take Rep
| resentative Bennett of New York tt
Silver Spring. Md. tomorrow to meet the
family of Richard Seek, contractor
miller and farmer.
Mr.. and Mrs. Seek the parents o.
| eleven boys and FIVE girls, all living.
| They have been the recipient or Mr.
| Warmers Roosevelt posterity cup ol
prize for the largest family In Mont
gomery county Mr. Warner said III
would give Roosevelt posterlty cul
each year for Montgomery county.