Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-05
HOUSE MAY AGREE
Senate Measure May Yet Be
Accepted.
LEADERS TALK 1T OVER
Insurgents and Democrats Said Not
to Want Conference.
WOULD NOT TAKE CHANCES
Mr.. Mann Will Not Agree to SEN
ate Bill, But Intimates That It
May Be Accepted.
LEADERS TALK 1T OVER
WOULD NOT TAKE CHANCES

Although it came as a surprise to many,
there were numerous indications yester-
day that the Senate and House might
| reach prompt agreement on the rail-
| road bill through practical acceptance by
the House of the Senate bill.
While there was no certainty that such
would be the case there were many
! straws pointing that way. This would
have the effect of Fastening the adjourn
| mcnt of Congress, and members proph-
| esied that with the railroad bill agreed
| upon adjournment would come within
| three weeks.
Early yesterday Senators Aldrich, Crane
and Elkins were over on the House side
engaged in conferences with Speaker
Cannon and Representative Mann of Illi-
nois. who has charge of the House bill.
Mr.. Mann said that as far as he was con-
| cerned. personally, he would not agree to
the Senate bill. He said there were many
things in the House measure which were
not in the one adopted by the Senate
upon which he would insist. Also there
were some things in the Senate bill to
which he objected.
w nat MI. mann says.
| There was, however. said Mr.. Mann. a
strong movement among some of the
| 'tnsurgent'' republicans as well as ''regu-
lars" who voted together to amend the
bill when 1t was in the House, to ac-
cept the Senate bill as being near
| approach to what they desired.
1t was learned also that the democrats
were practically prepared, or at least
those who have led the fight on the rail-
road bill on that side were prepared, to
accept the Senate bill rather than take
chances on what conference between the
two houses would evolve.
The subject will be called up in the
House next Tuesday, when Mr.. Mann will
ment of conferees. If conferees are
named, no one is willing to predict how
long 1t might take to secure mutually
satisfactory outcome, nor what the ulti-
mate agreement would be.
The principal differences which would
cause trouble in conference are the sec
tions in the House bill providing for phys
ical valuation and the regulation of the
issue OF stocks and bonds, which are not
in the Senate hiil-<.rd the long- g-and-short-
haul and TELEGRAPH ,hd-telephone clauses,
which widely diffsr in the two bills.
Some Like Provisions.
Like provisions of the bills passed by
the Senate and House give indications of
the new regulations of railroads which
will be enacted into law at the present
session of Congress.
First and foremost. there will be Gre
ated a court of commerce. This court
will have jurisdiction to try all cases aris-
ing from appeals from orders of the in
terstate commerce commission and all
cases for the enforcement of its orders
other than for the collection of fines or
the infliction of criminal punishment.
This court will consist of five judges,
transferred from the bench OF the
United States circuit court Of appeals.
There is a dispute between the House
and the Senate regarding the appointing
power for the first occupants of the
commerce court bench and regarding the
designation Of circuit court judges for the
commerce court in the future.
Makeup of New Court.
The Senate bill provides that the five
additional circuit court judges, authorized
by both bills to be appointed by the
President. shall make up the court at the
beginning, and that the Chief Justice of
the United States Supreme Court shall
designate circuit judges to serve on the
commerce bench afterward.
The House bill provides that the Pres
ident shall appoint five additional circuit
court Judges, but that the justices of the
United States Supreme Court shall desig-
nate who are to sit on the commerce
court bench in the first instance and
afterward. Efforts made in the Senate
to adopt the House provision failed.
The judges of the court are to appoint
a clerk and a marshal. whose offices are
to be in Washington, at salaries of $4,000
and 5000 per year, respectively.
The regular sessions of the court are
to be held in this city. but the court is
directed, for the convenience of Suitors.
to sit in different parts of the United
States.
Attorney General to Defend.
The responsibility for defending the
orders of the interstate commerce COM
mission which may be attacked before
the commerce court and, upon appeal, In
the United States Supreme Court, is to
be lodged hereafter in the Department of
Justice. Formerly this duty devolved
upon legal representatives of the COM
mission.
An important feature of both bills is
the provision allowing shippers and other
parties in interest to be heard by coun-
sci in cases in the commerce court or, IL
they are appealed, in the United States
Supreme Court. In this regard the Senate
bill is believed to be even more liberal
than the House enactment. Heretofore
counsel of teh shippers had no tsanding
in court.
Both bills contain provisions giving the
interstate commerce commission jurisdic-
ton over telegraph and telephone lines
engaged in interstate commerce. Unlike
the House provision, the Senate para
graph specifically excepts wireless tele-
graph companies from the jurisdiction of
the commission.
Both bills amend the anti-pass law so
that It will allow common carriers to
give passes or franks to widows and
I,{11 Of -hn
were in the employment OF common
carrier at death.
The Short-Haul Clause.
| The adoption of some effective prohibi-
ton against the charging of a less rate
| for a long than for a short haul, except
| when authorized to do so by the inter-
state commerce commission, is expected
| Both bills contain provisions of this
kind.
AS both bills contain practically identical
provisions. it is expected that the new