The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-04-27
MEASURE SHOWN
TO Be UNWORTHY
PRocREsslvEs PROVE TRUTH OF
THEIR CONVENTIONS As TO
THE RAILROAD BILL.
IN INTEREST OF COMPANIES
One Of the Sound Reasone Advanced
for lts INSTRUMENTATION Of Senators
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sat
listed with Advance
ment Made.

washing IOA.-LVeIy CuaI60 WH1C1
the Progressives made in regard tt
to the purpose of the railroad bill pre-
pared by Attorney General Wicker
cham was conceded upon the floor o.
the senate before the measure had
been under discussion two days.
It 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 oil
the senate charged with the duty OF
considering and framing legislation
dealing with interstate commerce.
These hearings were before an extra
legal commission designated by the
president, and a record of the pro-
ceedings has not been preserved.
1t Is a measure entirely different
from the draft first proposed by this
extra legal commission. the changes
having been made to meet the OBJ
3ect1ons 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 it 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.
VINO under its terms, is the only per.
son with authority to determine what
suits, II sny, shall be defended by the
government,
Would Permit Merqers.
The bill, In SO far as the corpora.
lions are concerned. nullifies the Sher-
man antitrust act, 1t permits the
merger of railroads.
The terms of the bin 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
trahc agreements should be subject
70 the approval Of the commission,
while the bill provides not for an.
proval. but only that the commission
snail have right to challenge such an
agreement in the court.
These were the principal noints
brought out In the mastery presenta-
ton OF Senator Cummins, in leading
off 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 is of.
1ered from committee is for the
chairman or some member of the
committee who is placed in charge o.
the measure, to make a statement IN
support of 1t and defend 1t from th,,
attack of those who oppose II. For
days the Progressive members If tho
senate anx1ously inquired If there was
any member OF the committee who de.
sired to speak upon the bill. and at
every turn they We're met with the
reply that no one was ready or de.
sired to speak. Finally when II he-
came evident that the purpose of the
organization was not to discuss the
measure, but merely to force It 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 of in the discussion. Sen.
Ator Cummins had not been areuin.
the bill for an hour before the Or.
ganization was driven from its I'M.
tenable position. and was compelled
to abandon the policy Of silence. TN,
der the flashing by Senator Cummins
and some facetious remarks nv San.
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.
OF course Senator Aldrich Immediate
ly called over Senator Elktns and
quietly disciplined him for this rash
admission. What Senator Elkins aaid
was true, so far as this measure Ia
concerned. because 1t is evident that
the more 1t Is discussed the mora
votes 1t will lose
A'drlch Forced to Surrender
Under the analysis of the terms ~
the bill made by Senator Cummins
Senator Aldrich was forced to make a
tender of surrender, in SO far as tho
paragraph of the bill legalizing traf.
ac agreements without the approval
of the interstate commerce commits.
sion. and the paragraph which is a re-.
peal of the antitrust law are con.
cerned.
1t Is now conceded that the debate
on the railroad bill will run over sew.
eral weeks, and that 1t will be an en-.
tirely different measure when 1t leaves
the senate than when 1t was forced in