Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-15
RAILROAD BILL
NAY Be RECALLED.
ALpRIcH AND ALLIES FRIGHT
ENEp AT GENERAL CRITICISM
OF COMMERCE MEASURE.
cuMM,Ns OPENS FIGHT
~ CRITICAL ARRANGEMENT
Says Bill Has Been Butehsred and Doc
torsd Until Original 10 Unrecosniz-
abie- criticizes Congress for Permit
ting Outsiders to Dictate Legislation
Necessity for Amendment Seen.
Special to Times-Republican.


Special to Times
Washington, March 15.-Alarmed by
the storm Of criticism of President
Taft's railroad bill, Senator Aldrich
and his allies in the senate are talking
of recommitting it to the senate inter-
state commerce committee. The fight
on the bill opened this afternoon, when
Senator Cummins began his analysis
how utterly worthless ut is in its
present form.
The movement to recommit has
been started among the Aldrich follow
ers. and II presented to the senate at
all will come from that side It is due
to realization that the bill must be
amended and to the belief that some
amendments could be made in commit
tee without attracting such general
public attention as they would if
adopted in the senate in open opposi-
ton to the expressed wishes of the
president and the commands Of Sena-
tor Aldrich.
The position taken by the progress
sives from the beginning has been that
the bill should not have been reported
from the committee without material
changes. They opposed the motion to
report and were beaten by the solid
reactionary membership Of the COM
mittee.
1t was then that Aldrich declared
that the bill must be put thru as 1t
had been prepared by the administra-
ton.
shortly after o'clock this after
noon the senate entered upon discus
sion Of the administration railroad bill.
Cummins. Of Iowa, opened for the op-
position ana occupied the remainder OF
the session.
cssnni,,s lanybxsts Measure.
Senator Cun1n1ins in his Introductory
remaf1ks. In opposition to the bill spoke
as follows:
'sMr. President: The bill under con-
sideration proposes certain additions
and amendments to the several stat
utes which. taken together, are popu-
larly known as the interstate COM
merce law. In the authority Of con-
gress to regulate and control common
carriers, there lies greater power to
promote the general welfare than can
be found in any other provision Of the
constitution. For twenty-three years
the federal government has been at
tempting to protect the people against
excessive and discriminatory charges
for interstate transportation. After
each attempt experience speedily dis
closed fatal weaknesses in the legis-
lation adopted. The act Of 1906 has
shared the fate Of all its predecessors,
and we are now confronted with the
imperative and important duty. of
Strengthening the interstate commerce
law so that 1T may accomplish the OBJ
jects which are universally accepted
as the proper objects to be attained.
My chief purpose in addressing the
senate at this time is to analyze the
measure that has been reponted by
majority Of the Interstate commerce
committee from the standpoint Of the
minority report presented by the jun
Tor senator from Minnesota and my
self, and to propose such amendments
to the bill as will make It an effective
instrument Of regulation; but, in view
Of the extraordinary circumstances
which surround the bill, and Of my in
tent to comment upon the relation
which ought to exist between the ex-
ecutive and legislative branches Of the
government with respect to legislation,
I believe It to be my duty to inquire
into the origin of the bill, land to trace
its evolution into its present form.
10 Il Presidents Bill?
This bill is not the product OF any
senator or Of any member of the house
Of representatives, and 1t has never
been considered by the interstate COM
merce committee Of the senate in the
sense In which It is the obligation Of
every committee Of the senate to con-
slider bin before 1t is reported Ac-
cording to the unchallenged reports of
the public press, certain gentlemen,
namely. the attorney general. the solic-f
itor general, the secretary Of comm cree
and labor, two members of the inter-
state commerce commission, and a rep
resentatiye in congress. met in New
York on the 30th Of August of last
year to consider and put in the form
OF o bill the views which the presi-
dent Of the United States had at vari-
GUS times expressed with regard to
amendments Of the Interstate commerce
law. This supervisory and unofficial
commission, will assume, acted under
the Invitation or command OF the pres
ident. The result of its labors while
bearing date Sept. End, did not in fact
come into the hands Of the president,
as ! have been informed, until about
Nov. 10th. / have seen the report OF
these pioneers Of the present move
ment. Indeed, I have a copy Of It on
my desk at the present moment. It
was printed for the confidential use Of
the president; but it quickly became
public property, and was in the hands
OF the railroads even before it reached
the president. / do not intend to refer
to IT 1t this point further than to
lay that. were It not for the birthmark
OF the commerce court, which has dis
tineuiehed the bill in all its stages.
the Ssn4lenen who sat upon the mat
ter ~ 1esw York would not be able