Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-27
CANNON s FOES IN
HOUSE TEAR HOLES
IN RAILROAD BILL
One Amendment Takes from Taft
Power to Organize First
Commerce Court
SPEAKER COMES C0LLARLESS
Texas Representative Is Hustled
Out of Barber'S Chair with
Towel Around His Neck
ASSOCIATED Pressl

nv ASHINGTON, April 26.-The rail-
w road bill was the one conspicu-
Gus feature before both the SEN
the insurgents, joining the Democrats,
practically took charge of the measure.
They succeeded in having adopted nu-
merous amendments, one of which
would remove from the president to the
supreme court of the United States the
authority for organization of the court
of commerce. A motion by Mr.. Hub
bard of Iowa to strike out the entire
commerce court provision was defeated
by tie vote.
In the senate Mr.. Clapp of Minnesota
hurled defiance at the administration
and regular party leaders in congress
for the supposed effort to read insurg-
ent senators out of the party.
Senator Hughes denounced the rail-
road bill as a whole, and Mr.. Hepburn
undertook to combat the contention
that the Crawford -Elkins provision null
lined the Sherman antitrust law so
far as that law affects the railroads.
The amendment OF Representative
Cooper of Wisconsin to strengthen the
provision that the commerce court
should not have jurisdiction exceeding
that OF the circuit court was adopted
in the house, 139 to 80.
Then by q vote OF 143 to 118 the
amendment of Mr.. Lenroot of Wiscon-
sin for the designation of the judges of
the commerce court by the supreme
court of the United States, instead of
by the chief justice of the supreme
court, was adopted.
Mr.. Lenroot offered another amend
ment providing the commerce court
should be organized in the first in
stance by the president, as recommend
ed by the interstate commerce commits
sion In the bill reported to the house.
This amendment was carried, 1876 to 131,
the insurgents voting almost solidly to
take this power from the president.
Upon the motion of Mr.. Hubbard OF
Iowa to strike out the entire para.
graph relating to a commerce court
Mr. Bennett of New York, in the chair
announced the vote was 131 to 131, and
then announced his own vote in the
negative, which defeated the motion.
A demand for 4 vote by tellers was
made. While this vote was being taken
Speaker Cannon came into the house
from his private room, to vote with
the party organization. He entered
hurriedly without his collar. The vote
by tellers was 140 to 139, Mr. Bennett
again voting in the negative. This time
the tie vote defeated the motion to
strike out the provision.
VOTE VARIES GREATLY
One Democrat, Mr.. Russell of Texas
voted with the regular Republicans on
every motion. The insurgents varied
in their voting. At times as many as
twenty-five voted with the Democrats,
while, on other motions, their num-
The amendment of Mr. Macon of
Arkansas to reduce the number of
Judges on the commerce court from
five to three, and that of Mr. Wanger
of Pennsylvania to increase their
terms of service on the court from five
to ten years, were defeated.
Another amendment by Mr.. Lenroot
of Wisconsin, insuring the right to
appeal to the supreme court of the
United States in special cases, was
defeated, 134 to 1876.
Mr Norris Shepherd of Texas, sup
posing the important amendment had
been disposed of, went to the house
barber shop, but no sooner had his
head rested on the chair, his collar
removed, when a messenger rushed in
TO insist that the Texas member hurry
back to vote. With towel wrapped
around his neck he made his way to
the floor, arriving in time to pass
between the tellers.
Mr. Madison of Kansas, an insur-
gent. offered an amendment reducing
from sixty to seven days the period
during which an order of the inter-
state commerce commission might be
suspended by the commerce court
pending application to the court for
It's Injunction in certain cases. The
insurgents very generally voted for the
amendment, which was carried, 1873 to
124.
The commerce court provision had
not been disposed of when MT. Mann
of Illinois, in charge of the BILL moved
70 law the measure aside for the day.