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FEBRUARY 16, 190G
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The Commorier.r
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NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 1
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Washington, D. C, Feb. 12. -The indications
are that the railroad rate bill passed by the
house will be held up several weeks in the sen
ate. ' Some of the republican senators known to
bo hostile to the policy of President Roosevelt,
and yet not bold enough to come out and -fight
him in the open, have declared in their conver
sations that the upper branch of congress will
not take "snap judgment." By this i3 meant
that they will delay final consideration as long as
possible, and the general understanding is that
republican senators opposed to tne proposition
to place so much power in the hands of the
interstate commerce commission, and at the
same time credited with being friendly to the
corporations,, will try to hatch; out schemes to
amend the Hepburn bill in many particulars.
The house democrats are very well satisfied
with the record their party has made in connec
tion with the movement to
Where curb the power of the rail
Democrats roads. The fact that the re
Won publican members of the
house interstate and foreign
commerce committee adopted probably three
fourths of the ideas presented Dy the minority
members of the committee and incorporated .them
in the measure with which the senate will have
to wrestle, i3 regarded as the very strongest sort
of evidence that the democrats were the prime
movers in legislation demanded for so many years
by the public. And the persistency of the demo
crats in congress It will have to be admitted by
all candid people had much to do with the draft
ing of a bill in the popular branch of congress
on ..which all the members of the committee re
porting 'ft .agreed' and wliich was ,pas'sed.,hy a
yQtseof'4a,.t'q th negative votes "being, cast by
republicans.-.. .,. ' ,". , M
While the house democrats are satisfied in
the main' with the bill they regret that no pro
vision appears in the measure that will reach
the express companies. Those companies in some
respects, congressmen think, have been guilty
of worse offenses than the railrouas. House dem
ocrats also tried to have clauses added to the
"bill for the punishment of railroad corporations
or the ofllclals connected therewitn who make
contributions to political organizations with a
view of influencing elections. Representative
James, of Kentucky, offered an amendment to
this effect, and made a gallant fight for its adop
tion while the bill was being considered in com
mittee of the whole. Under parliamentary proce
dure there could be, of course, no roll call so tliat
each and every man who votea could be put
on record. First there was a viva voce vote,
and then a vote by tellers. As the republicans
have such a large majority in the house there
was no hope for the amendment or Mr. James,
They rejected it by a pronounced majority.
Early last spring the senate interstate and
foreign commerce committee commenced to take
testimony on the railroad
Delay rate question. Scores of the
in tjie most prominent men in the
" Senate United States were sum-
v moned. The list of witnesses
included" railroad officials with a view of obtain
ing their side of the controversy, and there were ,
many men examined from other walks of life
some in favor of the proposed legislation; others
decidedly opposed. The committee got to work
again in the" fall, and the impression was created
that probably before the holiday recess of con
gress Mr. Elkins and the other republicans on the'
committee would have a bill ready. To this day
nothing has actually been formulated. The truth
of the matter is the republican senators never
had the remotest idea of preparing a bill until
after the house acted. They have been waiting
to see what that body would do, and the unanimity
with which the house acted has staggered the
senators responsible for the delay in the upper
branch.
The senate committee is composed of thirteen
members eight republicans and five democrats.
As the issue is bound to be met sooner or later,
and there does not seem, at tnis writing, any
likllhood of a union of republicans and demo
crats in reporting a bill as was the. casewitli
the house committee, it is timely to oncemore
Cullom's
Embarrassing
Position
give a list of the senate committee. The republi
cans are: Messrs. Elkins, or West Virginia,
chairman r Cullom, of Illinois; Aldrlch, of Rhodo
Island; Kean, of Now Jersey; Dolliver, of Iowa;
Foraker, of Ohio; Clapp, of Minnesota, and Crane,
of Massachusetts. The democratic members of
the committee are: Messrs Tillman, of South
Carolina; McLaurin, of Mississippi; Carmack, of
Tennessee; Foster, of Louisiana, and Newlumta,
of Nevada.
Terrific pressure is being brought to bear
in order that the republicans may be able to
agree upon a DM that will
satisfy President Roosevelt
and at the same time not of
fend the railroad magnates
too seriously. Just how thia
can be accomplished It is difficult to figure Mr.
Cullom is thought to be in a most embarrassing
position. He claims to have really been the
-author of the original interstate commerce com
mission bill. He stepped in ana took the credit
for that legislation away from the late Judge
Reagan, of Texas. Mr. Cullom has long posed
as the great champion of the people, and now
the mighty question with him is whether it will
be more to hiB interest politically to side with
Mr. Elkins and his following, or to form a part
nership with Messrs. Dolliver and Clapp, who, if
anything is accomplished that will satisfy the
house, may have to join the democrats on the
committee, or else prepare a separate report that
would complicate the Bituation. The sentiment
of most of the senate democrats at present is
that the house bill ought to be indorsed. It is
possible that eventually all the republican mem
bers of the senate committee may be whipped
into line for the house bill.- However, if this
should happen, it will be because Mr. .Elkins
and those in sympathy jwith him will yield because
they can not do anything else.- ' .
It should be borne in mina that under-iho
senate rules' the railroad rate bill will not only
be subject to amendment but the aeDate will not
bo limited. A great many speeches will doubt
less be made. Senator LaFolletto, of Wisconsin,
is already loading up for an active participation
in the discussion. He has also prepared a sweep
ing amendment in regard to the issuing, of free
passes. The agents of railway corporations made
little or no effort to prevent the passage of the
bill in the house. It was a foregone conclusion
that the house Would pass the bill by a tremend
ous majority. And as railroad officials gener
ally have made up their minds tnat some sort of
rate regulating measure will bo passed in the
senate whatever manipulation Is going on is con
ducted quietly with republican senators on whom
they can rely to make the new law as lenient as
possible.
The Philippine tariff is still hanging up in
the -senate committee. The representatives of
the beet ana canp sugar in
terests appear to be having
more success over at that
end of the capitol than they
had counted upon. The to
bacco agents have also put up a stouter fight, and
Secretary Taft has been compelled to appear
before the senate committee repeatedly to urge
a favorable report upon the measure so ardently
advocated by the administration. Several of the
democratic senators who have looked carefully
into the situation express the opinion that the
bill, if it is not already beaten, will have a hard
road to travel. Efforts are bebig made to com
promise. It is said that a proposition has been
Bubmitted to the sugar and tobacco industries to
make thetariff on these articles 40 per cent of
the old Dingley rates Instead or 25 per cent as
provided in the bill passed by tne house. The
sugar and tobacco representatives watching the
situation can not yet agree. Some think it will
be to their advantage to hold out if the bill is
in danger of being tied up In committee with
no reasonable chance of a favorable report be
ing made on it this session, others, fearing
that possibly the republicans may eventually ,
unite, think that probably It wourd bo bettor to
accept a compromise that wourd fix the auties
at 40 per cent.
Members of the democratic congressional
campaign committee for the approaching contest
are ' being named ' by the various delegations.
Philippine
Bill in
the Senate
Democratic
Work in
Pennsylvania
Doubtless within tho next month ml will have
been selected. Then the members will have a
meeting here to discuss the chairmanship. Near
ly all the southern congressmen think that a
northern or western man should bo placed at
tho head of tho committee. In oracr to obtain
control of tho next house of representatives it
will be absolutely necessary for tho democrat
to make the necessary gains in tne northern, Now -England
and western states. Ir is. frankly ad
mitted by southern congressmen that political
conditions in tho south are so different from those
in other sections that the head of the campaign
committee must be taken from a section whore
the gains are to bo mado. A democrat might be
able to conduct tho contest successorully If there
was danger of losing seats in the south,, but no
matter how shrewd ho may bo he may not know
tho political moves In the north and west. As
the committee will not get down to work until
summer there is no special hurry about selecting
the chairman.
Representative Klino, the only democrat in
this congress from Pennsylvania, says that tho
outlook in tho Keysfono state
tliis year for tlio party Is the
brightest In years. Ho pre
diets that the democrats will
elect not loss than six mem
bers of the net house, Probabiymoro districts
may be carried. He will not predict greater suc
cess for the party in his state for the reason
that Pennsylvania is gerrymandered outrageously
in favor of the republicans, and nothing short of
a heavy landslide can wrest from the republicans
some of the districts that were formerly reliably
democratic. Former Congressman Green, of
Pennsylvania, agrees with Mr, Klino that the
outlook for the democracy in tho state is highly
encouraging. Both Mr. Kline and Mr. Green have
started democratic newspapers to enliven the
political campaign this year.
From What other congressmen say the demo
crats can safely count on increasing their repre
sentation in the house from New York, New Jer
sey, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois, and
in Michigan, Iowa, California ana many other
states that did not send a single democrat to thin
congress tho next election will snow that Iho re
publicans will not be able to hold many districts
they now control. Missouri has nine republicans
in this house and only seven democrats. In the
next house the republicans will uo doing well if
they have two members from Missouri.
The republican leaders of the house have re
lented ajid the public buildings and grounds com
mittee will be allowed to re
port an "omnibus" bill car;
rying appropriations of $15,
000,000 or more for addition
al government structures.
The smaller cities, however, will not share in
the benefits. The program is to distribute the
money pretty evenly In the various sections. The
committee is .now framing the bill and the riv
alry for recognition is intense.
Further aid for the Jamestown exposition to
be held in Virginia next year is a matter that
will soon have to be decided in the house. , Speak
er Cannon and the other republican members of
the rules committee will not yet commit them
selves. President Roosevelt has earnestly recom
mended liberal appropriations for Jamestown, and
Speaker Cannon admits that it will be an ex
position so different from anything else attempt
ed in this country that a powerful sentiment ex
ists for the proper celebration of the founding
of the first English settlement on this continent.
ALFRED J. STOFER.
There
May Be
a Pork Barrel
CURRENT TOPICS
(Continued from Page C)
to a fault, the countess has turned a deaf ear
to all such appeals. An amusing feature of tho
situation lf anything about such a controversy
can be amusing is that the attorneys for the
countess are somewhat puzzled to know how their
-client can avoid making a money settlement upon
her husband, and the Paris cablegram says that
she may "find it expedient If the point should be
pressed to allow Count Boni 'a little alimony.'"
Countess de Castellane has had the common ex
perience of American girls who go In search of
titles. It is said that her "noble" husband has
squandered eight million of the Gould dollars.
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