The San Francisco call., 1910-05-09
REGULARSARRANGE
TRUCE IN SENATE
Insurgents Prepare to Resist
Administration Proposals
in Railroad Bill
President Unwilling to Yield on
Retention of Stock and
Bond Sections

WASHINGTON, May S.-Under flag
| of truce hostilities between the con-
servative republicans and insurgents
of the senate over the administration
railroad bill have ceased.
They will be renewed probably when
Senators Cummins and Dolliver return
| Thursday from Iowa, where they have
gone to open the campaign. Senator
Aldrich is expected to return from
Rhode Island Tuesday If he should
attempt to precipitate a vote on any
! important amendments Senators La Fol-
lette and Clapp will undertake to hold
| the floor
Meanwhile the White House will be
the scene of real activities, tn . presi-
dent having undertaken to bring into
! line some of the so called near insur-
| gents whose attitude on the railroad
| bill has been a matter of doubt. That
work was begun yesterday and it was
said that Senators Gamble and Craw-
| ford OF South Dakota would join the 45
! regular republicans canvassed. making
| the necessary 'all republican major
| lty for the administration program.
OPPOSITION TO SECTIONS
While an understanding was reached
! In the house that the vote on the rail-
| road bill would be taken Tuesday, it
now seems certain the democrats will
! seek to have the bill recommitted with
| instructions that the sections for the
! creation of a court of commerce be
! eliminated. The vote, it is conceded,
| will be close.
| In the senate the long and short haul
| Is receiving more attention than the
stock and bond sections. The president
| and the attorney general are pressing
| for their retention and. inclined to ac-
| cede to their demands, the regular re-
pubI1canS will make a stand for the
! sections. Some of the regulars, how
| ever. would be pleased if they were
| eliminated.
| PRESIDENT STANDS FIRM
| Among those who are understood to
| doubt the wisdom of their retention are
| Senators Aldrich. EIkins and Root. all
| or whom concede the possibility of
| legal complications over their conflict
with the state laws. The president is
not disposed to yield. however and At
! torney General WickerSham is repre-
! sented as willing to vouch for the
validity of the provisions
No special effort is being made TO
| hold republicans in line against the
long and short haul amendment. 1t is
| generally recognized that local condi-
! tfons are such that many of the SEN
| ators from the interior states can not
! avoid supporting this provision.
DEPENDENCE ON DEMOCRATS
But the regulars count confidently
upon making up among the democrats
] the losses on their own side of the
chamber. Conceding the probable loss
of 19 votes in favor of the amendment
| they say that they will get Is demo-
| Gratis in opposition to the provision
Their contention is that most of the
| democratic senators whose states skirt
| the Atlantic, Pacific and gulf coasts, as
well as some of those along the Mis-
| sissippi will approve the provision. If
! they get the Is democratic votes and
hold the 40 republicans they will have
a majority of eight.
The 10 republicans who it is thought
will vote for the amendment are Beve-
| ridge, Borah, Bristow. Brown. Burkett
Carter, Clapp, Crawford, Cummins, Cur
| tbs, Dixon, DolIiver. Gamble, Guggen-
! helm, Hepburn, La Toilette, Nixon.
Smoot and Sutherland The supporters
of the provision hope also to get SEN
ator Jones vote.
QUESTIONS OF LOYALTY
The president is said to be urging re-
| publican senators to keep the long and
| short haul question out of the bill, but
! is not making it a test of party loyalty.
He takes the position that most of the
amendments suggested would have the
effect of placing railroad charges pure
| ly on a mileage basis. Refusing to con-
cede that such would be the result, the
proponents believe that if the provision
should be inserted he would not veto
the bill on that account, as has been
asserted he would do.
On other points they find the presi-
dent most insistent upon maintaining
strict party discipline. Senator Bran
| dege, who is among the stanchest of
the stalWarts, is reported by his col
leagues to have advised the chief ex-
ecutive to quit kissing off the insur-
gents and Ito get out his tomahawk," +"
j and the president is said to have eX-
lpressed no disapproval of the sugges-
tion.