Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-03-18
Difference of Opinion Manifested
Among Legislators as to In
terstate Commerce.
BILL DRAWN BY PRESIDENT
Chief Executive Said to Have Given
the Measure His Personal Atten-
tion-Projected Court of Pat
ent Appeals-The Presi-
dents Tour.

IlOu tndL Ine ueDale III lne SeHdIe on
the amendments to the interstate COM
merce act will be long drawn out and |
that 1t will be marked by many of the
acrimonious features of the tariff de-
bate of last spring and summer. The
alignment of senators on the measure
will not be exactly the same as that
on the customs measure, but the ma
jority of those who will be in opposi-
tion to the bill as 1t was introduced
will be the senators who fought many
of the provisions of the Payne-Aldrich
bill.
1t Is doubtful II there ever was In
troduced into congress a bill upon
which there were exactly so many d.
verse opinions as there are upon this
measure which the senate now has
under consideration. OF course the
measure affects largely the work of
the members of the interstate COM
merce commission, and yet the men,
bers of the commission themselves are
at variance in their views as to the
efficiency of the bill in some of it's par
ticulars. The amendments were pre-
pared in the first instance by a COM
mittee appointed by President Taft,
every one of the members of which
was lawyer of high standing. Then
Mr. Taft went over the measure him.
self, bringing to bear on 1t all his ju-
dicial training. The cabinet officers
took it up and sanctioned it and said
1t was proof against attack in the
courts.
Experts Disagree.
There never was such a case per-
haps of supposed experts disagreeing
on the efficiency of bill There is
provision in the proposed legislation
which allows the railroads to enter
into traffic agreements on rates, the
agreements to be submitted to the in
terstate commerce commission, who
shall be allowed to pass only on the
question as to whether the rate as an
average is eXorbitant
Some members of the interstate
commerce commission declare that
this takes away much from the prop
osition as advanced originally by The
odore Roosevelt The former presi-
dent agreed that the railroads should
be allowed to make traffic pools, but
said that the interstate commerce CON-
mission should be given the power to
nullify them provided 1t was shown
that the pools were contrary to what
might be considered public policy.
Other members of the commission say
that as long as they have the power
to get at the rate that is all that is
necessary and all in which the people
t,,N@ Toe L., l,,r
yer members of the cabinet hold to
this view and seem to believe that
they have smoothed the path through
many difficulties by giving the rail
roads the pooling right under the law
President Taft believes that appeal
cases should be put into the hands oi
the attorney generals Office for de
Tense because he has implicit conf
dence in the ability and sincerity oil
the law officers connected with the
cabinet department. Moreover. he Ii
averse to multiplying the legal depart
ments of the government
For Court of Patent Appeals.
For years the lawyers of the
country. particularly the patent law
gers. have endeavored to get con
/, gress to pass a bill to establish
, United States court of patent appeals
Senator Beveridge recently introduces
. such a bill in the senate and tn
judicial committee, through Senate
!, Brown of Nebraska, has just reporte
: 1t favorably.
I The day that this bill was reporte
a to the senate it happened that FREQ
saly Ni-k
n and who is called the father of tn
r proposed legislation. was arguing
4 case in the supreme court only a fey
yards away from the senate chamber
q Mr. Fish ten years ago began can
n paign for court of patent appeals
and he has been assisted in the wor
n by Edmund Wetmore of New Yorl
d at one time president of the America
n Bar association, and by other prom
nent attorneys in the work of attemp
I, ing to secure the passage of the mea
A. ure.
g. In discussing the proposed bill, M
Fish had something to say about th
patent system of the United State
and he gave some interesting informs
1t tion concerning what might be calle
" the patent industry of the Unite
States and the inventive genius of til
Il American people. "The patent Law
IN are admirable said Mr.. Fish. "Tt
United States has the finest patel
9, system in the world. Under the o.
s. British system. which prevails large
throughout Europe to-day, parliamel
rewarded a man who brought bus
ness into the country. He mig
Id have picked up the idea in France
al Germany. or anywhere else, but Il
In orime purpose of the law was to r
as ward him for increasing the busine
Of the kingdom. The United Stat
'r very wisely established the princip
hat it's citizens should be encourage
J." o think. We granted man the e