The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-13
Railroad Bill Now Appears
10 Be the Key to the
Situation
EXPECT SESSION TO LAST
NO LONGER THAN JUNE rs
Conferees on Administration Railroad
Bill Hold Conference and Ex-
pect To Report Early
This Week

Washington, June 12.-conferees on the
administration railroad bill were in ses-
sion more than six hours today and made
such progress as to lead them to predict
that they would be able to report to Con-
gress early this week and probably not
later than Wednesday
Upon the tentative draft that has beeD
made up from the bills as they were
passed by the House and Senate the only
two questions that remain in serious dis
pute are those relating to long and short
hauls and the prediction that increased
rates should be suspended to give time to
The Interstate commerce commission to
pass upon the reasonableness.
The members are already figuring on adj
journment. From members of both
branches they expect the session to last
no longer than June 30. and a few guess
as early as Saturday, June %. Some of
the employees of the committee on appro-
priations have consulted their records and
found that the long sessions usually ad-
journ in about 10 days after the reporting
OF the general deficiency bill, the last of
the great supply measures. and to this
| calculation their constituents are notified
that their services would end on the last
day of next week. There are not many
matters which will consume much time In
legislation. canvass of the Senate indi-
Gated decided sentiment in favor of
adopting the House amendments to the
postal savings bank bill. This course
would avoid conference and might
easily save two or three days.
The sundry civil bill probably will be
passed by the Senate tomorrow and the
long in the Senate.
Conservation Measures
| The bill to authorize the President to
withdraw public lands for conservation
purposes is the only measure slated to go
through this session. To that will be add
| ed, 1t is expected, the bill which has al
| ready passed the Senate to permit the is
suance of certificates of indebtedness to
| the amount of $780, 000.0oVte complere recla-
nation projects. 1t ought not to require
| more than week to complete the bill.
| The opposition to the conservation bill,
based upon the statement issued by for
mer Forester Clifford Pinchot. that 1t con-
| tains a clause which would authorize the
| fling of mineral claims on certain water
power sites known to be underlaid with
| minerals apparently has not been gener-
ally accepted serious criticism.
Advocates of the bill as 1t was reported
| from the committee public lands as
sert that there could be very few water
power sites affected.
No decision has been reached as to state
hood legislation, but the general impress
sion seems to be that nothing will be
done at the present session.
Even If the bill reported from the Sem
ate committee on territories should be
passed it differs so much from the House
hot ha 1ie~lat n1a
for any agreement In conference.
Railroad Bill Is Key
The railroad bill therefore, appears to
be the key to the adjournment situation
just as 1t had been for nearly four months.
When that is out of the way and the
| measure has been approved by Presi-
de mt Taft members of Congress can lay
their plans to go home
All of the conference agreements on
the railroad bill are tentative and. there
fore. the conferees are not inclined to
make them public. 1t is known. however,
that the Senate amendment shifting from
shippers to the railroads the burden OF
proving the reasonableness Of increases
in rates and the Overman amendment
l1 describing the rule under which fed
eral courts would be permitted to Sc.
aside orders of state courts. both will
be retained. These provisions are highly
pleasing to progressive republicans and
democrats.
The most serious trouble looked for ia
the adoption OF the conference report viii
re in connection with the long and short
haul clause. A rigid requirement that
no railroad should charge a higher rate
for long than for a short haul Is not
favored by the Senate conferees.
Many lawyers held that the House
amendment would be declared unconsti-
trtiona in that 1t delegates legislative
authority to the interstate commerce COM
mission. The Senate amendment pre-
scribes the rule by which railroads would
not be permitted to discriminate against
short hauls ard meets the constitutional
question, according to the views of its
trainers.
Fears of Insurgents
The insurgents in the Senate fear that
If the Senate conferees yield to the House
in this matter their hard fight over this
question will prove to have been waste
OF time. IT is likely they would debate
the conference report at length il the
House provision Is adopted.
Ir the main the Senate conferees have
agreed to accept the provision in the
House hill which provides for the amend
ing of section ! of the existing Inter-
state commerce law as greatly to en-
large the jurisdiction of the commission
roads. y
There is still some dispute over re-
ouirement that all railroads must be pre-
pal ed to make ARRANGEMENTS with othe'
lines in the esta ablishment of through
rates and ito provide reasonable facih-
ties for operating through routes" The
Senate conferees assert that there are
railroads which might be crippled by
strict application of this provision.
The provisions of the Senate and House
on the subject of placing telegraph. tele-
phone and cable companies under the
Jurisdiction of the interstate commerce
commission have been rewritten. but
IN the main the new draft compares ia
vora ply with the La Toilette amendment
adopted by the Senate.
,r..o f-nsa-ou IxtlIad Rv Truis.