The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1893-02-22
SENATOR COKE.
His Position on the Hatch Bill, and
Why He Voted Against 1t.


Senator Coke has written letter
from Washir gton. III whica he
states WI y be ne opposed the ant.
option bill. He says:
al voted against the Hatch anti
COTTON bill in July last, few days
before the al ,urnment Of congress,
under the impression that the vote
would be taken before the al journ-
meDt, but contrary to general ex-
pectation the discussion was pro.
tracted 70 that the bill had TO come
over t. this session. NIB ody here
Imagined that | would vote for the
Hatch bill, with my reoo,dad utter.
auces IN the Congressional Record,
which had gone over the whole
county. pros ng To my satisfaction
its unconstitutional.ty. When that
b II came to the senate from tie
house and was referred to the Judi
ciary committee, Senator Pngh, of
Alabama, George, Of Mi-slss ppi,
and myself made a minority report
against the Hatch bill, reporting a
substitute for it. We took the
ground in this substitute that con.
gress had the power to deal with
This question under the clause Of the
constitution which authorizes con-
gress to regulate foreign and inter
state commerce. Whereas, the
Hatch bill simply invoked the power
of tax alton, not for the collection of
revenue, but for the destruction of
this bAsiness. The ma jority of the
committee reported favo,ab)y
the Hatch bill as it came from
the house. The minority of the
committee, composed of he other
two gentlemen and myself, re ported
the substitute bill: SO that there
were two anti.option bills be fore the
senate, one the Hatcn bill, which
came from the house, and the other
the bill reported by the minority Of
the Judiciary committee. sup
ported the latter and opposed the ;
former iu the speech made by me,
to which have just referred. / |
have had great deal of correspon-
dence about this bill, and both be !
ing anti-optlon bills, perhaps at
times did not go sufficiently into
details in explaining the difference
between them, assuming that every
body understood what / had public.
ly SAID in reference to tn sub ect.
| never wrote or promised anyb dy
that l would support the Hatch bill. |
| have never seen the day when
would vote for the Hatch bill. /
was al~ays opposed to it, made he
first speech that was made in the
senate against it, and there is no
b ,dy here but what knows my posi-
ZION fully about ii; whereas, the
substitute bill reported by the mi
nority CT the committee, believed
to be constitutional and advocated
it in the same speech in VIII, CD de-
nouuced the Hatch bill. The
gentleman who thought wrote him
| was going to support the Hatch
bill simply got the thing mixed up
in his mind. He knew of only one
bill, whereas there were two. |
was opposing one and supporting
the other. The one that | was sup.
porting was voted down Def the
Hatch blu was voted on, and when
the Hatch bill came up | voted
against it. Senator George was the
leader in the debate for the suppress
sion Of futures and optiona, and
made the ablest and most exhaust
i've speeches that were made in that
debate. He voted as did for the
substitute bill, but when that vas
voted down he voted with me
against the Hatch bill"