The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-04-30
BY OTE OF 35 TO 20 SENATE DE,
FEATS HIS TRAFFIC AGREE.
MENT PLAN.
SPEECH BY lAF0LELTTE
As Removing Railroads from
Operation of Antitrust
Law.

Ol 90 10 20, anu III lHe uliuoe " q"
tense excitement the administration
Republican senators today defeated
the Cummns substitute for the Craw
ford-Elkins traffic agreement provls
ion of tho railroad bill. This is one
OF the most important subdivisions
OF the bill The vote was generally
accepted as a test of the trength Of
the eontending sides respectively
and it Is believed it presages the
passage of the bill by safe majority.
OF the total membership Of 92,
twenty-eight senators did not vote,
and Of these, four were absent with
out being paired All We're Demo
Gratis. All the eighteen Democrats
present voted for the Cummins pro-
vision, SO that If the Democrats abb
sent and impaired had voted for the
amendment the vote in its favor
would have been 33, still less by two
than the vote against the provision.
The eleven Republicans who voted
for the Cummins substitute We're:
Beveridge, Borah, Brt tow, lEurkett,
eClapp, Cummins. Dixon, Dolliyer,
Gamble LaFollette, Nelson.
Cummins' provision was offered as
a substitute for the amendment in
troduced by Crawford, which was
favored by the administration SEN
ators. The insurgents" and Demo
Gratis contended that the purpose of
the Crawford provi ion was to take
the railroads ort from under the
Sherman antitrust law Il would per
nit traffic agreements 10 be made
with the approval Of the commerce
commission, but would not require
that each rate, fare and charge pc
submitted to the commission in adj
vance of going into effect.
This required by the Cummins' sub
stitute. Cummins, after the defeat
OF his provision today, gave notice OF
another amendment He intends toI
accomplish h his purpose. The iowa
senator also seeks to insert a pro-
vso, declaring that no increase orr
change in classification shall take
effeetunder it shall have received theI
approval of the commission.
The general understanding is that
the voting will be resumed tomorrow
and ID /, expected that al amend
ments, including the Cummins' meas
nre. will be voted down, and that the
Crawford provision will be adopted
Before the vote today LaFollettel
came in with a one hour speech
La Follettes speech was a p1leal
against the annulment Of the Sher
man antitrust law as applicable tol
railroads without supplying adequate
protection in its abNence. In many
respects it was a remarkable speech,
and it was delivered under somewhat
irving circumstances. The senate, as
we'll as it's presiding officer, evidently
wanted to vote, and while most of the
senator's retained their seats there
was manifest impatence, at least
among the advocates of the bill. Frye
presided.
Declaring that the standard in thel
senate had declined since 1890, when
the antitrust law was enacted, and
asserting that the law to be, next to
the constitution. the principal bull
warkof the liberties of the people, La
Toilette warned his colleagues, and
especially the western senators,
against being the first to impair the
law.
eve are come upon a time when
the country has an administration
which Is ready to stand for legisa-
ton, which never before could have
been attempted with any prospect Of
success. and today we must vote, y
shouted LaFollette. with tremendously
earnestness. whether we will makeI
the first breach in this statute. un-l
der the behest OF those who have
been attacking 1t for ten years
Taking up the Republican platform,
TaFollette asserted that the partyl
platform feduently came nearer rep
resenting the views of the Interested
parties than those OF the people at
large. and that in reality the senate
committees recommendation did not
coincide with the party declarations.
Rising to tiptoe and stretching his
arms towards the Republican side he
proceeded to present his vews OIL
the transactions at the Chicago con
vention
When" he said, 'the hour came to
get together on resolutions, there
we're there. the heads of the greatstl
tn'ets in the country
He declared that not only the Re-
publican party, but the Democratic
party also. would find 1t necessary to
protect itself from these influences,I