The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-13
LaFollette Arraigns the Legis-
lature Of Massachusetts, for
Permitting Merger of Boston
and Maine With New Haven
SENATORS LODGE AND
GALLINGER IN DEFENSE
Administration Measure Pre-
Sented by Chairman Mann
in the House, and the Debate
Opened in Behalf of Majority
MUCH ATTENTION GIVEN

N/AssHl!NGGToN, April 12.-Inci-
Wv dental 60 the consideration OF
81 tue administration railroad bill,
ehe merger of the Boston & Maine rail-
fSad with the New York, New Haven
Hartford railroad, through the Massa-
sHusetts holding law, was discussed at
iens IN IN the Sennte today.
ne principal speech attacking the
coHsoihdauon in uastinted language
was made by senator LaFOIIetfe. aUd
consumed the latter part OF the DAYS
session Brief responses by Senator
i-ouge and senator Gallinger were made
AT the close of the Wisconsin senator's
speech. Both the New England seno.
tors defended the merger aud uDhe!d
me law under which lt was made
Mr.. LaFonette presented this transac-
ton in great detail to illustrate the pos
sible effect of the enactment In law of
the merger provision of the pending rail-
road bin. He traced the consolidation
from the beginning. but gave special at
tention TO the Massachusetts legislation
under which the combination was made
effective
1t was practically charged by the sena-
tor that this enactment had been consum-
mated at the dictatiOn of President MeIlen
of the New Haven road, who he init
mated, represented the Morgan Rookie
feller interests. He quoted from a mem
Der Of the Massachusetts legislature a
statement that Governor Draper had re-
spOnded 10 an ultimatum from the New
Haven interests. He undertook to show
that the federal merger suit, instituted
during the Roosevelt administration. had
been dismissed at the dictatiOn of Attor-
ney General Wickersham under the Taft
administration, for the inadequate reason
that the Massachusetts legislature had
passed the holding bill under which the
consolidation was effected.
The argument covered a wide range of
accusation. but aside from the speaker 5
desire to hold aloft the merger as bad
example, the evident purpose was to con-
tTast the Tart administration with the
Roosevelt administration, TO the disad-
vantage Of the former. Mr.. LaFollette' s
criticism OF Attorney General Wicker
sham was especially stringent and point
ed. The responses by Messrs. Lodge and
Galinger were Just as positive in his de-
Tense. Both the New England senators
defended the attorney general as a lawyer
and as man.
Railroad Bill in House.
With about 200 members in their seats.
the administration railroad bill was taken
ing for consideration by the House today.
Speaker Cannon called to the chair Rep
resentattve Bennett of New York, who
presided over the committee Of the whole
while Mr. Mann OF Illinois chairman of
tint committee on interstate and foreign
commerce. addressed the House on the
measure reported from his committee.
The large number of Republicans and
Democrats who listened attentively to the
Illinois member gave evidence of the inn
portance attached to the measure.
In discussing tho commerce court which
he had opposed in committee as unneces-
sary, Mr.. Mann pointed out the difference
between executive and judicial functions
- the jurisdiction of the courts and the
interstate commerce commission, and de
scribed the delays under present judicial
procedure as sometimes amounting to con-
fiscatiOn Of the property involved, which
the proposed commerce court is designed
to prevent.
Referring to the fixed rotation in the
personnel of the proposed court, Mr..
Mann said while be was not ''enamored
of that provision. IL had been put into
the bill to prevent the possibility of the
court being packed by life members, with
a possible majority fixed one way, per
haps leaning toward the interest Of the
railroads"
7 mean nothing sinister by that" he
added in response to questions from MEM
bers. Il am not speaking of intentional
packing"