New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-24
.PY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNE

fPY TELEGRAPH TIE TRIBUNEI
Washington July 23-Thc feature Of the debate to-
day In the Senate the Anti option bill was vgor-
ons and intensely earnest arcmcnt by Senator Hscoc
against the consttuonality and legitimacy Of the Hatch
scheme ~ stoppinc speculation in futures" by pro
hibive Federal taxation The principle on which the
hill rested Mr. IIscOck argued. was a false and per
nirous one. wholly indcfenSibc on constitutional
grounds and In plain violation Of the rights Of the
States and of the personal right Of contract. The
Hatch bill tax bill only in name. In reality
it was perversion of the taxing power TO Interior
purpose. namely 10 the prescription ard exermna-
ton of u certain kind Of commercial activity. Under
the cloak Of the taxing power clansc Of the Constiu
ton the Hatch scheme invaded and DESTROYED the right
of contract specifically guaranteed by that instrument
and protected in actual practice in all the States by
tho common Jaw. No such attempt. Mr.. HsCock main
tanned had before been made 10 apply the Federal
taxing power to surreptouN and alien uses.
and II once the precedent set that
excses could be laid for the purpose Of obtaining
revenue strike at and abolish individual rights
and liberties enjoyed under jurisdiction. one
cou'd calculate what cv,s might follow illimahle
an abuse Of legislative power. Turning 10 Mr.. George
the New York senator secured from him the admission
that the Hatch bill employed the form of constitute nal
law "a obtain unconstitutional results, and tins con
fesson Of indrcton and Implicitly, he showed would
have to be made by every senator who supported the
ILL For himself. Mr.. HiScOck declared that he couM
not violate his oath Of ONCE by voting for measure
unconstitutional in every line on the bare and unSauS-
fying bubble tina, its merely fictitious title As taxing
bill brought it within the limits Of Congressional n1S
dIction The bill, besides the Ncwlork Senator SAID
was against the public interest. 1t Outraged private
rights and sought subject the business of the conn
rv to new and unusual restrictions II wonln not pro
duce the benefits claimed for it By It's advocates bn on
The other hand would work injury TO every other in
forest but the milling ard elevator Its only result
would be to turn the handling OF grain into one vast
elevator trust monopoly. Mr.. iiiNcock was never
clearer or more forcibc than In speech TO-DAY ana
he WAS listened TO by many colleagues with marked
attention. in spite Of he extreme heat OF the afternoon
AT the Capitol
Mr. Hiscock said that he believed it TO be the
frat serious attempt to Invade the common law
and the recognized rights OF the people OF the
states II the system which the bill proposed to
abolish was an evil the Legislatures OF the states Oh
New York and Illinois were amply able and authorized
to correct II. Who tue men who were an
t,ema,lzed and characterized as criminals by those
rho were pressing the biz In Newl York they were
lie merchants. the capitalists. the men VINO had
developed the great and growing West, wnch no"
complained against their commercial methods Iheir
money their enterprise. their genius. had built up
great lines of transportation. and had enilt so to
saw new states. They the pioneers OF progress
In this country merchants were IN ever! clVihZeN
nation, and yet these men were characterized a.
common gamblers who bebauched the young and who
tempted men 10 embezzemcnt
Mr. Washburn denied that he had ever incrhdeo
such men in his denunciations lie had referred
only to men who had no capital and who SOFA
what they had not got
Mr. IIiscock said that those men whom he had
described-from the state. of New OK and Inc o'a"
0, Minnesoa-were protesting to Congress against the
BILL and he referred the petition from the bankers
of MINNEAPOLIS presented today by Mr.. Davis, eX-
pressing fears Of the effect of the bill on the values
Of the great agricultural products and general bu'l-
ness Interests the Northwest. boards N trade ha1
been established in all the great commercial cities IN
Europe as well the United states. for the purpose Of
facilitating tho exchange Of commodities and trans
acting legitimate business; and now il was p'OPrro
10 prohibit such business IN the United states IL was
another bull against the comet" Who believed That
II 1t law II would change or affect the price
Of wheat oats or the products OF the pig IN the
markets OF the world
There was not a senator who would rise In Ms
place and declare that in his opinion Congress had
the power to forbid the making Of contracts for the
sale of property in spot or place or on any day'
whether the seller owned the property not lie
would Ike 10 hear the senator from Mississippi Mr.
George on that point How could Senator from
sovereign State for the measure. In view VI MS
cath 20 support the Constitution of The United states
Did not oaths Of Office bind conScencc'l We're not
tent a. holding IN Tall their conscience guiding
thti poitiol uoa. III the c urse Of hs argument Mr.
Iscock asked MIR. I1att. member 81 the judiciary
Committee his opinion a. 10 the conStltutlomnv oi ic
bill; and was told that Mr. Rat would hold 1t to BE-
Mr.. WaShburn asked Mr.. Plat whether be did not
think that The supreme Court would hold II to be I'M
constitutional. 3" / cannot guess Mr.. Plat replied
"what the supreme Curt would do. can only say
what my action would be If member Of the
supreme Court. II YOU want me 70 guess. would
guess that The supreme Court would hold 1t to l.;
unconstitutional
Mr. Hlscock referring 10 the elevator syndicate.
proclaimed that every COMPUTATION In wheat +" PVT
up the price, where H. had been defeated. had been
defeated through the system OF options ana FUTURES.
The meD who in the combination had cash 10
COntrC. the wheat IN the market: but they could i0
Al
He proclaimed Ii as axiom and principle In com
merce and trade that. where the volume OF business
Is extended the power 10 control prices IS hcichsen
IL was only when the market could be c"ntr0l"d w
and combinations formed II il were pat Ia the
mower Of elevators. from Buffalo 10 thlcago anu
NnneapOlis TO collect the wheat Of the country hcV
would become II great anaconda >lre'h hing 10 The 1ar
West arc destroying whatever was wlthH us rhrh
Tho nh ,yas Il ma sterpiece Of wOrfnn nShlp. The
Republican party had been accused or facilitating
trlsrs but this bill the basis Of The most Hganuc
trust ever conceived by human lp'eln2"hce ana IL
would sweep into political ODnVIOh every man ~hO
had promoted st. II tampled down me common hW
~ tbe crIutry. II struck al individual liberty IL
s,rnck Al the rght of Individuals 10 MAKE contracts
That was It's spirit and its purpose. lie be1ev"d
thai n was fraught with the creates, Danger lhtInuch
~ IL would make precedcnt for allowing Congress
,o ,r,Id The mower Of JOYc the American people
Under The taxing power Congress coid RUE or run
ercrv Individual and community and stat" IN Inc
Union. 49, ,.,o ~ one az the most
- and ,r,uaclOlis trusts and expressions OF ne
,.np,e that ever existed among any pS9ple;; MI
T.rock closed his speech at 20, ana Ml. I "S
took tho floor and asked ana opl'nicn ,, ~ The
C0nscnt that immediately after thc r1oie Vi Wv
journal on Monday the hill be taken mp - AZ 10
enable him 10 addresS Ia" senate pci"Ic "'0 ~
Of the day.