The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-05-10
By Vote of 200 to 126 Lower
House Acts Favorably on
Administration Bill.
AMENDMENT LOST
BY CLOSE MARGIN
Insurgents Are Badly Split on the
Section to Create a Court
of Commerce.

The House today passed the Admins
tration railroad bill a. amended IN
Committee OF the Whole as II was re-
ported 10 the House from that com
mittee by vote OF 90 10 1z5
Chairman Mann Of the Interstate and
Foreign Commerce COMMITTEES, endeav-
ored 70 put back into the bin section p
IN the form in which It was amended In
Committee Of the Whole before It was
finally struck out
This section prohibited railroad com
panles and water carriers from accuir-
ing any interest in the capital stock cot
substantially competitive corporations -
but allowing the railroad companies and
HateT carriers 70 acquire an interest
( IN the capital stock Of railroad com -
panles and water carriers declared by
the interstate Commerce Commission 70
be mot substantially CompetItors
Amendment Defeated
This amendment was defeated bv 4
vote Of I5S 70 150, and an analysis Of
the vote disclOses the interesting fact
that the amendment would have carried
had It not been for the opposition OF
Massachusetts,. Rhode Island, and Con
I nectiCut Republicans.
As soon as the Mann amendment had
I been disposed Of and the third reading
OF the bll ordered. Representative
AdaTnsOn or Georgia senior Democrat OF
{ Committee made his motion 20 recon-
NIT the bili with instructions.
Insurgents Split
The most important Of these iustrue-
/ tons was that providing that the com
n1i.tee report the bill back 10 the House
[ without the section creating the court
{ OF commerce, so rauch desired by Presi-
( dent Taft
I On this proposition the insurgents were
badly split. and the motion was lost by a
vote Of 1l6 20 15I, twenty votes less than
Z the number necessary 70 send the bII
back to the committee.
Mr- Mann then asked for q vote OF the
I bill, as reported from the Committee cf
I the Whole and the Oil was passed
Vote Is Close.
Il was BY the rather close vote of 1ss
/ 10 1s0 that the House refused TO rein
/ seTt in the railroad Bill section p which
is known as the merger section and
/ which had been already eliminated in
I the Committee OF the Whole
/ Section z remains out OF Ihe BIZ
I through the fact that q few insy-r-
I gents. q few regulars, and the solid
/ Democratic membership voted against
/ It When Nr- Mann first presented The
/ amendment 70 reinsert section r. &
/ seemSE that the organization OF the
+ vote had carried the day
/ A roll call, however. was demanded
/ before the standing vote count was com
/ pleted, and this rather uueLpeCtedIv
/ developed JnaI the opposition had SUI
/ hclent votes 20 finally dispose OF the
/ secTion-
- soon as the vote on the merger
/ section was announced the previous
question was ordered Represeu tatfve
! Acar1son OF Georgia. ranking minority
member on the Interstate and FOREIGN
commerce Committee, moved 70 re-
commit the entirely bill 10 that CON-
mittee with instructions 10 report IL
/ back minus any provision Tor the
/ creation OF the commerce court
Adamsoa Gives Notice.
/ Mr.. Adam.1n gave notice on Friday
| last that he would move 20 strike out
| al sections relating TO the commerce
/ court as soon as the bin was present
/ cd to the ,a51se for final passage
The following Republicans. some OF
them insurgents and some regulars,
] voted against section 10 Anes, Cary.
! Carrier, Draper, GlIett, Greene
/ GrOEna- Haugen, Henry. Higgins, Hin,
! Hibbard Of Iowa, Kendall. LenrOop.
/ Lind berEh. Hadden. Nelson Parker
/ TilsOns Tarrell- Washburn- Weeks
member on the Interstate and foreign
Mann Amendment Out.
The Mann amendment. which the
/ House defeated todey, was virtually the
/ same as the merger section Of the orig
1 InaI bill as knocked out in the commit
/ tee OF the whole after It had beer per
/ fected- II provided that lines subztan-
tally competitive should not merge end
that directors Of one railroad corpora
ton should not hold Office in another
/ water carrier OF railroad.
That part Of the section, however.
which caused its original defeat In
the committee Of the whole and again
in the House proper when the bill was
put upon its final passage today was
I that which permitted mergers Of non
Q competitive lines if consent were
given by the Interstate Commerce
/ Commission
1t was this provfso which the Den9o-
/ legged would partly nullify the Sher-
man antitrust law. Mr.. Mann as
SurHd Representative Suizer. at The
beginning OF the limited debate today.
plfshed.
The Responsible Clause
This is the clause {n the section
which IS directly responsible for the
defeat Of section - in its entirety in
the House this Afternoon;
/ Provided. however. That any railroad
OF water carrier corporation. being =
common carrier. may lease or purchase
any railroad OF water line. or may ac-
auire any interest In the capital stock
/ Of the CORPORATION OF any railroad or
water line. that IS not substantially
/ competitive. If the public welfare VIII
be thereby promoted. bat no such pur-
/ upon applica ton TO the Interstate Com
nIerce Commission, and upon an order
OF said commission permitting such
lease or sale The Interstate CommerEe
--Ha- rafe