Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-12-21
CUMMINS BILL.
PASSES SENATE:
BY Big Vote.
Anti-Strike and Other prOyis-
ions are but Little
Changed
RETURN OF
ROADS JANUARY 81
Esch Indicates House May be Re
quired to Discuss Radical
SectionS-Test on Floor
is Likely

Washington, Dec. 20.-The Curt
MINIS bill, paving the way for re
turn of the railroads to priva G
operation, passed the senate late
today by a vote of 46 to 80, ending
prolonged session of the measure
and making the holiday recess of
congress certain.
1t went through without change
on the anti-strike and other inn.
portant provisions around which
the senate measure was drawn and
was sent to conference for ad-
journment during the recess with
the Esch bill passed by the house.
Unless vetoed by the president,
the pending legislation, according
to plans of congressional leaders,
would require return of the roads
by January 81. The railroad ad-
ministration, however, has plars
ready for their return January
under a presidential proclamation.
should Mr.. Wilson adhere to his
announced program.
Preceding the final vote, the sen
ate rejected, IS to II, substitute
bill offered by senator Lafollette,
republican, Wisconsin, proposing
retention of the roads another two
years.
Three republicans. Gronna
North Dakota, Lafollette, and Nor
ris, Nebraska, and eight dema-
Gratis, Ashurst, Arizona; Cham
berlain, Oregon; Henderson, Nc
vada; Johnson, South Dakota; Ken
drick, Wyoming; Nugent, Idaho;
Sheppard, Texas, and Walsh, Nor
tana, voted for the plan.
The Cummins bill was support
ed by 33 republicans and 10 demo-
Gratis and opposed by eight repub-
licans and % democrats.
When the house was informed
that the senate had passed the
Cummins bill, Representative
Esch, chairman of the interstate
commerce committee, who will head
the house conferees, said that the
labor sections of the two bills
were so radically different that il
seemed absolutely certain that the
conferees would later have to ask
the house for instructions" This
made unnecessary a vote of the
house to bind it's conferees to the
plan of voluntary mediation Of
labor disputes proposed by the
house bill.
Representative Garner, of Tex
as. democratic whip. said he favcr-
ed "a test in the house of the se9-
ate labor section which include
the anti-strike provision.
The following were named house
conferees on the railroad bill:
Representatives Ech, Wisconsin;
Hamilton, Michigan; Winslow,
Massachusetts, republicans; Simms,
Tennessee and BarKely, democrat
Kentucky.
Both senate and house bills pro-
pose private ownership and oper-
alton of the railroads under strict
government supervision, but diff
fer radically in other respects
than their labor provisions.
The senate vote today was the
elimination of the debate began
December 2, which has held the
senate in session nightly for the
last week. Senator Lafollette
wound up the debate in a four
hour address in behalf of his sub
stitute. -
Attack on the Cummins bill in
the senate conferred largely on the
anti-strike clause, penalizing lock-
outs or strikes of employees, but
all efforts to eliminate or modify
it were defeated.
Both the senate and house bills,
in varying degree, permit conso-
lidations of competing systems, on
by federal authority.
They also are alike in prescribing
exclusive federal regulation of
capital issues and expenditures,
and in establishing federal regu-
lation of intrastate rates affect
ing intrastate commerce.
Among major differences are !
The creation of a transportation
board and new statutory rule of
rate making to guarantee fixed
ilvldends, each proposed only in
The senate plan.
Plan Revolving Fund.
The senate's rule on rate MAX
ng, guaranteeing six per cent re- I
urn to the carriers, was reject {
I'd by the house, which proposed
The present rule that the inter-
state commerce commission shall t
Tx ."fair and reasonable" rates. S
Regarding labor, the drastic a
anti-strike provision in the SEN
tie bill is opposed by the house }
provision for voluntary mediation. Q
The house bill sets up three boards :
# adjustment during federal con- !
rol, with the addition of three
appeal boards to consider cases |
n event Of failure of the adjust S
nent boards. e
The senate also provided that e
o to 35 competing systems shall t