The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-23
RAILROAD FIGHT IS
 SHIFTED ID SENATE FOR THE NEXT SCENE
Will Have the Right of Way Over Peace Treaty and All Other Measures i'll
 Upper House
By Associated rrsss

Washington, February 2c.-Ftnnl
 fight on the railroad bill, ten
 months in the making, will shift
 tomorrow to the Senate, with lead
 CTS predicting it's speedy enact
 mcnt by an overwhelming vote
 The conference report, n conn
 promise whipped together from
 the fundamentals of tho Cumntns
 and Esch bills, fresh from the
 White House with clean margin
 of ninety mine votes, will he laid
 before the Senate immediately
 after the reading of Washington's
 farewell address.
 It will have the right of way ovei the peace treaty and all other meas ures and, while the Senate works ac- cordng to it's own fancy, it could con cur with the lower branch in han an hour or hold up the bill by filibuster- ing methods until March 1. the date fixed by President Wilson for return to the roads to private control
 But, having come through the House, admittedly the danger point In the view of advocates of the measure, the general opinion among senators to- night was that no serious opposition would develop and that the law under which the roads wiu attempt to work out their own salvation after the long period of federal control would be in the hands of the President by the mid de of the week
 As is always the case with impcr- tant legislation, there was wide dis cussion today over the possibility of the wrecking of the bill by presi- dential veto. At the same time there was considerable interest in the meet ing here tomorrow of the general com mitteemen of all the railway labor or ganizations to discuss the Presidents proposal for settlement of wage Sriev- ances. The date of the conference had no direct bearing on tho plan of Sem ator Cummins for calling up the rail- road bill Organized labor made its fight in the House. with varying suc- cess, accoring to the individual view of members for and against adoption of the compromise measure; SENATE OUTLOOK The statement by Representative Kitchin, democrat, of North Carolina, who voted against the bill, that labor 1 leaders had estranged at least dozen representatives was met by the claim | of labor leaders that the ld0 votes against the measure would not have been boiled except for their fight in behalf of railway employees and the union hosts. While there still was l much talk about further efforts de 1 signed to. reach the Senate. there were no indications that organized labor lhoped to sway the Senate to the point of defeating all railroad legislation. Few naemb8rs of the Senate oF House were willing to go so far as e predict that the bill might be vetoed In this connection statements made 1 during debeate yesterday that failure l to enact legislation before March 1 woud put half the roads in receiver ship in three months and bring on I financial distress more serious than any experienced in years were on many tongues. It was largely because of this view, expressed by leading democrats and by Chairman Esch or the Interstate commerce commission.
 who has worked with and slept on
 the railroad bill since last May that
 nobody apparently was disposed to predict that the President would re- fuse to sign it.
 There is no doubt that the big demo- cratic vote cast against the bill in the House was surprise to republican leaders. and even to many democrats, who had preached that in framing railway reorganization legislation par tisanship should not figure.
 When the conference report is pre- l sented t5 the Senate tomorrow Sen ator Cummtns, chairman of the con ference win make brief statement and urge prompt consideration. Sen- ator Robinson. democrat, of Arkansas, who also was a conferee will discuss it. and unless there is an unexpected
 flow of speechmakine leaders said to- night the vote would be swift and cer-
 tain.