Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-15


mittee without consideration or amend
ment on Feb. 25. the measure that was
born in the dog days OF the year be-
fore.
Rail Presidents Dictate.
With the return of the president
from his western tour on Nov. 10, the
campaign began, and between that
time and Jan. IL, that being the day
upon which the attorney general hand
ed the bill to the chairman of the in
terstate commerce committee for in
PRODUCTION into the senate, nearly
every important railroad president in
the United States visited Washington.
and was heard by the president and the
attorney general in opposition to GER
tain features OF the proposed bill. Some
of them were heard not once, but twice
and thrice. During the same period
and before the samG>-tribunal, repre-
sentatives of the shippers were also
heard. I do not complain of the ap-
pearance Of railroad presidents to urge
objections to the passage of any law
that will affect the business and prop
ertyt which they represent; and if the
president and the attorney general are
to prepare bills which congress is to
pass simply because the executive
branch of the government wants them
passed, then it was eninently appro-
pr ate that the hearings upon the pres
ent bill should take place before the
men who were to decide what the bill
should be- It is, however, a signifi-
cant fact that in the hearings held by
the interstate commerce committee OF
the senate no railroad man, save one,
had a word to say either for or against
the measure, altho they filled up the
committee room every day given to the
hearings. The single exception to which
I have referred was an appearance by
the general counsel of the Rock Island
railroad, who contented himself with
an argument against the constitutions
ality Of that section of the measure
which purported to regulate the capi-
talization of railroads.
Taft's Motives Not impugned.
My protest against the course of this
bill is not because the railroad men
were heard, but because they were not
heard in the proper forum. Between the
10th Of November and the day upon
which the bill left the hands of the At
torney general for the hands Of the
distinguished senator from West Vir-
ginia, many and radical changes were
lect substantially every change was
made to remove an objection urged by
the. railroads. AS I proceed shall
point out these changes; but just now
am dealing with the unfortunate
practice which the history of this bill
has disclosed. The senate does not
know and never can know what the
argune nents or showings were that led
to these changes. I am very far from
imputing any improper motive to either
the president or the attorney general
I assume that they believed that they
had good reason for yielding to the inn
portunities Of these representatives Of
the railways; but / deplore the intro
duction Of custom which leads those
who desire to influence legislation In a
proper way to the White House rather
than to the commf fttees of congress. II
these railroads had appeared before US,
what they said and what they present
ed would have been preserved and laid
before the senate, and such weight
could now be given to their facts and
their arguments as they deserve; but
as it is, we have bill modified in the
most important respects upon their de-
mand, and do not know their reasons
for insisting upon the demand.
Powers Of Congress Usurped.
Those of us who still maintain some
admiration for the government which
the fathers Of the republic established,
with its clear and positive distinctions
between executive, judicial and legis-
latfve functions, can not accept, with
out an expression of dissent, the OBJ
Iteration Of these fundamental princi-
pies.
Pursuing the history of the matter,
you will remember that have brought
you down to the day when the bin
was introduced and referred to the
committee on interstate commerce.
After the lapse Of two weeks or more
we held our first meeting of the ses-
sion and determined that those who
were interested in the bill should be
heard. During four or five days various
representatives Of shipping and COM
mercial organizations, and officers ana
agents of steamboat and steamship
lines, and the interstate commerce
commission were heard. All of them
suggested amendments, some of them
very important, some Of them unim-
portant. In the meantime the attorney
general had not only proposed certain
changes, but had practically rewritten
its present FORM These changes and
revisions had been printed by the
committee, so that in fact the bill be-
fore use was not the bill originally in
troduced by the senator from West
Virginia, but very different measure.
After we had finished the open hear
ings, the attorney general met with
us upon three different days, and we
had running discussion with him
that resulted in one or two modifica-
tons that he proposed. We met the
next morning, as supposed, to con-
slider the bill and the various amend
ments which either had been or would
be suggested. The final and ultimate
revision of the attorney general had
just been put in type. and no member
Of the committee had read it, nor had
any member of the committee had a
chance to read it. In addition to the
that had been brought to
our attention by the several repre-
senatives of commercial organizations,
water lines, and the interstate com
merce commission. had before me a
number Of amendments which seemed