Evening star., 1935-07-10
SENATE DEMANDS
DEATH SENTENCE
IN UTILITY BILL
Measure Sent to Conference
After Abrupt Change
in Tactics.
PROBE HEARS CORCORAN
ON BREWSTER "SHIFT"
R. F. c. Attorney Admits He Was
Pretty Hot When Lawmaker
Cooled Off,
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BY an abrupt change of tactics, the
Senate today sent the hotly-disputed
public utility bill to conference and
instructed its conferees to insist on
the provision desired by President
Roosevelt to outlaw unnecessary"
holding companies in seven years.
There was an advance understand
ing, however, that a disagreement
with the House on this section would
result in a request to the Senate for
further instructions" with conferees.
Administration Fight.
The administration had fought to
block concurrence Of the Senate in
the House version of the bill which
had eliminated the section providing
for dissolution of all holding COM
panies by 1912 except one for each
regional system.
Senator Dieterich Democrat. Of
Illinois. abruptly withdrew his motion
TO instruct the conferees mot TO In
sist" on the abolition provision. and
the conference proposal went through
without a record vote.
Immediately Vice President Garner
appointed as Senate confereeS Chair
man Wheeler. Democrat, of Montana,
of the Interstate Commerce Commit
tee. who had charge of the bill in the
Senate; Barley, Democrat, of Ken
lucky; Brown. Democrat. Of New
Hampshire: White, Republican. Of
Maine, and Shipstead, Farmer-Labor,
of Minnesota.
Corcoran on Stand.
Meanwhile, at the House lobby probe
Thomas Corcoran, R. F. c. attorney
and coauthor of the utilities bill, told
the Rules Committee that Representa-
tive Brewster. Republican, of Maine,
had been on my neck" continually
about PassamaQuoddy Dam and that
he was pretty hot" when the Repre-
sentative told him he could not vote
for the provision TO abolish some
holding companies in seven years.
Yesterday Corcoran denied Brew
steF's charges that he threatened to
hold up construction of the Passama-
quoddy project if the Representative
did not vote for the abolition provi-
sion desired by President Roosevelt.
He repeated today he understood
that in trying to get Brewsters sup
ing into Republican forces and at
tempting to enlist one of their out
standing men
Corcoran said he was assigned to
help with the original drafting of the
holding company bill through direct
request from President Roosevelt.
Replies Scarcely Audible.
In contrast to his rapid, clear
voiced testimony yesterday. Corco-
rams replies to questions today were
scarcely audible to members at the
end of the committee table. They COM
planned of their inability to hear.
Representative Cox, Democrat. OF
George was told by Corcoran that
he first noticed a cooling off" in
Erewster's attitude for the abolition
provision on Monday morning before
the House vote.
1T wasn't so much that he cooled
off as that he was afraid of his po-
litical situation in Maine" Corcoran
said.
He added that he had seen only
two members of the House Interstate
Commerce Committee during consid-
Grafton of the bill, with the excep-
ticn of Chairman Rayburn. The two
were Mapes, Republican, Of Michigan
and Pettengill. Democrat, of Indiana.
The witness said no formal opinion
on the constitutionality of the legis-
lation was given by the Justice De-
paItment.
Frequently Corcoran and committee
members strayed from what Chairman
O'Connor described as the 'intimida-
ton charges. The chairman pro-
tested.
Corcoran said he was asked by the
President to clean up the legal phases
of the Passamaquoddy project.
He repeated his version Of the
Brewster conversation. and insisted:
II have no power to stop the Passa-
maquoddy project"
Adjourns Till Tomorrow.
The committee adjourned until to-
morrow morning, when DR.. Ernest
Gruening, head of the Interior De-
partment Territories Bureau, will be
heard.
Senator Byrnes, Democrat, of South
Carolina, initiated the move to end
Senate debate by asking Wheeler
whether he would insist on the bill
dying" in conference if he could not
bring about an agreement on the aboli-
ton clause.
Wheeler said he would feel duty
bound" to insist as long as possible
and then, if he could not bring about
an agreement on it, he would return
to the Senate for further instructions"
Byrnes, from his place in the rear
of the Senate, turned to Dieterich, and
asked if he would be content with
such an agreement.
The Illinoisan, who had once come
within one vote of having the Senate
strike out the abolition clause, said
that 'in view of the statement of
the Senator from Montana" that he
would come back to the Senate for
further instructions rather than let
the bill die in conference, he would
withdraw his motion.
Is,s.