The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1920-03-12
RAILROAD BILL
GOES TO SENATE
LEADERS ARE CONFIDENT OF AN
EARLY ENACTMENT ~ AN
OVERWHELMING VOTE
VOTE IN HOUSE IS 228 T017,
Organized Labor Made lts Fioht in
the House in Varying Success,
according to the Individual
Views Of the Members

Washington. Feb. 23.-Final fight on
the railroad bill. 10 months in the
making. will shift today to the senate,
with leaders predicting it's speedy en-
actment by an overwhelming vote.
The conference report, Il compromise
whipped together from the fundamen-
tails of the Cummins and Esch bills.
fresh from the house with clean mar
gin Of 30 votes. the vote being 22S to
III. will be laid before the senate inn
metliately after the reading of Wash
ingtOn'S farewell address. 1t will have
the right of way over the peace treaty
and all other measures and while the
senate works according to it's own
fancy. it could concur with the lower
branch in half an hour or hold up
the bill by filibuStering methods until
March /. the date fixed by President
Wilson for return of the roads to pri-
vaie control
But having come through the house
admittedly the danger point in the
view of advocates of the measure. the
general opinion among senator's last
night was that no serious opposition
would develop and that the law under
which the roads will attempt to work
out their own salvation after the long
period of federal control would be in
the hands of the president by the
middle of the week.
AS is always the case with impor-
tant legislation there was wide dis
cussion yesterday over the possibility
of the wrecking Of the bill by presi-
Dental veto. At the same time there
was considerable interest in the meet
ing here today of the general commit
teemen Of all the railway labor organ
izations to discuss the presidents pro-
posal for settlement of the wage griev-
ances. The date of the conference had
no direct bearing on the plan of Sen
ator Cummins for calling up the rail
road bill. Organized labor made its
fight in the house with varying sue
cess. according to the individual view
of members for and against the adop-
ton Of the compromise measure.
The statement by Representative
Kitchen. Democrat. Of North; Caro-
lima, who voted against the BILL that
labor leaders had estranged at least
a dozen representatives, was met by
the claim of labor leaders that the
$50 votes against the measure would
not have been polled except for their
fight in behalf of railway employees
and the union hosts. While there still
was much talk about further efforts,
designed to reach the senate. there
We're no indications that organized
labor hoped to sway the senate to the
point of defeating all railroad legis-
latiOn.
Few members of the house or senate
We're willing to go SO far as to predict
thar the bill might be vetoed.
With the peace treaty side-tracked
for the railroad bill in the senate to-
day there was some uncertainty last
night as to when the ratification fight
would be actually resumed.
Under the plan of the leaders the
treaty again would be brought up as
soon as the senate has acted on the
railroad legislation. expected early in
the week. There has been consider
able pressure. however. for early con-
sideration of the dyestuff tariff bill
and it was said last night that there
might be some change in the legisla.
tive program to make this possible.