The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-07-31
A BREEZE FROM THE WRONG QUARTER.
Admiral Luce and the Secretary Re-
ported to be at Odds.
What the Committee Says of TWO
Great Trusts.
Digging bitches In American Deserts
the Latest Scheme.

WASHINGTON. July 3O.-If Dame Rumor
is to be believed, the details of Navy fam
lily quarrel which are to be given to the pub
lie soon will cause no small amount of inter-
esting gossip. The rumor Is that Secretary
Whitney has under consideration the relief
OF Rear-Admiral S. B. Lace as commandant
Of the North Atlantic Squadron, owing to a
little unpleasantness between the Secretary
and the Admiral growing out of the aban-
Gonment Of the joint Army and Navy ma
noeuvres at Fishers Island. The original
plan was that all Of the vessels Of the
North Atlantic Squadron should participate
In series Of sham battles with the four bat
teries Of the 9th Artillery from the forts in
New York harb0r and battery of the 4th
Artillery from Fort Trumbull.
The first work done after the Army troops
reached Fishers Island was to construct
rltie ranges, with twelve targets placed at
distances ranging from 200 to loo yards.
The garrison was named Camp 5. b. Luce,
and 1t was Intended to increase the force to
fourteen batteries. Then the Secretary de-
tached the flagship Richmond and ordered
her to be put In condition for foreign squad
ron duty. The cruiser Atlanta was next de-
tached to be fitted for foreign service, and
the 1antic was ordered to be repaired for a
West Indies cruise. This left only the Gale
ma and the Ossipee, and 1t was proposed to
have a drill on smaller scale. This plan
has now been abandoned, hence the rumors.
The Committee on the Trusts.
The House committee on manufactures to-
day submitted its report concerning the
trusts investigation, which was ordered
printed. The report states that in calling
witnesses and taking testimony, the commit
tee proceeded upon the following plan Of in
vestigation, viz, to inquire, first, with rela-
tion to trusts. or combinations, in lines of
business which are connected with, or use
articles in which there exists a competition
in our markets between the domestic pro-
duct and the foreign product imported and
dutiable under our tariff laws. Second, with
relation to such combinations dealing in arti-
cles which are not imported into this coun-
try, or are not subject to import duties
Third, with relation to such combinations
dealing in articles which are subject to taxa
ton under the internal revenue laws Of the
United States.
After speaking of the organization of the
Standard Oil Trust and the Sugar Trust, by
which the organization and identity of the
component corporations is left undisturbed,
the trustees being restricted to the receipt of
the dividends declared by the various cOrpo-
ratlonS and the distribution of the aggregate
OF them to the holders of the trusts, certif-
Gates, pro rata, and to holding and voting
upon the stock of the corporations, the COM
mittee say "This form Of combination was
obviously devised for the purpose of reliev-
ing the trusts and trustees from the charge
OF any breach of the conspiracy laws. of the
various States, or Of being a combination to
regulate or control the price of production Of
any commodity; hence they assert that the
corporations themselves which control and
regulate the price of commodities and the
extent OF production, ana have tangible
property, remain with their organization In
tact and distinct and not in combination
with each other; that the stockholders, who
owned only the stock of the corporations.
entered into the agreements and sold their
stock In the corporations and accepted in
payment trust certificates, and that the trus-
tees receive and hold only the stock of cor
porations and have no legal title to any of
the property of corporations, and neither
buy nor sell anything nor combine with
any one to fix prices or regulate the produc-
tlon OF any commodity. 1t Is plain that the
combinations, the testimony concerning
which Is herewith submitted, have been in
tentionally formed so as to avoid, If possible,
the charge that the trust as such, or the
trustees in that capacity, either fixed the
price or regulated the production of any ar
ticle OF merchandise or commerce."