Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-06-14
The Week
in Congress


adopting several amendments and re-
jecting others. Among the provisions
accepted were two by Senators SIM
mons and Burton prohibiting railroad
companies from reducing rates to de-
stroy water competition An amend
ment suggested by Senator Burton Inn
posing a penalty of $4,000 upon car
riers for divulging information con-
corning shipments also was accepted
An amendment by Mr. Bailey re-enact-
ing the commodities clause of the Hep
burn act was rejected. Mr.. Bailey
freely criticised the Supreme Court.
Senator La Follettes physical valua-
ton amendment also was voted down.
The entire session of the House was
occupied by discussion of the admin
istration bill providing for a new civil
government for Porto Rico. Democrats
opposed the measure, claiming that it
provided less representative govern
ment than was now enjoyed by the
people of Porto Rico under the Fora
ker act. Resident Commissioner Lar
rinaga declared that a majority of the
Porto Ricans preferred the present law
A number of important amendments
to the railroad bill were adopted by
the Senate Thursday Among these
was one by Senator Overman of
North Carolina prohibiting Federal
courts from granting interlocutory in
functions to suspend State laws, ex-
cept upon an order of three judges,
one of whom should be member of
the Supreme Court or a Circuit Judge.
The provision including telegraph
companies within the scope of the in
terstate commerce law was modified
so as to prohibit the granting of tele-
graph franks and permitting special
rates on press dispatches. The time
when the bill shall take effect was ex-
tended to sixty days after its passage
In the House an amendment was
adopted to the sundry civil bill, pro-
posed by Mr.. Hughes of New Jersey,
and providing that the appropriation
for the enforcement of the Sherman
antitrust law should not be used in
the prosecution of labor organizations
The railroad bill passed the Senate
at 1856 o'clock Friday night by a vote
of so to IL. Senators Chamberlin,
Clay, Gore, Poynter, Simmons and
Stone are the only Democrats who voted
for the bill. An appropriation of
100000 was made by the House to en-
able the Secretary of Agriculture to
make an investigation of methods of
making paper from various plants and
woods. This provision was made in
an amendment to the sundry civil bill,
which was under consideration in the
House during the entire session.
The Senate was not in session Sat-
urday. The sundry civil bill, carrying
appropriations of over $11O,0OO,00O
was passed by the House The rail
road bill was delivered to the House
by the Senate, but in order to permit
members to familiarize themselves
with that measure it was permitted to
lie upon the table until Monday.
The House held memorial service
for the late Representative Lowering
of Massachusetts,, Sunday.
The Senate Monday voted to take up
for consideration the conservation bill
authorizing the President, at his dis
erection, to withdraw from entry and
settlement the public lands, thus side
tracking the bill admitting New Next
co and Arizona to Statehood. Senator
Hughes and other Democrats showed
an inclination to charge bad faith on
the part of the Republicans, because,
as they said, there had been tacit un-
Outstanding to consider the question of
Statehood Immediately after action up
on the railroad bill. A number of Re-
publican Senators gave assurance that
the Statehood bill should be given first
place on the calendar after the disposal
of the conservation bill, but the Demo
Gratis were not satisfied with these
statements Senator Nelson sharply
criticised the conservation policy, es-
pecially as applied to Alaska, which
was considered significant because of
his position at the head of the Balm
ger-Pinchot investigating committee.
The consideration of bills, chiefyof To-
cal interest, by unanimous consent, oc-
cupied the entire session of the House.
Among the many measures passed were
bills authorizing the appointment Of
a commission to investigate the mat
ter of employers liability and work
mems compensation, and also admit
ting as second-class mail matter peri
odical publications of benevolent and
fraternal societies, institutions of
learning, trades unions and profession
al, literary, historical and scientific so
cieties