The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-22
Fight on Administration Rail
road Bill.in Senate Fierce
and Prolonged.
SENATOR FROM IOWA
POINTED IN CRITICISM
Declares Administration Work
ing for Railroads Rather
Than Common People.

WASHINGTON. April 2l.-Traf1c
agreements consumed the entire time
given by the senate today 90 the railroad
bill. and they were under consideration
when the senate adjourned. Senator
Cunmins held the floor throughout.
He spoke against the action permitting
such agreements and against the Craw-
ford substitute for it,
Declaring his intention Of dcnouncing
any legislation that nullihed the anti
trust law as this provision did, ne sad
the ultimate purpose Of the lesislh'io'i
was TO allow tho railroads to fix theiT
ou.n rates without first submitting them
In tbn Interstate commerce commission.
Without the establishment of rates. an!
traffic agreement must be vague ana OF
little effect
II was difficult enough for the common
people to stand against the agGressions
of ono railroad. To stand against thos'
of ten or twenty or thirty would ne more
difficult still. II the rates were not 10
he approved in advance by the comnis-
sion then there would be no substitute
for the antitrust act, and that. he sslo
was the difficulty between the CRAWFORD
amendment and his own. o,.,,a
1t was not true, as had bcen stL.Gu'
that President Roosevelt had advised the
unconditional repeal OF inc anti sl .rnst
law nor that the interstate commerce
"Tho question al issue" nc SAID. "is;
Shall the agreed rates OF the railroad
companies go into effect without the ap-
proYal of the commission
Aldrich Makes Stand.
Mr. Aldrch interrupted, He asserted
under the terms OF the amendment Tue
rates that might be specified In an aSree-
ment went into effect as did indlNiduai
rates. and did not so into effect by rea-
son of the compact
Mr. Crawford said tis was not his
understandings His opinion was the
provision should require approval OF the
agreement before the rates took erect.
Mr. Aldrich said that by none OF the
propositions of the bill could rate be
fixed by an agreement, because all OF
tho rates must be subject To the control
which the commission had over their
rates.
SYou propose by indirection 10 give the
commission the right indefinitely TO sus-
pend rates-to suspend them forever, II
il so desired.
Replying Mr. Cummins said his conf
plant was against the permission TO the
railroads TO enter into agreements that
may become effective, without the preVlS
Gus approval OF the commission. In suen
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 II
the antitrust law was to be repealed,
n better remedy must be found than that
provided by the bill as il stood,
Opposition by Elkins.
Mr. Elkins said Mr.. CumminSS con-
tention for approval of rates in advance
was Impractical bic and absurd. He said
that from 5000 to 10000 people were now
employed by the railroads In establish
ing rates. and he asserted that the inter-
state commerce commission must have a
great force OF experts to carry out Mr..
CunminS'S idea
II am not ready To stand here and de-
stroy the entire freight traffic structure
of the railroads" he said, land ] do not
believe the people demand we should 90
So"
He said he did not want the antitrust
law repealed but he did desire TO assist
In relieving the executives OF TINS einoar-
rassn1cnt they find themselves under in
enforcing the law.