The Holly chieftain., 1910-04-01
MEASURE SHOWN
70 Be UNWORTHY
PRocREssivEs PROVE TRUTH OF
THEIR CONVENTIONS As TO
THE RAILROAD BILL.
IN INTEREST OF COMPANIES
One Of the Sound Reasons Advanced
Tor Its Rsjsetion-Aetlon Of Senators
acknowledgements Sat
isnsd with Advance
msnt Made.


listed with Advance .
msnt Made.
Washington.-Every charge which
the Progressives made In regard to
to the purpose Of the railroad. blu pre-
pared by Attorney General Wicker
sham was conceded upon the door of
the senate before. the measure had
been under discussion two days.
II was reported out Of the commit
tee without consideration Of its de-
tails.
The vital hearings upon the meas
ure were not before the committee of
the senate charged with the duty of
considering and framing legislation
dealing with interstate commerce.
These hearings were before an extra
legSl commission designated by the
president. and record Of the pro-
ceedings has not been preserved.
1t is q measure entirely different
from the draft first proposed by this
extra legal commission. the changes
having been made to meet the OBJ
Jecaons OF the railroads. and with
out opportunity to know the reasons
or the necessity for them.
1t circumscribes the powers Of the
commission and makes 1t impossible
Tor that body to defend its own or.
ders.
1t gives the railroads additional rea.
sons to control the department of JUS
uce. and to look carefully after the
appointment Of an attorney general.
who under its terms. is. the only per-
son with authority to determine what
suits. II any. shall be defended by the
government
Would Permit Mergers.
The bill. in SO far as the corpora
tions are concerned. nullifies the Sher.
man anti-trust act. It permits the
merger Of railroads.
The terms Of the bill affecting traf.
nc agreement between railroads are
not in accord with the platform dec
laration OF the Republican party nor
with the public utterances of Presi-
dent Taft or OF former President
Roosevelt. They declared that these
traffic agreements should be subject
to the approval Of the commission.
while the bill provides not for ap-
proval. but only that the commission
shall have right to challenge such an
agreement in the court
These were the principal points
brought out in the mastery presenta-
ton of Senator Cummins, in leading
on IN the debate upon the bill pro-
testing against the interstate com.
merce act
An unprecedented situation exists
in regard to this bill. No measure of
such importance has ever been
crowded into congress under similar
circumstances. No man in the sen.
ate stands sponsor for this bill, and
none who support 1t seem to be either
competent or willing to defend it. The
usual proceeding when a bill ia of.
fered from committee is for the
chairman or some member of the
committee who is placed in charge O,
the measure. to make statement In
support Of II and defend 1t from tn.
attack OF those who oppose 1t. For
days the Progressive members of the
senate anxiously inquired If there was
any member Of the committee who de.
sired to speak upon the bill. and at
every turn they were met with the
reply that no one was ready or de-.
sired to speak. Finally when It be.
came evident that the purpose Of the
Organization was not to discuss the
measure, but merely to force 1t to a
vote simply because Senator Aldrich
and those who were standing with
him felt that by not discussing It. and
by forcing 1t to vote, that there
would be votes enough to carry It
through the senate. the opponents of
the bill led off in the discussion. Sen.
ator Cummins had not been arguing
the bill for an hour before the Or.
ganization was driven from its un.
tenable position. and was compelled
to abandon the policy of silence. Un.
der the lashing by Senator Cummins
and some facetious remarks by Sen.
ator Bailey, Senator Elkins, who is
IN charge Of the measure, was forced
into the statement that he did not
know whether he intended to talk or
not. because sometimes by talking
votes would be lost for a measure
AIdrieh Forced to Surrender,
Under the analysis Of the terms of
the bill made by. Senator Cummins,
i>I