The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-09-13
DOINGS IN CONGRESS.
A Tiff Between Senators
Butler and Spooner.
ME-. SP00NER APOLOGIES.
The House Consid ering the Confer
ence Report on the sundry
Civil Service Bill
MR. SPooNER APOLOGIES.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, September 12.-The con.
sideration of the trust bill led to a
sarcastic speech by Senator Hoar.
Then the election troubles in Texas
came up and led to another heated
political debate.
George offered an amendment to the
trust bill reported yesterday from the
committee ON finance The amendment
consists of four additional sections,
the most important being one making
it the duty of the President when salts
fed that the price of any article of
merchandise Is raised in consequence
of agreements or combinations, to issue
proclamation suspending temporarily
the collection of import duties on such
articles. He supported his amendment
in speech of some length.
Hoar made some very sarcastic and
pointed remarks as to the connection
of the Cabinet and the Demo-
cratic party with trusts. After
referring to various kinds of trusts,
he said there was another trust
he would like to have some informa-
ton about. Abiding to Congressman
Scott, of Pennsylvania, he said he
would like to know whether that gentle
man had any relation to any of these
great trusts or to transportation inter
ests, coal interests or other interests;
whether he was interested in trusts
which paid tax on the fire Of every
wol kingman in winter and increased
the fare when he travelled by railroad
in summer for pleasure or business.
Reagan expressed his regret that the
great question could not be treated in
the Senate without artisan issue being
made out OF it.
Payne remarked that the Standard
Oil Company seemed all the time to
trouble the mind of the Senator from
Massachusetts,. That company was a
very remarkable and wonderful institu-
ton. 1t had accomplished within the
last twenty years as commercial
enterprise what no other modern COM
pany had done. For himself, he
had never had a dollars interest in it.
He had never owned a dollar of its
stock nor rendered it any service and
had never received any service from it.
In conclusion Payne intimated that the
Senator from Massachusetts was labor
Ing under "copiah excited magma
tion," although he had experience
enough, and wisdom enough to be able
to rise above be demagogue. The dis
cussion closed,and Mr.. George amend-
ment was ordered printed.
Spooner offered a resolution reciting
the fact that Joseph Hoffman, of Bren-
ham, Texas, a prominent Republican
and witness before the Senate commit
tee on privileges and elections, had
been shot down in that city; that his
assassination was believed to be directly
attributable to his political views and
activity, and to the effect that he had
given strong testimony before the COM
mittee investigating alleged election
outrages. and instructiDg the commit
tee on privileges and elections to inYes-
tigate the circumstances of the
killing of Hoffman, with special refer
ence to ascertaining whether
it was due in any sense to
bis testifying before the committee;
The resolution gave rise to an extended
speakers being Senators SpoOner, Hugh,
Cook TelIar, Evarts and Raglan. The
only notable incident in the debate oc-
Cured when Spooner began to read
Geographic dispatch in r newspaper
headed KILLED with Buckshot." Look
ing over to Butler, Spooner said:
1.-The Senator from South Carolina,
sneers at it,
Butterflies Senator from Wisconsin
is exaggerating his own Importance
immensely, if he supposes that I was
paying any attention whatever to what
he says"
S1ooner-"I do not know that the
Senator was paying any attention to
me-"
Butler-"Not the slightest"
Spooner-"If / did assume for a
moment that matter of this char
acter was entitled to the slightest con-
sideration IN that direction, | confess
my error"
Butler-''I do consider il entitled to
consideration at the proper time. There
are proper occasions when such things
may be presented. The Senator, l re
peat, is magnifying his Importance i'm
if he supposes l was concerned
about it."
Spooner-"I beg to say to him that l
did not assume that l possessed i'm
portance IN his eyes. 1t is a matter of
indifference to me-"
At the close of Spooner's speech he
required to the circumstance and said,
Il owe the Senator from South Carolina
an apology in view of the fact that he
did not interrupt me orally for abiding
to him in the discussion, and that
apology l certainly tender him."
Butler-"That is quite satisfactory
The discussion as to Texas matters
having been resumed, Salisbury said he
regarded it IS disgace to be constitut-
ing the Senate of the United States
a political machine to advance the
interests of the Republican candidate
for the Presidency. Such Investigations
were gotten ND merely for political ef-
feet, but they were a disgrace to the
Senate and reprehensible in every point
of view. as tending to keep up spirit of
race mostly in the Sonth. After
further debate the bill relating to postal
crimes were concurred in. Resolutions
for printing 1900 additional co pies of
the reports of the Pacific Railway Com
mission was agreed TO.