The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-28
MANN IS SPONSOR
Of RAILWAY BILL
He Will A tie m pit to
Pilot Way Through
House.
TOWNSEND HOPED
TO LEA d BATTLE
Taft Is Looking to Senate to
Save Principal Features Of
Pet Measure-Conference
Will Find Two Houses
Far Apart-Still After
Cannon.

Washington. p. C., March 27.-The
ambition of Representative Townsend,
Of Michigan, TO assume charge OF the
administration railroad bill on tho
floor of the House will not be gratified,
the honor going 10 Chairman Mann. Of
the Committee on Interstate and For
oign Commerce. This fact developed
to-day, and supporters OF the bill. in
the form in which II was originally in
troduced by Representative Townsend
and as 1t Is now pending in the Senate,
are disappointed.
II had been thought that the oppo-
sition Of Mr.. Mann to certain features
of tho bill as drafted by Attorney
General Wickersham, would make him
disincincd TO champion IT. His sue
cess IN Incorporating many of his own
ideas into the measure. however, made
Mr. Mann willing to assume the spon-
sorship As amended by the commit
tee, all Republican members voted for
It, and there was no way in which
the chairman could be denied the man
agement OF the measure on the moor.
Looking to Sepnte.
The administration is looking 70 the
Senate TO save the principal features OF
the original bill Supporting the Pres
dent in this matter are senators FL
kins .tldrich, Kean, Crane, Cnllom
~.
state Commerce, as well as many otner
Republican leaders. Vigorous assaults
upon the measure have been inaae ny
Senators Cummins and Ciapp. anu lt Is
known they viii have the support or
many others OF the Insurgent Rcpub-
licans as we'll as a large number OF
the Democratic Senators.
Not the slightest consideration is
being given by the Senate to the atti-
tudc OF the House on the bill. The
chances are that when conference is
held the two measures as passed VIII
resemble each other very little. Inat
being the case, the act viii have to be
made in conference. In view. of the
fact that the senate has kept in touch
with the desires Of tae administration,
it is clear that the Senate conferees
will be strengthened by the Influence
of the White House
| spirit of Rctrcnchmcnt.
appropriation bills arc being passed
by the Senate about as rapidlt as they
are received from the House. The
spirit OF retrenchment, which has
firm hold in the Senate committee, pre-
cludes the enlargement of the bills TO
any extent. and therefore there have
been no contests whatever over the
measure.
Tho naval appropriation bill is be-
fore the House now. and there is in
prospect a sharp contest over the ques.
two big battleships or only one, as
the minority of the committee faVors.
4 similar fight will be made In the
Senate, where many favor cutting
down the appropriations for the navy
and army.
The postal savings bank Is expected
to come out OF the House committee
within few weeks. There Is con-
siderable sentiment in favor of amend
ing IL so as TO insure the keeping of
funds in banks in the vicinity where
If the row between the Regular and
Insurgent Republicans is at an end.
as leaders of both factions profess TO
believe ii would appear that adjourn
ment of the present session may be
expected about June 3. There are in
dications however that the fires OF
the recent contest which brought
about the elimination Of Speaker Can
non from the Committee on Rules are
still smouldering and may break out
at any minute.
Considerable talk is heard about
eliminating Cannon from the speaker
ship, as Well as the Rules Committee,
and the suggestion that Asher r.
Hinds the parliamentarian of the
House, might be favored for that
place, is still being discussed.
The Democrats of the House are
vehement In their declarations that
they will carry the next House. and
ii is not known how they would feel
about the selection of a non-member
for the speakership. Neither Is it
known how Mr.. Kinds would feel about
giving up his candidacy for a seat in
the House for an honor that might be
comparative short.