Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-05-04

without division. Section -, which COW
cred the questions of mergers.
Hepburn then precipitated the debate
of the day by presenting an amendment
prohibiting greater charge for short
than for long hauls. Many OF his state.
inent were challenged by .Aldrich an; a
controversy cnsued in which mank SEN
ators participated.
Admitting that apparently there were
some cases of injusticcs, Aldricn said
the trouble was to find a remedy Dc
claring that many cities, SUCH as ST.
Paul. Kansas City and Denver had been
built up by the railroads. he asked Hey
burn whether he advocated their ann-
hilation, in the interest, for instance of
sCme unknown place in Idaho. He de-
clared that Heyburn's contentious car
ried To their legitimate result, would
convert the great central part of the
country into a barren waste.
THAT is the old siren song" respond
ed Hepburn. He Wculd not admit its
applicability and declared that if the
terminal charges of the railroads were
fair anl re,nunerativc. there could be no
injustice in charging the same prices
for a shorter haul.
under consideration when the Serate
adjourned.
Voting was begun on amendments to
the long and short haul section after
two hours debate upon it by the House.
BY So to 1872 an amendment by Hardy
of Texas to strike out the provision
permitting the Interstate Commerce
Commission to permit the making of low
through rates in view of water competi-
ton, was disagreed to.
An amendment offered by Washburn of
Massachusetts, to strike out the entire
section relating to the long and short
haul clause, leaving the law In that re-
spect unchanged, also was defeated. 4S
, to sl72 The House accepted an amend
ment offered by Stevens of Minnesota
providing for an investigation and report
to Congress by the Interstate Commerce
Commission of facts relating to the long
and short haul by railroads
The section relating to the long and
short haul clause was then agreed to in
practically the form in which it was re-
ported. AS agreed to by the House, the
section permits railroads to charge low
rates for long haul in view of water
competition only after such lower rates
have been agreed to by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
The provision authorizing traffic agree
ments between railroads was then taken
up. Townsend of Michigan offered an
amendment providing that in case any
such agreement should result in higher
rates than previously charged. the In
terstate Commerce Commission should
approve the rates before they became ef-
fectve. Martin of South Dakota offered
a substitute providing that the rates
made by traffice agreements should be
approved by the commission before be-
coming effective in all instances.
Mann Of Illinois, in charge of the meas
ure, opposed both of them. He declared
the traffic agreement clause as reported
contained all the safeguards for the SUI
pervision of rates by the commission
that were proposed in the amendments.
Both political parties. he declared. had
approved this proposition for traffic
agreements. BY vote of SO to So Mar
tins substitute was agreed to.
Madden of Illinois offered an amend
ment to strike out the entire traffic
agreement section. BY vote of ITO to 81
the amendment was agreed to. many reg
ular Republicans voting with the Demo-
Gratis, and a number of insurgents voting
against the Madden proposition.