The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-03-02
SENATOR r. @. MILLS.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SPEECH AGAINST
THE HATCH BILL.
Why the Great Texas Commoner Could Not
obey the Demand Of the Texas Legis-
laturs and Vote for the Anti
Option Bill in Congress.


In the bill offered as an amendment
by my distinguished friend ON Miss
issippi Senator Georgel, in order to
to inform the supreme court, he
places in the ta:e OF his proposition
the declaration t lat buying and sell
ing for future delivery is an obstruc.
ton to interstate commerce. This
declaration is an admission that the
supreme court without that statement
could never ascertain that fact by the
provisions Of the bill. There is nothing
in the body of the bill that would in
form the court or any intelligent citi-
zen OF the country that the things
which it interdicts have any sort OF
relation to commerce among the
states What is commerce.? And
what is the power TO reg ulate com
merce?
Commerce is not production. 1t is
not consumption. 1t is that inferno.
date stage between production and
consumption. 1t is The movement Of
product from the producer to The con-
sumner Movement is essential TO com
merce. There can be no commerce
antil the product starts on its trans
portation, ana none after its Transport
tation ends. To give congress right
full power over it, it must start ON a
journey that is to end in another state
or foreign country. If by any sort
of distortion OF language q contract
to buy and sell may be continued TO
be movement, it must be continued
across the state line to give congress
the right to regulate it.
TO call il gaming is not to define it
as an act OF commerce. Gaming may
be an obstruction to morals, but il is
the obstruction 10 commerce which
congress is aut hOriZed to remove. The
states have reserved to themselves the
power to regulate Morals and have
given to congress the right to regulate
commerce. They have felt at all
times that they were more cumpeteut
to regulate their domestic concerns
than those those who lived beyond
their boundaries. They have never
conferred that power on the general
as no state could exercise by Itself.
l5cOuld not by itself regulate com
merCial intercourse hetV cen its own
citizens and those OF another state, or
of foreign state.
The powers Of the national govern.
meut are International and Interstate.
But it can not prescribe the punish
ment of crime in u state when com
mitted by one citizen Of the state on
anoth pr. Nor can it punish gaming
or other immoral conduct. Nor has
it the righttul power to enter the
state and prescribe and enfOrce regu.
latiOns to protect the health otits PEG.
Pile, though we passed such "a meas
u o few days ago.
ii the national government has iur.
tstiCtion of the subject it can either
suppress or protect gaming, it can
either suppress or protect crime. 1t
may do what it wills ia the state of
Virginia, New Jersey or Texas, and
do it in defiance of the will and gainst
the remonstrancos of their people
Can the federal government license
and uphold gambling shops in Texas
against the wishes of her people? Can
it license looms or protect them in
selling without license? fit has the
power to destroy it has the power to
reserve and protect, and the power to
keep and protect is more important
than the power to destroy.
If congress has the power to erect
and sustain gambling shops, or the
power to destroy them, no state can
interfere, and if it should think
proper to establish them they would
stand though every man, woman and
child within its jurisdiction should
demonstrate against it. This power
this bill and its supporters claim for
congress | claim tor the people Of
every state the right to govern them
selves, and to dete mine for them
selves what they will permit ~ live
within their jurisdiction and what
they will interdict.
X
Commerce. as | have said is trans
portati0n. It's the movement OF the
products of labor. 1t is the movement
of things that have commercial value
Wind has no commercial value, aud
we are told that this bill means To
prohibit the purchase and sale OF
wind. Contracts nominally for the
sale of cotton, really for the sale of
nothing. Water has NJ commercial
value. and neither the movement OF
wind or water is regulated by law.
The beneficence of the creator has
given to everyone without money and
without price wind and water suffi-
ciant for all wants But l cln imagine
a condition where both OF them would
have commercial value. | imagine
that if some one could have convened
wind into that dark hole of Calcutta
on that fatal summer night when the