held, and the Committee on
Interstate Commerce was authorized to sit during the recess of
Congress and to hold hearings. Many weeks were consumed in these
hearings, and many volumes of testimony were taken. I do not
believe that I missed a session of the committee, and I tried as
best I could to bring forth from the numerous witnesses summoned
before the committee evidence to assist in securing the passage of
the amendments to the original act, which I then thought necessary
to perfect it.

I had expected to render what assistance I could during the next
session, which convened in December, in framing the bill in committee
and to assist in its passage in the Senate. But very unfortunately,
just at the beginning of the next session of Congress, when the
hearings were all concluded and the committee was prepared to go
into executive session to consider the bill itself, I was taken
ill and compelled to spend a couple of months in Florida to recover
my health. It may seem strange, but the fact is, that my absence
expedited the consideration of the bill by the committee and its
report to the Senate. I had telegraphed and written my late
colleague, Senator Dolliver, to record me as voting for the favorable
report of the bill from the committee to the Senate. It was expected
that the committee would have to hold many sessions to consider the
numerous amendments that had been offered. Senator Dolliver, at
one of the first meetings of the committee called to consider the
bill, read my telegram and letter asking to be voted in favor of
reporting the bill. Objection was made to recording me, and one
distinguished Senator raised the point respecting how I was to be
recorded on the question of amendments. Considerable controversy,
I understand, took place, and Senator Dolliver then moved to report
the bill to the Senate with the amendments already adopted in
committee. This closed the discussion in the committee; the vote
was taken, and the bill was ordered reported to the Senate, my vote
being recorded in the affirmative; after which Senator Aldrich, in
order to make it appear all the more ridiculous, moved that Senator
Tillman, a minority member of the committee, be authorized to report
the bill. This motion prevailed; Senator Tillman did report it,
and he had charge of its passage in the Senate. So, as I have
stated, my absence, through the controversy over counting my vote,
really expedited the bill through the co