Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-28
HEW0N'T BE COERCED
EdmundS Gives His Reasons for 0p-
posing the Antitrust Bill.
He JUMPS UPON LABOR UNIONS,
Which, he Declares, Make War Against the
Rest of Mankind.
ARGUING IN FAVOR OF COMBINATIONS

WASHINGTON, March 27.-The anti
trust bill was taken up, and the amend,
ments to it, as reported from the committe,
of the whole, were brought before the Sen
ate to-day.
The first amendment that gave rise to dis
cussion 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 Constitution
permitted Congress to do in suppressing and
breaking up trusts and monopolies, because
in the long run (however they might reduce
cost for the time being) all human expert
ence had proved them to be destructive of the
public welfare. People could not shut their
eyes to the fact that. if capital combined if
great industrial establishments combine to reg
ulate wages the workmen were compelled to
also combine
TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.
And so this country and other countries had
been for the last 40 years turned into great
camps of enemies. while there ought to be only
one camp of cooperative friends. Even in the
city of Washington, where Congress had ex-
elusive jurisdiction, masons carpenters. bakers
tailors printers and all trades had their COM
binations, which were armed camps. making
aggressive warfare against the rest of man
kind
He had learned of a case which occurred
here only few months ago, where skilled
printer a citizen of the United States, a man of
good character and with little money (such
things sometimes went together even IN the
Senate) applied to the Public Printer for en-
ployment; and although be was just the man
who wanted to fill a vacancy, the Public
Printer was not permitted to employ him, be-
cause he was told that if he did, nine-tentns of
the printers employed in the office would cease
work. and the country would go to destruction
because it could not read to-day what had been
said in Congress Yesterday. And this was be-
cause the man did not belong 10 particular
combination.
TYRANNY OF LABOR.
If that was not tyranny Mr.. Edmunds did not
know what tyranny was The tyranny of a
thousand men infinitely worse than the
tyranny of one man. just as the tyranny of the
commune in France was worse than that of the
monarch who had been OverthrownA Taking
the iron industry as an illustration MIR. Ed
munds went on to argue that if labor combina-
tionS put up the price of wages 80 per cent the
people who owned the mines and the furnaces
and the forges had the right to combine to pro-
tect themselves so as to get such prices as would
make up for the increased cost of production.
He was willing to so as far as Congress had
power TO 60 in the way of breaking up the great
monopOlies that existed to the detriment of the
country. So far as the constitutional question
went, he believed that the safety of the nation
depended more largely on the preservation of
what were called the rights of the States than
on any other one thing He therefore should
be slow about voting for any act of Congress
which he thought went over the boundary
which the Constitution prescribed.
WORSE THINGS THAN MoNoPoLIES.
He believed it to be better to endure the par
tial evil of even the most grinding monopoles
than TO attempt TO step, by one inch, over the
clear boundary line that had been established
and maintained between Congress and the leg
islatve power of the States. He was not willing
TO vote for bill that would be deceptive and
illusory mere dust and ashes, and would not
be coerced into doing so by newspaper outcry,
by farmers alliances or anything else.
Mr.. Platt made an earnest attack upon the
bill as bill that was aimed at every business
in the United States. He was willing to vote
for well considered house bill, but the con- !
duct of the Senate for the past three days had |
not been in the line of an honest bill to prohibit
and punish trusts. 1t had heen in the line of |
getting some bill with that title to go to the |
country with.
NJ. Walthall moved to refer the bill and |
amendments to the Judiciary Committee, with |
instructions TO report back within 20 DAYS. The |
motion was agre I'd to-yeas, 81; nays, 2S. The |
Republican Senators who voted in the affirma- |
tive were Cameron, Higgins. Plat, Stanford, /
StockbriGge, Teller and Wolcott. The Demo- |
Gratis who voted in the negative were Berry |
COckrell, Pugh, Turpie. Vance and VOORHEES,.