Omaha daily bee., 1890-07-19

brief squabble over the rnle by which il
was brought up aud on Monday next the vote
will be taken. There are now three distinct
propositions before the house-the Wilson
bill so-called, being the bill as IL passed the
senate, the substitute reported from the ju-
dietary committee by which all articles which
may be the subject OF Interstate commerce
are TO be subjected to the same conditions,
and the Adams amendment by which an or
iginal package Is defined and all sales made
by importers in any other form declared
illegal Which of these may bc adopted or
whether any of them will be is now very
problcmatical. Changes of conviction are
continually going on and members who a few
days ago expressed themselves very conf
dcntally upon this subject are now all at sea
as to how they will vote, II has been day
of surprises When the rule for the cousid-
Grafton of the bill was reported ut the clerks
desk it was generally understood that the
contest would develop as one between the
views embodied in the amendment reported
from the judiciary committee and the substi-
tute reported by Mr.. Adams, and 80 strong
was this view that Judge Taylor, chairman of
the committee, and Mr.. Adams were recog-
nized us controlling the time during the de-
bate 1t soon became manifest. however, that
the committee substitute would have but
few friends as being too sweeping in char
acter and partaking too much of delega-
tion to the states by congress of certain of its
powers, Il thing which that body cannot do.
The contest therefore, promises to be one al
most entirely between the Wilson bill aud
the Adams proposition. Between these the
diverge gencc Is great The former proposes to
make state regulations attach the moment
the liquor enters the state, and the lat ter al
lows il to come in and be a subject of one
sale in a defined original package before local
law attaches.
The debate was opened in brief speech
by Judge Taylor, who outlined generally the
scope of the proposed legislation. He
was followed by Judge Culbertson of Texas
who made the argument OF the day. The
latter took the ground that both the bill of
the senate and that of the committee were
vicious in that they transcended the powers
conferred on Congress BY the constitution,
and would be 50 held by the courts for the
reason that they gave the states power to
enact legislation touching subjects of inter
state commerce, a right which subsisted only
in congress, and could not be delegated. He
could see no relief from the existing situation
save in another decision by the supreme court
which should override the recent one
or else in constitutional amend
ment The speech was close
legal argument, without attempt at oratorcal
effect, and during its delivery he was sur
rounded by all the ahlest lawyers in the
house and enjoyed an attention such as is
seldom witnessed in that hall.
Mr.. Adams followed, and, while yielding a
concurrence in many points with Judge Cul-
berson, sought to find remedy along the
line of the decision of the supreme court by
PACKAGE so that the decision should not be
made a cloak under which to conduct in de-
fiance of state enactmentS a dlSreputable
form of the traffic as has been attempted in
various places
Mr. Reed of Iowa followed in defense of
the committee proposition and was subjected
to a constant fire of questions on the point of
delegated authority which bothered him not
little Judge Taylor soon came to his res
cue, insisting that the proposed legislation
Of dali ttT,.n al hat
else within certain boundaries only.
This argument was an extremely technical
one and was appreciated cnly by the lawyers
| present. r
Mr. Morse then took q. land at the puzzle
reading carefully prepntsd speech, during
which many members retired to the lobby
and cloak rooms to rest themselves from the
| close attention they had been giving. The
| Massachusetts statesmun elaborated on the
| evils of intemperance, lauScned out in free
| criticism of the supremd court and pictured
7 what well regulated fcoulmunity, uncursed
| by the rum sellers, should be, but offered nc
aid towards solving the puzzle, The second
| speech of the day in its Importance and the
| best oratorically was that of General Hender-
son of Iowa, who closed the days discussion.
! After tribute to his state and the supreme
| court he declared the line to be the recogni.
ton of the absolute supremacy of the state in
! its police power within its borders and the
| like supremacy of the nation over interstate
commerce. The government might, if il
saw fit, absolutely prohibit the importation OF
any article, and so in like manner it could,
without any delegation of power, allow Il
state to forbid any importation of liquor by
| recognizing in an interstate commerce pro
| vision the police regulations of a state.
Such was the line of the first days debate
| The interest is not merely that of the repro
| sentatves from prohibition states or where
| local option has considerable sway, but it is
| shared equally by the representatives from
| states wherein license laws are in force under
| which there is a considerable revenue to be
derived from such licenses. If the decision
of the supreme court is 10 stand unaltcred
these are threatened wits deluge of shops
to the license laws, to the manifest diminu.
| tOn Of the local revenues, and it is urged by
those who favor the Wilson bill, no even sub
ject to the Sunday laws or those forbidding
the sale of LIQUORS to minors or on days of
election; in fact, rendered exempt from all
state or local regulation whatever. Party
lines are not drawn and many members on
both sides realize that, vote as they may it is
| likely to cost them numbers of votes this fall
and are under their breath freely anathemat-
izing the supreme court for having involved
them in the muddle, the escape from which
is anything but apparent
| MISCELLANEOUS,
The promotion of Itrtfus p. Brown of the
| Twenty fourth infantry-iS remarkable in
stance of the slowness of adVancements in
| military life under certain circumstances
This gentleman graduated from West Point
twenty-four years ago, served for number
of years in the department of the Platte in q
regiment that has phenomenally slow promo
tion, ana he has been almost to day quar-
ter of century in working up to his cap
tainCy by ordinary steps
Senator Paddock returned from a three
dasy' trip to New York and Boston OF
Wednesday, the first and only vacation he
has taken since January. II was his inten
ton to participate in the irrigation debate
but he has been confined to his room evel
since his return, owing 10 prostration from
the heat He expects to be able to resume
his seat in the senate Mohday.
Hon. John M. ThurstOh of Omaha spent
this morning in the city.
Senator Pearce of North Dakota proposed
an amendment to the tris bill today. BY its
terms the president will be in the absence o.
further legislation by congress authorized t
impose the duties on sugar in force on Jun'
80, 1890, upon shipments from these countrie:
which year after the passage of the ac
have not entered into reciprocal treaties il
regard to agricultural preducts of this coun
try with the United STATES, and the presi
dent will be authorized 10 enter into negotia
tions with sugar-produeing countries 70
such treaties. This amtndment If adopted
will he says, practically secure the benefit!
aimed at in the Hale amendment 1t is un
derstood that the adminhtration approves o
| the tenor of the nrODOse1samondmeut