Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-22
CONGRESSIONAL.
VARIOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST DIS
cusseo IN BOTH HOUSES.
denominations and Trusts--The Blair Bill
Pension Bill Passes-Gcnerai FREE
mont-Tents for Sufferers.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. March q. 1890.

WASHINGTON. d. c.. March q. 1890.
senate.
Mr.: Ransom, referring. to yesterday $
vote on the Blair bill, SAID that there had
heen' some confusion about it; that ne
ebonld have been paired as IN favor OF the
hill and that Mr. Casey with whom he was
paired) was opposed to the bill:
Mr. plumb. from tho Committee on hp-
NOMINATIONS. reported back the House
Joint resolution authorizing the appoint
ment Of thirty medical examiners Tor the
Bureau Of Pensions, and gave notice that
he would ask the Senate TO consider IL To-
Mr. Cockrell said that the report was by
mn means unanimous, and gave notice that
no would move to amend the JOINT resoiu-
| tion bv striking out the clause allowing
tbe examination TO be within the discretion
and under the direction Of tho Secretary
of the Interior. leaving the appointments
under the civil-service law, TO whlch tne
| Republican party stood solemnly pledged.
| On motion of Mr.. Sherman the Dill 10 de-
| clare unlawful trusts and combinations IN
restraint of trade and prouuction was
taken up for consideration. -,
The substitute reported by Mr. sherman,
| from the Finance Committee, on the 18TH
| instant was read; also an amendment that
was offered by Mr.. Reagan,
! Mr.. Sherman addressed the Senate. read
| inc his argument from manuscript. lie
| declared that the bill did not interfere
with any lawful business. 1t dealt only
with unlawful combinations. such colnOi-
nations as were unauthorized by any law
| of apy civilized nation, ancient or modern,
and whose sole object was to control prices
and TO establish substantial monopolies
which were injurious to the public and
which should be restrained by the courts.
| II was that kind of q combination which
| the bill dealt with. He referred to the de-
| cisions of the State courts OF ONO, Mlchlc
| gan. Illinois. and New York in the cases OF
| the Standard-OI Company. the Diamond
| Match Company. and the Sugar Trust, de-
| claring such trusts null and void and against
| public policy. These references and quota
| lions were. he said, to show that in different
| States the State courts did declare trusts
| and combinations IN the State as unlawful
| and void. and that the pending bill pro-
! posed was to empower the courts OF the
| United States to deal with those comblna-
! fions. affecting not only the several States,
| but the entire world. All these comblna-
| tions. he ssid-the cotton trust, the whls-
| kew trust. the sugar-refining trust the cop
| ner trust. the salt trust, and many others
| we're modelled on the same plan and IN
| yolye the same principle. They were all
| combinations of the corporations and lndi-
viduals of many States forming league
and covenant under the control OF trus-
| tees. In concluding, he said that the de-
! fects of the bill were IN Its moderation,
| and TINT its best effect would he TO serve
notice that the combinations and restraint
of trade and production would not be
| tolerated. =.
| Al the close Of Sherman's speech hlr.
| Inoalls gave notice of an amendment
which he would offer to the bill. The
amendment was read and ordered printed.
1t is substantially the Butterworth bill to
regulate dealings in options or futures, now
pending in the House,
| dered that the substitute reported from
| the Finance Committee shall be treated as
| the oripipal text of the bill, and so the
amendments proposed by Messrs. Reagan
| and INGALLS, are TO he treated as amend
| ments in the first and second degree.
MIR. Vest addressed the Senate. No one.
he said. could exagcerate the Importance
of the subject or the feelings tnat existed
| against the trusts all oyer the country,
| but especially in the agricultural districts.
He could have no controversy with the
| Senator from Ohio as TO the enormity OF
the abuses that had grown up under the
system OF trusts and combinations; and
he also agreed with him that there should
be no hypercriticism Of the Constitution.
| But what was desired was one thing. and
| what could be accomplished under the
autonomy Of the Government was an
other thing; and he could not even
in the face of the popular indisna-
| ton which would be visited on any one
| that criticised the measure intended To
| destroy the evil complained of violate his
oath to support the Constitution, and yio-
late all the habilitudes of thought which
had come to him as lawyer educated and
| trained in his profession. For Congress 70
pass law that would he thrown out of the
Supreme Court under the terrible criticism
| that such law would invoke was simply
! to subject itself to ridicule and to the con-
fession that 1t was poweriess to enact laws
that would give the people relief. lie
went on to argue against the constitution
atty of the original bill, as well as OF the sub
stitute, declaring his belief that the Su-
preme Court would Immediately throw II
ont of court. The Senate had been told
last session by Mr. Sherman that whenever
he was satisfied that combinations were
protected bv high protective duty, he
| would be in favor of reducing that duty,
and that, Mr.. Vest said. was the real rene
| DIV. ANY other remedy without an amend.
! ment of the Constitution would be abso-
luteiy nugatOry and Intellectual. Those
trusts Gas every intelligent man knew were
| protected by high tariff and were enabled
TO work their injurious purposes under
the buttress afforded by the tariff law.
The debate drifted into a discussion OF
the effect of high duties upon the exist
ence of trusts, Messrs. Allison, Platt, In
gals, Teller, Dawes, and Frye asking ques-
| tons and making suggestions IN opposl-
ton to Mr.. Vests contention. The latter
| insisted upon close connection between
trusts and high duties, and illustrated the
point by an anecdote of suspicious old
gentleman, who once invested twenty-five
| cents in order TO see the Siamese twins,
and who, having examined the hgament
| which bound them together, and noted IN
| that ligament the pulsation that indicated
animal life TO the fullest extent. SAID 10
them: Still suspicious. Now, boys, tell
the truth: are you brothers," And so in
spite of the demonstration Of the connec-
ton, the question was gravely asked: Was
there any connection between the trusts
and h-protective tariff. He hoped
that some senator would move TO re-
fer the bill to the Judiciary Committee, be-
cause it was subject so elaborate, so I'M
| portant. so overwhelming that it should
| be approached with the greatest caution
| and treated with the greatest care.
Mr.. Hiscock said he was III sympathy
with Mr.. Sherman in much of what be
had said against trusts, but he argued that
| the bill would not effect the purpose FOL