The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-13
MEMBERS FIGURE
ON ADJOURNMENT
Few Expect Session to
Last Longer Than
June 30.
VARIOUS BILLS
In GOOD SHAPE
Agreement in Sight on Railroad
Measure, and With Tha at
Heaviest Work of Congress
Will Be Over Senate
Will Accept Postal Saw
ings Bill.

Washington, d. C., June 12.-Con-
ferees on the administration railroad
hill were In session moro than six
hours to-day, and made such progress
as led them to predict that they Will
be able to report to Congress early
this week, probably not later than
Wednesday,. In the tentative draft
that has been made UP from the bills
as they were passed by the House and
Senate the only two questions that re-
main In serious dispute are these re-
latng to long and short hauis and the
period that increases In rates should
be suspended to give the Interstate
Commerce Commission time to pass
upon their reasonableness.
With an agreement on the railroad
bill In sight, the members of Congress
arc beginning to figure on adjourn-
rcnt Few members of either branch
now expect the session to last longer
than Thursday, juno 80, and not a few
have put their gucsses as early as June
2b. which is saturday. Some of the
employees of the committees on appro-
priations have consulted their records
and found that the long sessions usu-
ally adjourn in about fifteen days af-
ter the reporting OF the general def.
ctency bill. the last of the great sup
ply measures. To this calculation was
due In large part the predictions that
tne session would end on the last day
of next week.
May Avoid Conference.
There arc not many matters OF legfs-
iation remaining which are expected
to consume much time A canvass nf
the Senate indicated decided senti
inent in favor Of adopting the House
amendments to the postal savings BANK
bill. This course would avoid a con-
ference and might easily save two or |
three days The si,ndry civil hill nrob
ably Will be passed by the Senate to-
morrow and the general deficiency biIEt
never is held up long In the Senate, |
The bill TO authorize the PresidenrI
10 Withdraw public lands for conserya. |
ton purposes Is the only one of the
conservation measures slated to 20 |
through this session. To that will be |
ADDED. II Is expected. tho bill which
already has passed the Senate 10 per- |
mi the issuance of certificates of In |
Adebtedncss to the amount of $50 600 OOo |
10 complete reclamation projects II
ought not to require rnore than a weel, |
TO complete this bill
INC opposition TO the conseryation
niil, based upon the statement issued
ny former Forester Clifford Pincho,
mat 1T contains n clause which would
authorize the fling of mineral claims
on CERTAIN waterpower sites, known IN |
ne underlaid with minerals. apparent
~ mas not been generally accepted as
serious criticism. Advocates of the bill
4s it was reported from the Committee
on Public Lands assert that thara
could be Very few waterpower sites ,f
terWards. and in these cases n won,d |
ne necessary for the claimant to nrove |
the tract to be more valuable for n,jn-
erals than for the development r., |
power. "
Nothing VIII be Done.
no decision has been reached as to
statehood legislation, but the penor,,
impression seems to be that notbinr
-. pe uone at the present session.
',sen y u the Dill reported from the Sen.
passed. it differs so comn,eteI,, go. w
the House bill that there wouId ba
slight chance for any agreement ~
conference. III
me railroad bill. therefore, appears
10 oe the key to the adjournment eli,
uatlon. Just as 1t has been for near1,
Tour months. When that is ont of ~
way and the measure has been annrovsd
py PRESIDENT Taft, members of Con-
Fress can lay their plans to go home
and not before.
Whether the conference report to be
brought out during the week VIII ho
OF character that the two brancbes
OF congress would be ready to acran,
remains to be seen. Unquestionably IL
VIII contain many disappointments for
some members, and among these vii, ho
Ihsurgent members of both the Senatal
and House.
For instance, those who adyoca
inc reaention of the House amendment
proVidlns for the Investigation of ths
pnss1Sai l,l valuation OF railroads will be
~ ~ush4eu salisIaction The same fate
nWa.ls nose Who wanted the govern
ment to enter upon the regulation ~
lthe issuance of securities by railroads
although the conference bill win nro,
-Vlue 1or the appointment of a commits
sion to investigate this subject.
me plan for the appointment of a i
commission is not all satisfactorv - I
the supporters of the House provision
relating to stocks and bonds. In tba
absence of definite instructions there
can be no assurances that the cor,
mission can report by next session nor
,,, mat congress will favor the views
or the commission. The Democrats
are almost unanimously opposed to /
Federal regulation of the securities az
corporations, although theyafavor reg
ulation by the States.
Many Changes In Form.
Conferees on the present Senate and
House bills have made a great mnnv
changes in the form of the bill to be
reporter They have had the assist
ance Of Attorney General Wickers ham
thronghontin the matter OF harmonic
Ing the phraseology of the two bills,
where both branches of Congress- un-
dertook to legislate on the same fea-
tures All Of the agreements are ten
tative, and therefore the conferees
are not inclined to make them public.
1t is known. however, that the SEN
ate amendments shifting from shippers
to the railroads the burden Of proving
the lTeasonahleness OF increases in
rates and the Overman amendment
prescrihing the rule under which Fed
III fContinued on Second -Para u ------.L