The sun., 1910-05-12
RAILWAY LEGISLATION TALK
SENATORS COMPARING THEIR
BILL WIN HOUSE BILL.

LonE IIaul-Short Haul Clause sure % De
Killed Conjeetures a. % ghs Erect
on HarmOny % tho Ilome Speeches
% Senators Cumnlna and DolliVes.
WAsHEGruN. May iI.-Interest In the
railway legislation In Congress h Sun
pended temporarily. but will bo revived
before the end of the week. Tho mattsr
was put up 20 ths Senate to-day whsn ths
bill that passed tho House yesterday vas
-messaged- over and promptly referred
20 tho Committee on Iaterstate Com
| merce.
Most OF tho discussion Of the railway
bill was confined 70 little groups Of SEN
atOrs who got together 20 compare the
bill that passed the House with the one
now before tho senate and 10 speculate
upon the chances for an agreement
That tho House bin must be prunsd a.
many points before II will meet the views
Of the Senate was admitted. Senator Ia
Follstte's PCT plan for authorizing the TAX
ing Of a physical valuation Of railway
properties that crept INTO tho House bill
quite Unexpectedly will be knocked out
by the senate. Il was said
The amendment forbiddinR transpor-
tation companies from charging more
FOR a short haul than Tor a long haul
where tho short haul Ia included In the
long haul il the livelisst subject before
the Senate az this time. The amendment
ot senator Dixon. which embodies the
House provision. has been selected ~ the
rallying point IN the Senate for the
friends Of the legislation, but the Official
polls taken in the last few days show
that Il cannot prevail Nineteen or twenty
Republican senators. insurgents and the
Senators who represent intermountain
States which have been complaining Of
the alleged discrimination against them
by tho transcontinental railroads IN favor
Of Pacific coast points. will support the
Dixon amendment. hut there viii BE- a
sufficient accession ot Democratic Senators
10 the Republican regulars to defeat the
amendment. The friends Of tho amend
ent concede this. their most careful polk
showing not less than twelve Democratic
senators against the amendment. So The
long and short haul feature Of the House
bin is doomed In the Senate.
The amendment In the House bin bring
ing telephone and telegraph companies
under control % the Interstate Commerce
Commission Is not popular in the senate
and will probably be voted out. The
Commerce court. which was retained by
the House by = majority of ono vote. will
be ooncurred In. Presidsnt Taft Il
insistent upon its retention. and the Senate
has practically acted favorably upon Il
already
The House amendment vesting the ap-
pointment q the commerce court in the
United States supreme Court instead Of
by the President will proba-
bly, bo tho cause of little conflict. II the
House IL iFisistent there probably will bo
no prolonged resistance by the senate. |
Both houses are agreed upon tho elimina- !
tion ot the merger provision An un- |
pleasant impression was created among /
the Administration senators By the criti- /
c.sm ~ President Taft by the two Iowa /
Yesterday In speeches in Iowa. /
and some ~ them to-day feared that Il /
bodes 10 Tor harmony Efforts on this bill I
II senator Cummins and DoiliveF come ,
back flushed with satisfaction over hearty |
lEd0 rsement Of their insurRent course |
by their constituents some u the Admin |
istration Senators apprehend that they /
may attempt 10 incorporate more radical !
amendments 20 the BIZ.