Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-03-28
LABoRERs COMBINE.
Another Long Discussion Yesterday on the
Antitrust Bill.


Antitrust Bill.
WASHINGTON, March 97.-The anti
trust bill was again taken up to-day and
the amendments to it as reported from
the Committee of the Whole were
brought before the Senate.
The first amendment that gave rise to
discussion was the provision excepting
from the prohibitions OF the law the
combinations Of wOrkmen and farmers.
Mr.. Edmunds declared himself in
favor OF doing everything that the Con-
stitrtion permitted Congress to do in
suppresSing aud breaking up trusts and
monopolieS. because in the long run
however they might reduce cost for the
time being) all human experience proved
them to be destructive to the public
welfare. People could not shut their
eyes to the fact that if capital combined,
II great industrial
ESTABLISHMENTS CONFINED
to regulate wages the workmen were
compelled also TO combine to defend
themselves. And so this country and
other countries had been for the last
forty wears turned into great camps Of
enemies. while there ought to be only
one camp of cooperative friends. Even
i'm the city OF Washington, where Con-
rrcss had exclusive jurisdiction, masonS,
carpenters. bakers, tailOrS, printers and
All trades had their combination, which
were armed camps making aggressive
warfare against the rest OF mankind.
He had learned OF case which occurred
here only few months ago, where a
skilled printer, a citizen Of the United
States. a man OF good character and
with little money (Such things some
times went together, even in the Senate
of the United StateS,) applied to the
public printer for employment; and al
though he was inst the man who was
wanted to fiji a vacancy, the puDllc
Drintcr wasnot permitted to employ him.
because. ne was told, il he did, nine
tenthS Of the printers employed IN the
onlce would cease work, and the
country
WOULD GO To DESTRUCTION
hecause il could not read to-day what
had been said in Congress yesterday.
And this was because the man did not
belong to a particular combination. II
that was not tyranny, Mr.. EdmundS ala
not know what tyranny was.
The tyranny Of thousand men was
Infinitely worse than the tyranny OF one
man. lust as the tyranny OF the com
mune i'm France was worse than thaI
of the monarch who had been over
thrown. Taking the iron industry as an
illustration. Mr. EdmundS went ON 10
arcue that if labor combinations put up
the price OF wages 50 per cent, the
neople who owned the mines and the
furnaces and the forgeS had therlght To
combine 10 protect themselves so aS 10
cot such priccs as would make up Tor
tho increased cost Of production. lie
was willing TO 20 as far as Congress hdu
power TO 20 in the way OF DreaHihs up
the great monopOlieS that existed 10 'hV
country. So far as the constitutional
question went, he believed that the Sale-
~ OF the nation depended more largely
ON the preservation Of what were called
the rights OF the States than ON any
other thing. He, therefore, should De
SLOW ABOUT VOTING
for any act Of Congress, which ne
thought went ever the boundary which
the constitution prescribed.
Mr.. Platt made an earnest attack up
ON the bill as bill that was aimed al
every business in the United States.
Mr.. Walthall moved To refer the bill
and amendments to the Judiciary Com
mittec. with instructions TO report bach
within twenty days. The motion was
agreed To: yeas 81. nays IS.
} The Republicans who voted in the
I q affirmative were Cameron. Higgins
platt. Stanford, Stockbridge, Teller
and Welcott. The Democrats who
voted in the negative were Barry, Cock
rel. Pugh. Turple, Vance and Noor'
hecS-