The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-02-23
RAILROAD BILL !:
PASSED BY THE
UPPER HOUSE:
NO ROLLCALL ON
THE FINAL VOTE
Control Will Be Limited to
Eighteen Months After
the War.

WASHINGTON, Feb. o2.-The admin
j tration bill. providing for government
! control of railroads until Is months after
| the war. including many short lines.
and appropriating revolving fund OF
| $500. 900, 600 for federal operation, Was
! passed to-day by the senate without 4
roll CALL and now awaits action In the
| house, where it is under debate.
| Both senate and house worked through
| to-day'S holiday 10 expedite the legisla-
| ton. General debate was concluded to-
day in the house and arrangements
made to consider amendments to-mor-
| how under n fve-mnute debate rule
! with a view 70 final action early next
week. Differences between the senate
and house drafts then will be adjusted
in conference.
Short Lines Included.
| Neither on final passage nor on num-
/ crous roll calls to-day, in the senate,
| WAS there any record OF sentiment on
| the bill as a whole. The agreement o.
1 the senate Interstate commerce commit
| tee, under which the compromise draft
! was brought in virtually precludcd inn
portant revision. The only amendment
radically changing the compromise
/ draft provided for inclusion Of short
| line" railroads in federal control and
| benefits
| Provisions OF The committee com:
| promise, liking the compensation of
railroads to the thrce-ycar basis, pro-
viding the s500000.00O revolving fund
] appropriation, authorizing the President
10 initiate rates subject to interstate
| commerce commission veto, and limit
! ing government control to is months
| after the war. all we retained by tho
| senate.
Amendments to reduce the period of
control after peace is declared fefled.
One. by Senator Lodge OF Massachu-
sets. TO make the time limit six months
| instead Of IS months. was defeated. -
! To IS. and another. by Senator King CT
| Utah. to make the period Ic months,
! likewise was rejected. % TO 90. There
was no attempt 10 revive the tlShr for
| indefinite government control. which
was defeated yesterday by the decisive
| vote of 81 TO 10. ..-,-'
| Provision for the short line" rail-
roads was made in All amendment by
Senator CunminS of Iowa. adopted 5S
TO II. Independent feeders" Of the
trunk lines estimated to nc worth more
than n billion dollars are affected. Fears
EXPRESSED by many senators today thar
the short lines" would hccome bankrupt
| If not brought within government CON-
troll was the basis of the scnatG'S &C.
( tion.
. Director General Mchdoo has opposed
1.-The LEGISLATION for the short lines on
tho ground that no railroads except those
lsclectcd as necessary I" government
uuitlcation and successful operation
should be brought within federal direc-
| lion and aid
| The vote on the Cummins amendment
tn bring the short lines into the federal
system follows:
! For the Amendment.
Observation-Disclosures. Bcckharn, Flct-
cher, Gore, Hardwick- Henderson, Hitch
! cock. Hollis. Johnson Of South Dakota,
/ Jones of New Mexico. Lewis. Mcclellan,
| Martin. Myers. NuGcnt. Orcrman. Pho
liam, Piltman. Ransdcll. Reed, Robinson,
Shepard Shields, Simmons. Smith or
! Arizona. Smith Of Georgia. Smith or
South Carolina. Stone. Swanson. Thomas.
'Tillman. Trammcll and Wolcott-33!
Rcpublicans-Cummin Curtis. Dill
! IinEham. Fernald. France. Ferlinghuy>
! sen. Gronna. Hale. Harding. Johnsonso OF
| California. Jones OF Washington. Ken
yon. Knox, Lodge. McCumbcr. McNary.
| Nelson. New. Norris. Page, Sherman.
Smith of Michigan. Smoot. Sterling and
! Warrcn-25.
/ Against the Amendment.
Democrats - Bankhead, Gerry, Ken
drick, King. Kirby. Pomcrene. SaVls-
Continued on Pago Twelvo.)