The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-06
MUCH INTEREST IN
RESULT OF DEBATE
RailroaderS Await Action on
Interstate Commerce Law
Amendments.
ORIGINAL MEASURE PROVIDING
FOR LONG TERM is CHANGED.

IAN railroad men and big shippers in
the west are vitality interested in the
outcome Of the debate in both Houses
OF Congress over amendments to the
Interstate commerce law" said J. T.
Sudbury, a prominent Indiana railroad
man. who passed through Salt Lake
yesterday on his way to the northwest,
where he viii be associated with the
Northern Pacific. 4 have just come
from Washington and nave caught the
trend of discussion. No matter how
slight any impending change may seem,
when the interstate commerce law is
being tempered with you can rest as
sured that every move is watched from
every part of the United States.
COMMITTEES in the House and Senate
that have charge Of this important mat
ter have begun consideration Of the ad-
ministratiOn and other measures, with
the intention of preparing bills upon
which majority can agree, with view
to prompt report to the Senate and
House
1t is apparent, I think, that Presi-
dent Taft will not be able to obtain the
enactment of his recommendations in
the form he submitted them originally
10 Congress. The opposition has insisted
upon numerous notifications that will
SETTLE once and for all the rights Of
carriers anu lllt ttEL4LS VI LAlC bGOpACs
1t is said in Washington that the Pres
ident is by no means satisfied with the
phraseOlOgy of the WiCkeTsham bill
and amendments have been submitted
by the attorney general to the chair
men Of the committees.
Whole Country Interested.
washington is filled with railroad
men, and others have come and gone
leaving their impressions with the COM
mittees or with lobbyists or their
friends in both houses. Any time the
interstate commerce law is to he tam
pered with, the first hint of 1t draws a
big bunch of prominent railroad men
from all lines, many Of whom may have
no axes to grind, but who want TO be on
the ground to see what is going on.
As I understand ii, in the original
administration bin provision was made
that the court of commerce to which
appeals would be taken from the rul-
ings Of the Interstate commerce COM
mission should be comprised of five
judges 10 be from time to time desig-
mated by the chief justice of the SUI
preme court from among the circuit
judges of the United States. Their
terms OF office would he five years.
This was in line with the views eX-
pressed by the President in his special
message, when he explained that the
chief value of the court would be in the
uniformity of its decisions, thus bring
ing about a systematic, effective and
scientific enforcement of the law. This
would Obviate the conflicting opinions
that have been given from time to time,
thus making an uncertainty Of result.
THE questions TO be decided would
be very technical and for this reason it
was decided to create q corps of judi
ciaI experts in all transportation mat
ters Later. however. the attorney gen.
eraI presented an amendment that
showed a radical change from the Presi-
dents original attitude This amend
ment provided that no circuit judge
designated by the chief justice shall
serve for more than a year. and must
be ont a year before being reappointed.
Would Require Specialist.
personally. 1 am not in sympathy
with this change. In fact I am not in
favor Of any kind Of a special court, but
if there is 10 be one. ] believe that the
tenure of Office Of the members should
be more than one year. Why. it would
require more than a year for a man to
become anywhere near acquainted with
the technical side OF the problems ne
would be called upon TO solve. A man
would have to be a specialist, and no
matter what he knows Of law, he would
have TO possess q vast knowledge of
interstate commerce law and its many
angles before he could make good i'm so
important an Office. In five years, he
would probably have time to study and
solve the great problem that so few
are familiar with"
Mr.. sudbury left last night for Seat
lie, after making acquaintance in rail-
road circles in salt Lake, BY railroad
men generally, he is regarded as an ex-