Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-06-09
MEASURE IN NEED
Of AMENDMENT
pRoGRESslvEs RIGHT IN oPPO.
SING RAILROAD RATE GILL.
NOT IN PEOPLES INTERESTS
Bill Undoubtedly Has Been Framed at
pietation Of the CorporatIons--At-
tempt to Make President
Taft a Catspaw.


virtues claimed for the railroad rate
bill as 1t was drawn by Attorney Cen
eral Wickcrsham was that under 1t
the stock and bonds of railroads would
be regulated and It would pro-
hibit the overcapitalization Of the
transportation roads of the coun.
try. AS was frequently pointed
out during the discussion, the provi.
sion drawn by the attorney general to
carry out this purpose would In real-
ity permit the issuance Of still great
er amounts Of watercd stock and
bonds. and the bill, II 1t became a
law, would legalize the issues which
are already outstanding.
Put through this BILL" the presi-
dent stands for It," this is the presi-
dents biz" These are the orders and
the commands heard about the cap
itoi. And the men loudest In shout
ing them and using this whip over 9th
er members are those allied with the
Aldrich organization in the senate.
Sections l3, IA and IS, known as the
capitalization sections, were among
the principal parts of the bill, and yet
because Of the public criticism as to
the real purposes and what would be
accomplished under these sections, the
organization had to give way and per-
NIT these to be taken out of the meas.
IRE. This was significant as demon
,trating the real purposes of these pro
Visions to be Just what the Progress
'ives claimed they were-that Is, that
hey had beer framed in the interest
Of Wall street. and not In the interest
)f the public.
Chairman Elkins and no member OF
the majority of the committee on in
.erstate made any attempt
TO defend the sections. Every mem
Der Of the senate, with the exception
1f Senator Burton OF Ohio, voted to
"emove the sections from the bill.
ideas Of the President.
President Taft has been inslstent
hat there shall be some Legislation
which shall regulate interstate com
merce. He has the promise OF Sena-
or Aldrich that such legislation shall
be enacted. Senator Elkins, chair.
man of the committee on interstate
commerce of the senate, has also
promised that he would do all In his
power to enact such legislation.
Immediately following the elimlna'
ton Of sections -, Ii and 10 from
the railroad rate bin Senator Dollivei
introduced a comprehensive section
drawn In the interest Of the public
which would have done no injury tC
any legitimate Wall street enterprise
that would have been fair to every
interest, and yet when the Dollivel
proposition was placed before the sen
ate 1t received but 10 votes. The sen
ators who voted for IL were all Repuh
Leans, with the exception of four
Senators Chamberlain, Newlands, Pun
cell and Stone. who are Democrats
Ehe Republicans who voted for It wer
Beveridge. Borah, Bourne. Bristow
Browne, Burkett, Burton, Clapp, Craw
ford, Cumnins. Dixon, Dollivel
Gamble, Jones and La Toilette. Forty
seven votes were cast against Il. TIL
Vote upon the Dolliver amendment |
one of the most significant hat wi
be cast In many years. The men VIII
have been shouting loudest that the
are supporting President Taft's legi
lation voted against carrying out Pre-
ident Taft's recommendation thu
there should be legislation to contr'
D the Issue Of stocks and bonds by th
! railroads. The only reason they coul
advance for voting against II was tn,
the Dolliver amendment was draw
u In the interest of the public and II,
In the interest of the railroads.
u Senator Dixon's Amendment.
When the Dolliycr amendment ":
U defeated Senator Dixon proposed tn
I telegraph and telephone compani
should be brought under the intersta
y act. The amendment viii,
the senator from Montana introduc,
3 was the same as the provision viii
q appears in tho house bill. 1t fit
D. very we'll In the house bill, but W
not suited for the bill pending
the senate. In the debate Il seem
n hat the matter was so complicat
IL as to endanger 1t before the sena
IL and Senator La Toilette came to [
8 cu with a simple proposition p
OF ting the telegraph and telephone ca
a panies engaged in Interstate CO
or merce under the Jurisdiction of
" Interstate Commerce commission.
pi carried unanimously, The La I
lette proposition is the only one pla,
upon the senate bill by a Progress
al In the form in which the Progressi,