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Show HOPE OF EARLY PASSAGE OF RAIL BILL FADES . -' - - . . . - - t Leaders Abandon Notion No-tion of Framing and Adopting Legislation Before Return Date. La Follette Continues Attack on Cummins Measure; Opposition Unexpectedly Strong. WASHINGTON'. Dec. 11. Hope of enact en-act ing railroad legislation by January 1, the date on which President Wilson has announeed the roads would be turned back to private control, virtually was abandoned today by senate leaders.. Strong and une:ected opposition developed de-veloped during consideration of the Cummins Cum-mins bill, designed lo meet conditions vsith the end of government control, and It was by a nari'ow margin that its advocates defeated a motion to set it aside and lake up the sugar control rr.easui e. In view of the short time remaining before be-fore tile Christmas recess and the fact that, the Cummins bill, if passed, must be sent to conference with tlio lisch bill, recently passed by the house, Itepu'oll-can Itepu'oll-can and Democratic senators predicted that it would not.be humanely possible to frame a law by the end of the month even if congress kept steadily and continually con-tinually at work. The day's upturn was keenly disappointing disap-pointing to friends of the Cummins hill, which would have been passed Monday, i with less than a score of senators vot- ing, except for a demand by Senator l.a Follette, Republican, of Wisconsin, for. a quorum. On an aye and nay vote the bill was passed and Vice-President Marshall Mar-shall was ready to announce the result, when the obvious absence of a quorum upset the whole proceeding and reopened discussion. UNDERWOOD SETS RUMORS AT REST. During an address tuday, in which he m:ule a sharn demand for immediate action, Senator Underwood, Democrat, ! of Alabama, took notice of w idely circu- lated rumors that the president would not I i ct urn the roads to their owners Jan- nary J. Senator I'nderwood frankly announced an-nounced that he did not know what Presi- I dent Wilson intended to do. "JJut," he added, "the president has, said that he would turn them back the! first of the year, and it has been my observa t ion that when he said he would do a thing he did it." Taking up for the time being the mi- norit y lauership, . Senator Underwood fought off attempts to sidetrack the railroad rail-road bill and defended it against attacks by members of his own party. While he did not approve aU of its provisions, he declared it protected the financial interests in-terests of the roads and dirt not unduly burden the public. The principal attack on the bi!l wns made by Senator La Follette, who already had spoken two full days and who has not yet approached the end of his long-add long-add ress. Ai't:r he had been steadily opposing the nu'-asure for two hours. Senator La v (Continued on Page 17, Column 3.) VOTE BALKED BI TACTICS OE ENEMIES (Continued From Page One.) Folletta temporarily yielded the floor to Senator MfKellar, Democrat. Tennessee, who w:ts proceeding to demand elimination elimina-tion of certain provisions, ehara derived fls "Bolshevistic," when lie halted suddenly sud-denly and announced that he did not Intend to speak to empty benches. In the Ion ? snarl which the senat found Itself while trying to decide whether to continue with the railroad bill or take up the susar hill, the la.-l; of interest in-terest in pending' railroad lei;i slat inn was bit terly Ht lacked from both sides of t lie chamber. .Almost an hour w;is Inst today to-day In quorum cabs w hich S.na tor Smoot. Ucpublican. I'tah, denounced u I ne xcu Kable, with a vitally important question before cnpreps. Kut In t i o t v o-hour wranifie not on the suqar bf ;i itself, but the iuesth'n of taklntf it up -Ilepubll' ans and Democrats had on their fichtlnc clotl es, with the discussion running run-ning far afield. LA FOLLETTE ADDS TO CRITICISMS. Tn his artr,iment aarainst the bill. Senator Sena-tor Ia Kollette declared lis enactment would add to the cost of living because an increase In freight rate? uould crmie with th.e end of government control, which, ho Insisted, had been eminently successful. Senator La Kollet te 8.1 id he nad been assurtjd "ly conipctent men in the railroad administration," that the crest of t lie hill had been reached a nd that government operation "would show a profit from this time on, and that there would be no need for an Increase In rates " Senator McKe'lar's objection to the Cnmmtns bill uas that it would take a part of the (amines from a railroad properly managed and rendering efficient effi-cient service, and give it to a road poorly managed and of little benefit to the public. H e characterized the provision pro-vision as "inde fenaihl." There was a susspption from a number num-ber of senators- after adjournment t o-nicht, o-nicht, that it micht. be necessary to defer de-fer th Christ mas recess. H also w ? s suggested that the senate endeavor to obtain from the president a statement to his plans for the turning back of the roads, in view of his silence on thi qn---t ion since has message to the extraordinary extraordi-nary session of congress last May. |
