The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-16
Congressman Declares That
1t Is Nothing But
a MakeShift
NOT At ALL LIKE BILL
PREPARED BY TAFT
for Democracy ms Result of Fiasco
in Legislation BY Both Houses
of Congress
BY wATrERsoN sTEALEy

/
Washington, June 15.-(special.) Repre-
sentative Richardson of Alabama, who
/ has been member of the interstate ard
foreign commerce committee for the past
10 years, was asked If he had examined
tile conference bill agreed upon by the
Senate and House. known as the railroad
bill. He said that he had, and upon re-
quest gave the following as his opinion
of the bill:
/ You may state that the leading fea-
lures of the original railroad bill, known as
the Presidents bill, and which had been
eliminated in the conference bill, were
vigorously assailed and challenged in the
minority report. signed by four DEM
ocrat members of the commerce
committee of the House. I know that
there is a studied and laborious effort to-
day in the republican press of the country
to make believe that the President is de-
lighted with the conference bill; that the
regulars and insurgents are all happy.
This is but a part of the republican polit-
| ical programme to bolster up the discour-
aging outlook for the republicans in the
approaching campaign for the election
of the next JHouse. The country is sufn-
GENTLY informed about the history of this
railroad legislation in the last four months
to recognize what the facts are in it's
connection.
The Revised Bill
"The President and his Attorney Cen
eral, Mr.. Wickersham, asked for and de-
manded at the beginning that certain Sec
tons and parts of sections should cer-
tainly be embodied in the bill and be-
come the law. l refer to Sections IL, 13,
IA and Is, which are left out and eliminate
ed from the conference bill as agreed
upon.
| These vital and important sections
provide for the merger capitalization and
consolidation of competing railroad lines.
when these sections were made
all over the country. The commerce.
court section and these four sections just
pointed out constituted the foundation
upon which the framework of the entire
bill was constructed The commerce court
was to derive its vitality and workable
machinery from the new business that
| the twelfth section would create
| That prop is out and the commerce.
court is left standing solitary and alone
simply authorizing the President of the
United States to appoint five new federal
judges that no section of the country.
no business organization has asked for,
and who will be practically unemployed
| in the business of the commerce court.
| THE President and Mr.. Wickersham
strenuousy urged that that provision
which was inserted in the Presidents
| original bill, allowing railroads by their
traffic managers and otherwise to get to-
gether and by consultation and confer
ence agree among themselves on rates
regulations and charges. known as. the
| agreement clause should remain in the
bill and become the law.
Agreement Killed
| But the agreement clause has been
eliminated and is not found in the con-
| ference bill. The agreement clause was
| intended to circumvent the prohibitions
of the Sherman antitrust law and prac-
tically reinstate pooling.
Il am very much of the opinion since
sections u, 13, IA and 10, and together
with the agreement clause. have been
eliminated, that the railroad folks are
not at all enthusiastic about the bill
said four of the democratic members of
the minority OF the commerce commit
tee of the House stood earnestly against
each one of these provisions and we are
highly gratihed that our judgment has
been ratified by having these objections
able features eliminated from the confer
ence bill.
Another very Objectionable feature of
the bill, to me, that remains in the con-
ference bill is that a great deal of the
work that has been heretofore so satis-
factorily performed by the Interstate
commerce commission is handed over to
the department of justice that Mr. Wick
ersham presides over | fear politics will
be injected into that work.
Other Bnd Features
There are several other very OBJ
jectionable features retained in the orig
inal bill that are now in the conference
bill There are enough probably of
crumbs handed out to the administration
to make some confiding but disheartened
republicans in the coming campaign be-
lieve that President Taft is really trying
to carry out "A policy of Roosevelt.
''The fact is the way | look upon this
bill, it was conceived and born in a polit-
zeal spirit, and the hope of beneiiting a
political party for there was no need
or demand now for this law to be en-
acted. The railroads and the people, after
many mutual trials, tribulations and suf-
fering were establishing sound. justs and
fair business regulations between each
other, and this bill. inspired by. a search
for political popularity, was thrust in
betweeen. | believe when the people get
a chance they will rebuke at the polls any
such grandstand performance"
Democrats Hold Seats