Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-28
"Trnsts and Combines"

Abe members OF the United States oeh-
nte were in jolly mood on "Wednesday.
They laughed in their sleeves at their too
confding constituents who expect them TO
legislate against trusts and combines. and
put their fingers up to their senatorial
noses whenever they added to the SHER-
MAN antitrust bill an amendment which
promised to kill the bill itself. Amend
ments making the hill include stocks and
bonds were adopted. Also one extending
Sho provisions of the bill TO cotton prints,
steel rails. boots and shoes. lead and lum-
Der. Was that amendment offered or
adopted in good faith? On motion OF Mr..
BLAIR (of all mem an amendment was
adopted making the bill include woollen
goods and whiskey and all kinds Of intoxL
eating drinks
Having loaded down the bill like pack
horse with all sorts of ridiculous amend
ments the grave senators then divided on
the question of its reference. An effort,
real or pretended, was made TO have 1T re-
committed 70 the Finance Committee or
referred to the Judiciary Commttee-os-
tensibly for the purpose OF getting nd OF
the Objectionable amendments. These
motions failed; but Mr.. VEST then offered
an amendment to increase the license
tax for dealers in options from one thou
sand to ten thousand dollars, and of course
that amendment, like so many others, was
adopted.
We hardly know what to think of the
treatment which the SIBERIAN bill re-
ceived in the Senate on Wednesday. But
We may be allowed to guess that the sena-
tors intended to pass different and bet
ter bill or they would not have cast their
votes and offered their amendments with
so much merrlment.
Railroad rings, trusts. combines. and all
such corporations seem to exercise an im-
measurable and unaccountable influence
over whatever legislative bodies have
TO deal with them. We suppose that the
United States Senate is an incorruptlble
body. There may be some corrupt men
in it, but nobody would charge that ma
jority Of its members are approachable or
accessible to corrupt lobbyists. Never
theless, the senators must not consider
themselves as induleing III mirth on
Mt, Olympus-or where they cannot be
eeen.
Speaking Of railroads, We will mention
two railroad cases decided by the Supreme
Court of the United States last Monday,
but not sent to us by the Associated Press
reporter. We find statement of the cases
in Chicago paper. That court reversed
in one case the decision of the Supreme
Court of the State of Minnesota, which
sustained the action of the railroad COM
missioners of Minnesota i'll fixing pc
remptory rates. That is to say, "a we un-
derstand the case, the Supreme Court of
the United States decided that the Mime
sofa railroad-law is unconstitutional or
invalid for some reason, or at any rate that
the Minnesota court had decided wrong,
and therefore the railroad commissioners
of that State had no right to fix peremptory
rates. This case arose from refusal by
tine Eastern Minnesota railroad TO re-
duce It's charge for switching cars in Min
neapolis from $3.50 to 81 as ordered by
the commission.
In the other case the Minnesota court
held that though railroad company Is for
hidden to establish rates that are not equal
ana rcdSOuaDle lutIo 10 pOWSI III llic
courts to stay the hands of the commission
If it chooses to establish rates that are I'M
equal and unreasonable. But the Supreme
Court of the United States reversed that
decision, holding that such construction
OF the law is in conflict with the Constitu-
ton of the United States in the particulars
referred to. 1t deprives the company of
its right to judicial investigation under
the forms and with the machinery of law
rs provided by the wisdom of successive
ages for the investigation judicially of
matters in controversy, and substitutes
therefor as a fnality the action of O rail-
road commission which, in view of the
powers conferred upon it by the State
cannot be regarded as clothed with
judicial functions or possessing the ma
chinery of o court of justice.
Railroad commissioners will be apt to
hunt up the last two decisions.