The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-22
CUMM|NS POUNDS
RAILROAD BILL
Traffic Agreement Section Is
Sharply Attacked
DEFECT IN THE BILL
DEFECT IN THE BILL
Senator Cummins shows That Proposal
for Traffic Agreement Would Null
Iify the Anti-Trust Law II
Put Into Effect

Washington, April 21.-Traffic agree
ments consumed the entire time given
by the Senate today to the railroad bill
and they were under consideration
when the Senate adjourned. Senator
Cummins held the floor throughout. He
spoke against the section permitting
such agreements and against the Craw-
ford substitute for it. :
Declaring his intention to denounce
trust law as this provision did, he said
the ultimate purpose of the legislation
was to allow the railroads to fix their
own rates without first submitting them
to the interstate commerce commission.
Without the establishment of rates any
traffic agreement must be vague and
shadowy and of little effect. 1t was
difficult enough for the commission
people to stand against the aggressive
those of 10 or 20 or 80 would be more
difficult still, he said. If the rates
were not to be approved in advance
by the commission then there would
be no substitute for the antitrust act
and that he said was the difference
between the Crawford amendment and
his own. 1t was not true, as had been
stated. that President Roosevelt had
advised the unconditional repeal of the
the interstate commerce commission
had done so.
1.-THE question at ISSUE" he said SIS
shall the agreed rates of the railroad
companies go into effect without the
approval of the commissions
Mr.. Aldrich interrupted. He assert
ed that under the terms of the amend
ment the rates that might be specified
in an agreement went into effect as
did individual rates and did not go
into effect by reason of the compact.
Mr.. Crawford said this was not his I'M
Outstanding, but his opinion was that
the provision would require approval
of the agreement before the rates took
effect.
Mr.. Aldrich said that by none of the
propositions of this bill could a rate be
| fixed by an agreement because all of
the rates must be subject to the control
which the commission has over other
rates.
You propose by indirection to give the
commission the right indefinitely to sus-
pend rates-to suspend them forever if
so desired"
Replying. Mr.. Cummins said his COM
plant was against the permission to the
railroads to enter into agreements that
may become effective without the pre-
vious approval Of the committee. In
such agreements. he argued, there was
no opportunity for individual initiative.
The two classes of rates could not be
placed on the same level and he urged
that If the antitrust law was to be re-
pealed a better remedy must be found
than that provided by the bill as it stood.
Mr. Elkins declared Mr. Cummins' con-
tention for approval of rates in advance
to be "impracticable and absurd He
said that from 5000 to 10000 people were
now employed by the railroad companies
in establishing rates, and declared that
the interstate commerce commission must
| have a great force of experts In order
to carry out Mr.. Cummins idea
II am not ready to stand here and de-
stroy the entire freight traffic structure
| of the railroads. he said, land I do
not believe the people demand that we
| should do so.'
He said that he did not want the anti
| trust law repealed, but he did desire to
assist in relieving the executive officials
| from the embarrassment they found
| themselves under in enforcing the law.
T.