The San Francisco call., 1910-06-02
Wickersham's Quick Work

WASHINGTON, June Attorney
General Wickersham talked today re-
garding the steps which led up to the
administration move against the rail-
roads. The first intimation he had of
the conditions alleged, he said, was in
the shape of a dispatch which came
from somewhere in the west last Thurs
day.
Friday more dispatches came, and
Representative Hubbard of Iowa gave
him a comprehensive statement of the
situation. This convinced him, Wick
ersham said, that action ought to be
taken. He at once got together, with
the assistance of the interstate com
merce commission, all data available,
and during the following few days
spent the time in the prepa ration of
the bill in equity. The interstate COM
merce commission furnished him with
anidavits showing that the tariffs COM
planned of had been filed with that body
and what they showed. Sunday night
Grosvenor went to st. Louis with the
bill in equity and the affidavits in his
possession.
Proceedings against the railroads
were brought in the eighth judicial
circuit, said Wickersham, because the
ti-trust law had received its fullest
Interpretation in that circuit, a notable
case being that of the government
against the Standard oil company.
Vote in the Senate
WASHINGTON, June by a vote
of 20 to 81 the senate today refused to
challenge the supreme court of the
United States TO annul the decision re-
garding the right of common carriers
to transport commodities produced by
themselves.
The vote was taken upon an amend
hn HI
Senator Bailey of Texas making it un-
lawful for any railroad company to
transport from one state to another
any article or commodity manufac-
tured. mined or produced by it or un-
der its authority, or by any corpora
tion. joint stock company or partner
ship as said railroad company holdsg
owns or controls directly or indi-
rectly."
Senator Bailey sought by today's
amendment to force the court to face
squarely the question of the right of
congress TO prohibit railroad COM
panies from transporting commodities
produced by themselves. In good ma
tured manner he criticised the court
and said he intended to make the Ian
guage of the present provision SO plain
that mot even a Judge of the supreme
court could fail to understand it,
The amendment was offered toward
the close of the session and attracted
much attention. The time consumed in
debate on the Bailey amendment pre-
vented final vote on the bill today
LA TOILETTE BEATEN
The first vote of the day came on
the La Toilette amendment providing
for the ascertainment of the physical
valuation of railroads as a basis for
the fixing of rates. The amendment
was defeated. % to 80. A modified pro-
vision by Simmons requiring such VAL
uation of property affected by any
given case also was lost, 2S to 80.
The tendency to bring water trans
portation under the jurisdiction Of the
Interstate commerce commission, which
had been noticeable throughout the
consideration of the bill, found express
sion in two amendments, one by SEN
ator Simmons of North Carolina and
the other by Senator Burton Of Ohio.
Both amendments were accepted.
The first was presented in connec-
tion with the long and short haul pro-
vision heretofore adopted
Tt provided that when APPLICATION is
made to the commission by a carrier to
fix a lower rate for longer than for