Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-13
PINKERT0NS FOR 1T.
Congress Thinks the Detective Agency
Needs Investigating.
an INQUIRY TO BE ENTERED UPON.
Reed Finds Another Opportunity to Vent
Some of His Sarcasm.
THE SENATE TACKLES A MESSAGE

for unanimous consent was carried out this
morning. A request made by Mr.. Sayers,
of Texas, that Senate private bill remain
upon the Speakers table for the present
ran UP against his objection, as did likewise
Mr. Dalzell, of Pennsylvania, who made a
similar request.
Mr. Oates, of Alabama, as privileged
question, from the Committee on Judiciary,
reported back q substitute for the Watson
Pinkerton detective investigating resolu-
ton The substitute recites the allegation that
a certain organization known as the Pink
erton Detectives has been employed unlaw-
fully and to the detriment of the public by
the railroad corporations engaged in the
transportation of United States mails and
interstate commerce, and directs the Com
mittee on Judiciary to investigate the said
Pinkerton detectives, the charac-
ter of their employment by corporations
engaged in the transportation Of interstate
commerce or of United States mails, the
number so employed, and whether such en-
ployment has provoked bresch of the
peace or caused the destruction of property,
and all the material facts connected with
their alleged employment. The committee
is given the usual powers as to summoning
witnesses, etc.
Why the Inquiry vas demanded.
Mr. Watson said he had offered the orig
inal resolution because many people be-
lieyed the Pinkerton Agency is standing
body of armed militia. He cited the in
stance of the New York Central strike. At
that time these men shot down, in Albany,
men. women and children who were non-
combatants The Governor of New York
mad said that the State authorities could
have preserved the peace: the Mayor of AL
bany had said the municipal authorities
could have done so. He was in favor of
law and order
If the authorities could preserve the
peace, Congress wanted to know it; if they
could not, Congress wanted to know it, in
order that it might strengthen their hands
He was as much opposed to the maintenance
of standing army by labor as by capital
Let the House find out what this Pinkerton
Agency really was-whether it deserved to
be restrained, not in the interest of labor as
labor, or of strikers as strikers, but in the
interest of citizens, whether laborers or
capitalists-in the interest of peace and
society.
Opposition to the Investigation.
Mr. E. B. Taylor, of Ohio, opposed the
resolution. No reason had been presented
why the House should make the investiga-
tion. 1t had not been alleged that there
was any interference with Interstate COM
merce. If the Pinkerton detectives had
killed persons they should be governed by |
the law of the State where the act was done. |
1t was not the affair of the general Govern |
ment He protested against the interfer- |
ence of Congress in State affairs. What |
ever wrong had been done had been wrong |
of that kind, which was exclusively within |
the jurisdiction of the State courts.
Mr.. Scott, of Illinois, thought the inquiry |
was an eminently proper one. He believed |
there had been times when Interstate COM |
merce had been paralyzed through the |
action of these men. |
Mr.. Simpson, of Kansas, said the House |
had been investigating everything that was |
suggested but here, when the laboring |
class appealed to it, asking If there was |
any way that Congress could put down this |
band of assassins, gentlemen shielded them |
selves behind the Constitution.
After further debate the resolution was |
adopted.
Burrows Makes Quite a Point.
The House then went into committee |
of the whole, Mr.. Lester, of Georgia, in the |
chair, on the sundry civil appropriation bill |
Mr.. Burrows, of Michigan, made the point |
of order against the proviso that all |
articles imported for the use of the light |
house establishment shall be admitted free |
of duty. 1t seemed to him to be the begin
ming of an effort to revise the tariff on an
appropriation bill 1t wasn't germane to
the subject matter of the bill and the Com
mittee on Appropriations had no juris-
diction of the tariff
The chair sustained Mr.. Burrows, and
ruled the proviso out of order.
Mr.. Reed of Maine, moved to increase
the appropriation for the Lighthouse es-
tablishment from $3.50, 900 to S40S, ,000 Mr..
Reed said the bill as reported appropriated
S370, 600 plus the duty, or in all, S40S, 900.
This was exactly what his amendment pro-
posed.
Mr.. Holman hoped the increase would
not be made.
Mr.. Reed inquired whether the gentle
man had not approved the bill as reported.
Mr. Holman declined to state.
Reed Insists His Stand.
Mr.. Reed again suggested that his amend
ment did not increase the appropriation as
N ade by the original bill
Mr.. Holman did not care whether it did
or not He believed that the appropriation
in the bill was sufficient, and he hoped that
it would not be increased.
Mr.. Reed said the gentleman from Indi-
ana had declined to state whether he ap-
proved the bill as reported If he had not
approved it he would have said so. There
fore the committee has his economical ap-
proval of the proposition he (Mr. Reed)
had made. He sincerely hoped that the
committee would follow the gentleman in
his first proposition, and not in his desire tc
keep his totals where they were.
On division the vote stood 42 to 101.
Mr.. Burrows made the point of no quorum,
but in the course of a quarter of an hour
quorum appeared, and the amendment was
rejected.
On motion of Mr. Sayers, of Texas, the
appropriation for the Life Saving Service
was increased S21,0 900. The proviso that
none of the money appropriated for estab-
fishing life saving stations shall be used for
erecting station on the grounds of the
Worlds Columbian Exposition was
amended by adding that such a station may
be erected if site therefor is first donated
to the United States, as long as it shall be
devoted to the uses of the station.
Some Sarcasm on Both Sides.
Mr.. Butler. of Iowa, charged the Repub-
icans with violating the rules by remaining
in their seats and not voting.
Mr.. Reed made one of his caustic speeches
in which he criticised the Democrats for
making no explanation of the reductions
they proposed If the people knew of these
performances they would soon put a stop to
them. But, unfortunately, if there was
anything the people of the country did not
think much about, it was the House of Rep
resentatives. [Laughterl That could be
seen by the hands that they put it in. The
brute force. The Democrats had three to
the Republicans one. That was the only
reason for the reduction. The committee, |
pending further action, rose, and the House
adjourned.
A Pretense of " ork in the Senate.
Among the bills introduced in the Senate
to-day, were the following