| Show REAl REA AT T VICTORY FOR WESTERN WESTE COUNTRY Senator Smoot Secures Adoption oj of Long and Short Haul Amend Amendment Amendment ment to Taft Railroad Bill W SAT ASHINGTON May 13 By the adoption of the long and short haul amendment to the railroad bill in the Senate this afternoon the intermountain country won a great victory which will go far towards placing that section se tion upon upon an equality y with other sections and removing many of or the barriers that have been bee n erected in the path of progress in inthe inthe the he west Senator Smoot of Utah and a d those th s e him stood firm for forthe forthe forthe the insertion of some provision that tha t would deprive the railroads of the power to levy such rates as they wished without regard to right or jus justi ice ti e and anti the result was a compromise se upon which all factions agreed and which was adopted adopt d with but ten dissenting diss enting votes Between the hour fixed for the vote vota on the proposition Senator Hale ot or Maine approached Senator Smoot and asked if It It were not nat possible to agree upon a compromise that would permit the Republicans to get together Mr Smoot replied that it was but that those who had bad fought against the dis discriminations discriminations criminations now practiced by the railroads in the west would not aban abandon abandon abandon don their position Compromise Comp romise Agreement Two recesses were taken by the Senate during the afternoon to permit of a compromise c arrangement and dur during durIng during ing that time Senator moot Smoot conferred l with Senator Bacon and secured the lh support of the Democrats to his proposition proposition Fortified in this matter he feu feh eH sure of his position but was willing willingto to compromise upon a provision that would prove generally satisfactory and yet et would give the relief relle sought The adoption of this compromise is isa isa isa a great victory for the intermountain country said faid Senator Smoot this evening The effect of ot it will wUI be that the railroads will vill be prohibited from rates for tor a long haul than thana a short one the short haul being in eluded within the long haul unless they the are specially laUy permitted to do so soby soby soby by the interstate commerce commis commission commissiOn sion Zion The burden is on the railroads to show there It I competition that re requires requires requires quires a lower rate for a long haul before the commission will grant it It will give gle the relief to the Inter Intermountain intermountain Intermountain mountain country that section has been asking Before adjournment Senator Bacon sought sou ht to show that Senator Aldrich of or the forces in charge of the thi bill had voted for a revision differ different different ent from that which hleb he lie had advocated during the long debate on this ques question question question tion Senator Bailey remarked thai tha L Mr Bacon was mistaken and was quoting lug ing from his Baileys Bailers remarks The Retort Courteous 1 I hope the senator from Tas T ivil not Interfere said Mr Aldrich laugh laughingly laughIngly laughingly The senator is trying to justi action Jn voting That hat is the time I 1 usually justify my rily vote rote retorted Mr Bacon While upbraiding regular Republic Republicans ans axis for what he asserted was a change chanse Of or o front Mr Bacon was Interrupted by b Senator Elkins whose ruddy rudd face faco was ivas wreathed in smiles as he lie sal 1 Well Veil youre re happy arent you your This sally plainly irritated the Geor Georgia Georgia Georgia gia senator for tor he retorted rather sharply that it took Ua a very ery little thins thing to make some people happy Maybe the senat r will find mat i 1 at atit it is a big thing said Senator Elkins beaming across the cf amber Significant Sign if cant glances passed between senators and people on the floor and in the gal galleries galleries began to suspect that the com corn compromise compromise promise amendment just adopted meant something different than appeared on its face tace As adopted adapted the new provision strikes out of or section 4 I of If the interstate com corn commerce commerce merce law the words under substantially substantially similar circumstances and con conditions conditions and also eliminates the pro proviso proviso provIso viso of that section and amends the section so as to make It read as fol tol follows follows lows lovs Amendment Am an as Passed Section 4 it shall be unlawful for any common carrier subject to the provisions of this act to charge or re ro receive reI any greater compensation In the I aggregate for the transportation or of passenger or any like kind of property for a shorter than for tor a longer distance over the same line Une or route in the same direction the shorter being Included within the longer langer distance or to charge any an greater compensation as a 3 through route than the aggregate of the local rates but hut this shall not be construed as authorizing any common carrier within the terms of ot this act to charge or receive as great compensation for tor a 8 shorter as for a longer distance Provided however that the inter interstate interstate interstate state commerce commission may from front Its knowledge or from information or upon application as certain that le circumstances and conditions of ot the longer haul are arc dissimilar to I the tle and conditions of or the tho Continued OB on lage Three GREAT VICTORY FOR WESTERN COUNTRY f Continued From Page l c One er haul whether they the result from competition com coin competition petition by water or rail then it may authorize a common carrier tc to charge less for the longer than I 1 r the shorter shor r distance for the transportation of ef ras pas passengers or property out but in iu no event shall the authority be granted until the commission Is satisfied that all the rates involved are Just and reasonable and not unjustly discriminatory ory or ir un unduly unduly unduly duly preferential nor prejudicial And provided further that no rates ra es or charges lawfully existing at the time of the passage of this amendatory act shall be required to change ch by reason of provisions of this section prior to the expiration of six months after f er the passage of this act 1 t nor in any case where application shall have been be n filed riled before the commission in to accordance with the provisions of this section pending a determination of Qt such application cation by b the commission Of the 56 votes In favor of the amend mend amendment ment mont 22 were given ghen by Republican Rep senators who have opposed the Inser Insertion insertion tion of any long and short haul provi provision sion n In the railroad bill 13 by Demo Democrats Democrats Democrats and the rest by Republicans Republican chiefly insurgents The negative vote was equally divided between Republicans Republicans Republicans and Democrats The senators who voted in favor of I the th provision were Aldrich Bacon Beveridge Bradley Bradlay Bra l Brandegee Briggs gs Bristow Burton Buron Burkett Burnham Burrows Carter Clapp Clark Ark Clay CIa Crane Craw Crawford Crawford Crawford ford Cullom Cummins Curtis Dilling Dillingham Dillingham ham Dixon Dolliver Dupont Elkins Flint Frazier Gamble Guggenheim Jones Tones Kean LaFollette Lodge Martin Nelson Nixon Oliver Owen Page Paynter Penrose Percy Perkins Piles Purcell Root Shively Simmons Smith SmithS S 8 C Scott Smoot Stephenson Sutherland Sutherland erland Taylor Warner Varner and 56 The negative vote was as follows Bailey Baile Bourne Bulkeley Chamber Chamberlain lain Iain Fletcher Frye Gallinger Key hey Keyburn heyburn i burn c nen and Overman 10 The Senate under a unanimous us con consent consent consent sent agreement began voting at 4 I upon the long and short hort haul amendments of which a dozen tr r more had been een submitted The pending amendment was one by Senator Senat r Hey Heyburn Heyburn Heyburn burn of ot Idaho Idabo for which Senator Dixon of Montana had presented a substitute The effect of this was to give the Mon Montana Montana Montana tana senator possession of the floor at 4 For several days das the regular Re Republicans Republicans Republicans publicans had bad been boasting they hey had hada a clear majority to defeat all of the thelong thelong thelong long and short haul amendments The regulars had been assured of a number of Democratic votes Just before 4 1 It came to the knowledge of or j Senators Aldrich and Elkins that while the Democrats on their list would vote against the Dixon amendment they purposed later to support an amend amendment amendment amendment ment introduced by Senator Overman of North orth Carolina the effect of which would be to place all rates on a mile mlle mileage mileage age basis Such a provision would be particularly particularly particularly obnoxious to the opponents of a along along along long and short haul provision and they the were vere unable in a hasty poll to show a majority against the Overman amendment Senators Carter of Montana and Smoot of Utah supporters of o the long and short haul provision pr received overtures from the regular Republic Republicans ans who offered a compromise in the form of a portion of the original Dixon amendment and a proviso taken from froman an amendment offered by Senator Paynter Picturing the political effect of a hu bu humiliating humiliating defeat through the adoption of an exclusively Democratic amend amendment amendment amendment ment that would put the whole ques question question question tion on a mileage basis the regular regula Republicans encountered enc little difficulty ty in bringing large majority of ot the Senate to their way of thinking The compromise finally adopted was put In Inthe Inthe inthe the hands of Senator Smoot and d In turn presented to Senator Dixon who offered off red It as a modification of his own amendment just before 4 Through the clumsy clums handling of or scissors and paste brush the composite compromise was sent to the clerks desk In a form far different from that Intended by its authors As s the clerk began to read Senator Aldrich hur hurried hurried hurried ried to the desk of Senator Dixon and anda a whispered conversation ensued ensue Mr Dixon clamored for tor recognition I move that the Senate recess he shouted until He appeared greatly excited The de demand demand demand mand for a recess was met with cries of NoS ol No So but on a vote yote a large majority sustained the demand Senator toT Excited There followed a scene of great con confusion confusion confusion fusion Obviously few people realized what the move meant On every side there were cries that the unanimous consent agreement had been violated Evidently the Insurgent Republicans did not know what was happening and Senator Bristow who had been In the cloak room burst into the chamber with a bundle of papers in his arms which he threw to 10 the floor with every Indication of or anger Senator Cummins hastened to Mr ions s pat at and Mr LaFollett fol followed followed followed lowed The conversation that had bad taken place between Senators Dixon and Aldrich aroused suspicion on on every eer side and a number of senators not noL knowing what the next step was to be loudly charged they were being b ing be betrayed betrayed Mr lIr Dixon ran from seat to seat claiming chiming they had bad brought the regu regulars regulars regulars lars Into camp and the coalition of ot Republican and Democratic supporters of the i i n ng and short haul clause would bring a victory idor greater than they had anticipated anth pate i Mr Smoot whipped the compromise I into shape The hour of found the work still Incomplete Mr lIr Dixon demanded an another another another other recess until 6 b but protests were made by b so many senators that he claimed it only after atter a roll roU call which consumed nearly ten minutes o ot of the thc precious half hour The general conference of the recess hour bour resulted in the restoration of the words of the Dixon amendment which Senator Dixon had agreed to eliminate These provided that In making under the long and short haul the tite th Interstate commerce com cm commission commission mission shall satisfy itself that all the tb rates Involved are Just and reasonable Immediately upon the Senate enate being again called to order Mr Dixon pre presented pr presented the compromise Senator tray burn interposed a point of order that II the h new liew amendment was not nol In order under the unanimous consent agree agreement agreement agreement ment which he claimed contemplated a vote only upon matters pending at gt atthe atthe the time the agreement was made This led to a wrangle but Vice Pres President President ident hl nt Sherman finally overruled the thee point of order and a vote ote was way taken in favor of the compromise amend amendment amen amendment ment mente After the vote ote several senators said opponents of the long tad and hort short haul amendment had been compelled i to ac lIC accept accept a provision which they thay had and de denounced denounced denounced as revolutionary Mr Ba Bacon naron on openly taunted Mr Aldrich with being willing to accept anything to preserve ere his prestige and prevent an appearance of defeat I hope the senator has not nt forgot forgotten ten interposed Mr Aldrich the ad adage adage adage age that He laughs bast b who laughs last Mr Bacon promptly interpreted this as a confession Mr Aldrich Aldrish h was count counting counting ing upon pon having the provision stricken out in conference I do not mean anything of the sort emphatically I believe the provision can be defended on the principles I have been advocating sen ien senator senator ator from Rhode Island blandly Mr Heyburn Reyburn who fought the amend amendment amendment amendment ment at every stage closed close by b assort assert assorting asserting ing In it had been a great day for the railroads Their flag has been flying to the breeze by b this coalition he declared tI They have haya got all they want and no doubt there will be great neat rejoicing among them when they hear what has been done |
