The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-05-06
-PROCRESSIVES
WELL PLEASED
.Elated Over Changes in Fail
road Measure.
FIVE SECTIONS CUT OUT

1AA ASAAOA'
Portions Eliminated Had Been Vigor-
ousIy Assaulted. by "Insurgent" sena-
tors, One of the Objectionable Pro.
visions Being the LegaIizins Of Traf-
fc Agreements-Action Taken May
Prolong Session of Congress.
Washington, May A. Radical
changes to be made in the admins
tration railway bill as a result of con-
ferences will, in the opinion of many
Republicans, prolong the session Of
congress. While ~progressives are
elated over the victory attained in
forcing the Aldrich organization to
eliminate from the measur certain
provisions that it was contended
would have broken down the Sherman
antitrust law and weakened the force
of the present rate act it is their pur-
pose to stand by and perfect the pend
ing measure as far as possible. AS a
result of a canvass of the senate, dis
closing that the bill could not be
passed in it's present form, it was de-
cided to throw sections Z, IL, IL, IA
and Is. overheard. Section Z proposed
to legalize traffic agreements; section
70 legalized railroad mergers in cases
where one road owned at least so per
cent of the stock of another; secllons
13, IA and Is of the bill provide a plan
for the regulation of the capitaliza-
tion of railroad corporations.
The hope Of the leaders now is to
prevent the adoption Of progressive
substitutes for the sections eliminated:
Little of Measure Remains.
With these sections gone all that re-
mains of the bill Of substantial char
acter is the provision creating an in
terstate commerce court, the section
requiring railroads to quote rates cor.
rectly to shippers, the section giving
the interstate commerce commission
power to initiate investigations on it's
own complaints and the section pro-
viding for a sixty-day suspension of
rates pending an investigation by the
commission into their reasonableness.
Sections Z and IL were bitterly as
sailed by the progressives. Senator
Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who has
steered clear of both factions in the
senate; declared in a speech that Sec
ton z was nothing more or less than
an effort to exempt railroads from the
application of the antitrust law. Sen
ator Nelson announced that he would
not vote for the bill in it's present
form. The lines were so tightly
drawn in the senate that the regular
leaders found they could not adopt
either section Z or IL without the sup
port of the Minnesota senators. Ac-
cordingly these sections have been
thrown in the discard. AS sections
10, IA and Is, relating to capitalize
ton, are ~interrelated with sections z
and IL, they will also be abandoned.
Allies Control Both Houses.
Both ends of the Capitol are now in
the control of a combination of Demo-
Gratis and progressive Republicans.
Realizing this the one time Repub-
lican leaders are talking bitterly of
adjourning congress and throwing on
the progressives the blame of wreck
ing the Taft legislative programme.
The president, however, has given or
ders that the regulars shall stay and
do the best they can.
The situation is remarkable. From
twenty to forty Republicans are work.
ing with the Democrats in the house.
They have practically taken the bill
out of the hands of Chairman Mann
and are tacking on to it all sorts of
amendments. In the senate from ten
to twenty Republicans are co-operat-
ing with the Democrats. They have
gained the whip hand and u%ndoubted.
ly intended to destroy the Crawford
Elkins traffic agreement amendment.
Senator Aldrich admitted what the.
wise ones have foreseen for some
days. Rather than be routed on the
floor Mr.. Aldrich decided to surrender
and he agreed to withdraw two of the
most Objectionable provisions of the
bill.