Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-06-11
SENATE HES PESSED
The RAILROAD BILL
Measure viii Now Go the Confer
ees for Action.
FINAL VOTE WAS 50 TO II

-
Senator LaFoIlette Was Active
Presenting a Large Number Of
Amendments.
Washington. June THE railroad
bill passed the Senate at 9.55 o'clock
last night by a vote OF so to IL. Sen
ators Chamberlin, Clay, Gore, Paynter,
Simmons and Stone are the only Dem
ocrats who voted for the bill.
The bill VIII now go to the confer
ees for final settlement Some Demo
Gratis go so far to predict that the
measure will never become a law, dy-
ing in the committee.
Senator LaFollette presented q large
number of amendments to the bin dur
ing the day. the most important OF
which provided that no person inter
ested IN a railroad company shall be
appointed to membership of the pro-
posed Court of Commerce. and sub
~stituting the Supreme Court as . body
for the chief justice in performing the
duty O designating Circuit Court
judges for service On the bench of the
Commerce Court. Both amendments
were lost, the former by a vote of 20
to 90 and the latter by a vote of is to
80.
Both amendments aroused sharp
criticism. Speaking to the provision,
s%upplanting the chief justice, Mr.. Car
ter declared that the reflection on that
H. uyac cr1nh +ho4 claim Tow and
John Marshall might wen turn in
their graves if they could be made
aware of the suggestion. Mr.. Hale
made an impassioned protest against
the amendment. He interrupted it
as a reflection upon the present Chief
Justice. The amendment was defend
ed by Senators Bacon, Bailey and
Gore. all of whom declared that 1t
dealt with the office and not with any
man.
Voted Down Amendments.
Mr.. LaFoIlette also presented an
amendment providing for the fuller
equipment of the Interstate Com
merce Commission with the end in
view of providing the for the
transaction of the increased business
which will result from the proposed
law. His amendment contemplated
the creation of fGur districts, each to
be presided over by a commission OF
three men with salaries of $1,000
each. The amendment was only
briefly debated and was voted down
NJ without a roll call.
Seeking to prohibit the continuous
service of train employees for more
than IA hours, Mr.. LaFollette present.
ed an amendment which was defeated
by a vote of "a to 81. Mr.. Newlands
proposed an amendment ~instructing
the Interstate Commerce Commission
to investigate the intercorporate hold
ings of railroad stocks. He spoke at
length and finally Mr.. Elkins took a
seat on one side of the speaker and
Mr.. A1drich on the other and beseech-
ed him not delay a vote. The Senate
rejected the provision and a roll call
refused.
Mr.. Newlands then offered another
amendment practically TO the same
eNECls II WdS ldlO vi int ldblCs
An amendment by Mr.. LaFollette
permitting railroads to issue passes
to the widows. during widowhood. and
minor children of employees killed in
the line of service, was accepted with
out division.
Long and hort Haul.
At $40 p. m. the bill having been
perfected in committee OF the whole,
was reported to the Senate. Mr.. Hey
burn obtained an order for a separate
vote on the long and short haul pro-
vision.
Mr.. Bacon moved to strike out the
sections for the establishment of a
court of commerce and argued to the
Senate that the method prescribed
fer designating the membership of the
proposed court would be unconstitu-
tional on the ground that it would de-
prive circuit judges who are selected
to serve for five years on the court Of
the life tenures in the Offices to which
they were originally appointed.
The motion provoked a long discus
sion. Vigorously assailing the provis-
ion placing all government litigation
before the Commerce Court in the
hands OF the attorney general. Mr..
Bacon asserted that it nulifed the
good accomplished by the act OF Con-
gress making the Interstate Com
merce Commission a nonpartisan body
Mr.. Borah spoke against the Com
merce Court feature, but announced
he would vote for the bill. The mo-
ton her was rejected by a vote OF
rs to 3S.
Detective Prince Back.