The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-06-04
THE RAILROAD
BILL PASSED
Final Vote Was Overwhel.
ming, it Being Fifty to
Twelve.

Washington, June 4.-The railroad
bill passed the senate at 9:55 O'Clock
last night by vote of 80 to ~. Sen
ators Chamberlain, Clay, Gore, Payn-
ter, Simmons and Stone are the only
Democrats who voted for the bill.
The bill passed by the senate re-
passed several weeks ago. While still
hearing the title and the number, of
the measure passed by the house, 1t
has been radically amended by the
senate. and the stage into which it
will pass fs that Of aaconfere6ee con-
sideration by joint committee which
will seek to reach a ground Of agree
mept between these two houses. 1t is
anticipated the conference will begin
Tuesday.
At q. conference between Represen-
tative Mann of Illinois and Senators
Aldrich, Elkfns and Crane it was sug-
gested that the house might accept
the senate amendments and the con-
ference be avoided. If this course
should be taken it would permit the
adjournment of congress within three
weeks.
The ''high spots in the railroad bill
as it passed the senate may be de-
scribed as follows:
The bill provides for the creation
of new court of commerce" for
the consideration exclusively of ap-
peals from orders of the interstate
commerce commission. The court ia
to consist of five judges, to sit in
Washington. Their powers are to be
coordinate with the judges of the
federal circuit court, to receive the
to be appointed in the first instance
by the president for terms respective
ly Of one, two, three, four and five
years. Each as he retires to take up
the work of circuit judge, is to be
succeeded by designation from the
circuit bench, these and other va
cancies to be filled by appointment hy
the chief justice of the supreme court.
While the Offices of the court are
to be in Washington and regular ses-
sions are to be held here, provision
is made for sittings anywhere in the
United States. The government, rath-
er than the interstate commerce COM
mission, is made the defendant in all
cases coming before the court, but the
commission is permitted to intervene,
as are other interested parties. The
defense is placed under the direction
of the attorney general, but the COM
mission and interested parties are
permitted to have counsel and to
carry ON the Suit in case of the fail
ure of the attorney general to do so.
Appeal may be taken to the supreme
court.
Senator I4aFollette presented a
large number of amendments to the
bill during the day, the most impor-
tant of which provided that no person
interested in railroad company shall
be appointed to membership Of the
proposed court of commerce, and sub
stituting the supreme court as a body
for the chief justice in performing
the duty of designating circuit court
judges for service on the bench of the
commerce court. Both amendments
were lost, the former by a vote of 20
to 30. and the latter 18 to 80.
Both amendments aroused sharp
criticism. Speaking to the provision
supplanting the chief justice. Mr..
Carter said the reflection on that Office
was such that John Jay and John
Marsh all might we'll turn in their
graves" II they could be made aware
of the suggestion.
Mr.. Hale made All impassioned pro-
test against the amendment. lie in
terpreted it as reflection upon the
present chief justice.
LaFOllette In Trouble.
Senator LaFollette got into hot wa
ter, probably unintentionally, with
the vice president, and afterward was
taken to task by other senator's with
regard to his practice of detailing the
records of his colleagues on public