Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-03
SEE |. c. c. ANNULLED
BY OVERMAN MEASURE
Senator Cummins Calls Pas
sage Step Toward Destruc-
tion of Nation
Washington. April 3

! Washington. April ..
! President wilson's effort to obtain
from Congress the unusual powers pro-
| posed in the Overmar bill is meeting
| vigorous opposition from both sides of
/ the Senate. In fact. so general
are the attacks made upon its pro-
visions by both Democrats and Repub-
| licans that 1t seems certain the bill
will not pass without the bitterest con-
gressional fight since the war began.
one of the lines of attack to be fol-
lowed by it's opponents was revealed at
the outset Of yesterdays debate by Sen
ator Cummins, Republican, OF Iowa.
who held up the speCter of presidential
action annuling the powers of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission and trans
ferrng its functions of appraising the
railroad systems and reviewing rate
decisions TO IAN unnamed man who
might nto discharge those functions
with the same high sense Of duty that
we have a right to expect and that at
present We have the power to compel
Senator Overman told the Senate that
the sole object of the bill is to enable
the President to have such control or
the machinery OF Government as VIII IN
the greatest measure facilitate speedy
and successful conclusion Of the war,
and that the only ground for opposition
to giving the commander-in-chief the
powers he asks is that he Is not mt to
be trusted With those powers.
II would like TO know" asked Sena-
tor Cummins, 'if under the terms Of
this measure. the President could not
take any commission, department or
bureau of the Government and transfer
its functions to any of the advisory COM
mittees of the Council of National De-
fense? For instance. could he not take
all of the powers of the Interstate Com
merce Commission, the Federal Reserve
Board, the Federal Trade Commission
or any other of the legally responsible
agencies Of government and turn their
powers over to these .committees?'
"If," asked Senator Overman by way
of reply, "the Senator from Iowa deemed
.it necessary to save the Union that the
powers of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission be transferred to some other
branch of the Government, would he be
willing TO do itT'
There is but one answer" said Cum
minis, and that is that ] would abolish
the Interstate Commerce Commission or
any other commission or department If
II was necessary to save the Union. In
this case believe that II is not neces-
sary TO adopt this Dill IN order TO save
the Union, and. on the other hand,
think the passage OF it would be an in
huential step in the destruction of the
Union"
Senator Overman said that Abraham
Lincoln faced the necessity OF co-ordi
mating various branches Of the Gov
ernment in order TO save the Union aud
that he did SO in spite of law and was
roundly denounced as a usurper and
dictator. Woodrow Wilson, he contin-
ued, sees the necessities OF this crisis
and yet does not choose to appear to
the people as a dictator or a u0urper
OF authority and hence his appeal to
Congress to unite his hands and permit
him to carry on a war free to grappie
with wars ever-chapging situations.
Senator Overman continued his ad-
dress in favor of the measure, quoting
a speech of eN-Justice Charles Il. Hughes
delivered i'm New York last September
to show the necessity or co-ordinated
power TO win the war and further
quoted messages sent ITO Congress by
ex-President Taft criticizing the "un-
scientific" methods of fixing estimates in
the executive branches of the Govern
ment. recommending changes.
why" loudly proclaimed the Senator
from North Carolina, I'VE have the most
unscientifc Government in the world ="