Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-07-01

by the senate 1t is we'll known that
Senator Hale has no sympathy with
the tariff board idea. He does not be-
lieve in it. He merely consented to
report the provision in obedience to
the iron hand of circumstance which
was described by Senator Beveridge.
Yet the fairness of the proposition
that if there is to be tariff inquiry
that the minority party of this country
should be represented upon the board
so appealed to the senator from Maine
that he stated to the senate that al
though the amendment proposed by
Senator Bacon was fairly out of order
against it.
Vice-President Sherman then put
the question to the senate. 1t was
voted upon. There were two or three
ayes and two or three noes, and the
vice-president said the noes seemed
to have it, Whereupon Senator Bacon
demanded the ayes and noes, and
three Democratic senators other than
himself were on the floor at the time.
These were not sufficient in number to
secure the ayes and noes. Had the
ayes and noes been ordered there is
no doubt but the Bacon proposition
would have carried, but Senator Ba-
con, because his own party associates
had deserted the floor, was unable to
secure the support of enough members
to force the roll call.
From the rear of Senator Bacon's
seat and out through the swinging
doors of the Democratic cloakroom
there came the confusion of voices
and a ripple of laughter as some good
Democrat gave expression of approval
to the story told by some other good
Democrat and il. that cloakroom and
in other places, instead of upon the
floor, the minority party lost the op-
portunity to be represented upon the
tariff board which shall make such in
quiry as can be made under the weak
law and which shall affect the making
of future tariff schedules.
Victory for Proeressives.
q
decided victory in the conference
report upon the railroad rate bill.
They did not secure all that they
contended for. They did secure
more than they had any reasonable
hope could be wormed out of the con-
ference. The victory was the more
remarkable when i is considered that
these Progressives had lined against
them not only the Aldrich influence
of the senate but the president of the
United States upon the principal mat
tiers for which they were contending.
The reactionaries made much out
of the fact that the fight of Repre-
sentative Lenroot to accept the rate
bill as it came from the senate had
resulted in defeat for the Progress
sives, but it is that fight and the show
ing which was made in the vote upon
this proposition which was the con-
trolling factor and which finally gained
for the public whatever has been
gained in the railroad rate bill.
The principal contention of the con-
haul clause of that provision of the
bill written by Senator Cummins which
gives the Interstate Commerce COM
mission ten months in which to re-
view proposed increases in rates. In
presenting the matter to congress,
clearly pointed out that there should
be no such limitation, that the Inter
state Commerce commission should
have all the time that 1T needed with
out any fixed period being written into
the law. President Taft contended
that the period of ten months was too
long and that this time should be re-
duced, and he used all the influence
he could bring to bear upon the con-
ferees to get them to reduce the time
to six months. This was provi-
sion distinctly to the advantage Of
the railroads and in the interest of
those who desire to raise rates and
against the interest of the consuming
public.
Strange Features of Conference.
The conference presented the spec
tacle of Senators Aldrich and Elkins,
who were delegated by the senate to
fight for the enactment of the senate
bill, retreating from the provisions of
the measure of their own house from
the moment that they went into the
conference. They never stood and
made an honest fight to enact into the
law the good provisions which the
Progressives of the senate had forced
into the bill. Allied with Mr. AL
drich was the president.
When all other matters of contro-
versy had been settled and there re-
manned but this one question, the
great question in controversy to be
determined, Mr.. Mann gave signs of
weakening and called upon some of
the Progressives in the house to know
just what attitude they would take in
the event that he reported in the bill
with the six months time which the
president wanted inserted. He told
them that the president was very in
sistent upon this point and that he
would be guided largely by the adj
vice which he received from them.