The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-04
.LAFOLLETTE WARNS
Up SENATE AFFAIRS
Wisconsin Man Reproved By
the Vice President
COLLEAGUES SCORE HIM
the Railroad Bill Which Is Not 10
the Taste of Many Senator'S
and Row Follows

Washington, June s.-Senator LaFollett,
! was in the thick of the fray in the Sen
ate today. He first got into hot water
evidently unintentionally, with the Vice
President, and afterward was taken e
task by Senators with regard to his prac.
tice of detailing the records of his col
leagues. on public questions in his lee
lures TO audiences.
The Senate had been dragging along for
two or three hours on the railroad bill
as in the committee of the whole, when
apparently debate was exhausted and
there We're no more amendments to be
presented As with ordinary measures
the Vice President announced the trans
fer of the bill from the committee of the
whole to the Senate proper
Are there any amendments to the bill
to be offered in committee of the whole?'
he asked No one responded. IF not ="
he added, she bill will be reported to the
Senate Still there was silence, and after
momentary pause, he said: THE bill is
in the Senate" By this time Senators
Bacon and LaFollette had become aware
of the situation. Both had been temper
arily engaged in other duties. Both had
amendments which they still desired to
offer in committee. Mr.. Bacon was soon
Modified under the assurance that his
amendments could be presented in the
Senate as such. But Mr.. LaFollette did
not get so far
Stating that his attention had been dis
tracted. he was proceeding to say he had
not had proper opportunity to present
his amendments" He was not permitted
10 proceed further. as the Vice Presi-
dent interrupted him with sharp rap of
the gavel.
1.-THE Chair" said the Vice President,
deprived no Senator of an opportunity
that belongs to him, and the Chair re-
sents such insinuations."
Evidently. taken by surprise, Mr. La
Toilette responded by saying that the
Chair had certainly misunderstood the
spirit of his remarks, which he said had
not been intended in any sense as a STRIFE
ture on the course of the Chair
BY unanimous consent the bill was re-
stored to the committee of the whole
and the Wisconsin senator presented his
amendments. One of his amendments
would prohibit the appointment or deslg-
nation as a judge of the court of COM
merce of any person who holds stocks
or bonds, or is otherwise interested in
any common carrier subject to the pro-
posed court
This provision had scarcely been read
when Senator Hepburn took the floor.
tb1
amendment as Infamous" and said that
in his public lectures the Wisconsin SEN
ator had called attention to the votes of
his colleagues on a similar measure pre-
scented at q previous session, apparently
with the purpose of charging that sem
ators who had voted against 1t were ia
yorable TO the appointment of judges
who might try their own cases The
Idaho senator complained of such n
course, and his complaint was echoed
by Senators Gallinger and Carter
Mr.. Galllnger based his objection on
the ground that Mr.. LaFollette could not
possibly know the motives for senators
taking any given position
Mr.. Carter declared the amendment to
be an offense to the intelligence of every
lawyer In the Senate, and pointed out
the fact that the courts would not toll
crate interest on the part of any Judge.
He expressed establishment that the
amendment had been presented.
Mr.. LaF'ollette said he had pursued the
policy of presenting the records of SEN
ators on public questions to his audience
and had then left the audience to make
their own deductions
1T is my view ne said, that the
record of public men belongs to the pub
lie. and l propose to continue in my
course"
Mr.. Borah defended the LaFollette
amendment on the ground that 1t was
well to throw around the court all pos
sible safeguards.
The LaFollette amendment was voted
down 20 to 49,