Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-05-06

| Day-ImpOrtant Amendments tc the
! Measure Suggested by senator Knute
Nelson Trusts to lie Hedged Against
Effort to Establish CIoture in the senate.
WASHINGTON, ID. G., Especial Cor
respondence. THE prospects for the
tariff bill in the United States senate
have greatly improved during the last
two weeks. The atmosphere has been
clarified by the agreement OF the MEM
bers of all the political parties to fill
the vacancies on committees in order
that legislation may proceed without
! hindrance from other than ordinary
causes. The disposition to conclliate
rather than to coerce has born fruit
already, and will probably result in the
rapid advancement of the bill after it
has been reported by the finance com
mittee 1t is probable that the sched-
ules will be freely revised and that the
retroactive clause of the bill will be
omitted, and there is little doubt that
the bill, as finally accepted by the
senate, will become law before July
4. With the tariff question settled,
fall business will proceed with a spirit
and confidence that will prove welcome,
indeed, To the commercial interests of
the country.
An amendment to the tariff bill has
been offered by Senator Nelson provid-
ing that every combination, conspiracy,
trugt agreement, or contract between
two or more persons or corporations,
one of whom is an importer or the rep
resentative of an importer, to restrain
trade or commerce, or free competi-
tion in trade or commerce, or imports
or intended imports, or of any manu-
facture into which such imports enter
or are intended to enter, shall be de-
clarcd To be against public policy,
illegal and void.
Every importer or representative of
an importer found guilty, or guilty of
aiding any one else to avoid the law
shall be liable to fine of not less than
300 nor more than 5000, and may in
addition, at the discretion OF the court,
be imprisoned for term not exceeding
twelve months.
Senator Nelson has also offered an
amendment to the Dingley tariff bill,
giving the president of the United
States the authority To act against
trusts; contracts, combinations or con-
spiracies that may exist among the
producers or manufacturers of any pro-
duct or commodity, oy the suspension
OF the collection Of all duties levied by
the act upon any goods imported that
are similar or which may be applied to
the same use as the productions of the
trusts. When he is satisfied that the
cause for suspension has ceased to exist
he shall have the power to revoke the
order.
1t may be said without disrespect to
Mr.. Mason, or without disparagement
of his proposition, per Sc, that the time
was happily chosen for the intro
duction Of his cloture resolution. In
stantly, of course, it was interpreted to
bear upon the coming tariff debate,
and yet without sufficient justification
existing for bracketing the two sub
jects. No threats of obstruction to the
tariff bill have been made. On the
contrary, Mr.. Jones of Arkansas who
will lead the opposition will not unduly
delay the final vote More than this
could not have been asked. More than
this cannCt be secured by MIR. Mason's
resolution, or anything akin TO it.
Everything in the senate should make
for an early disposition of the one ques-
tion before it which, in Importance to
the country, far outweighs all other
questions. Any delay about that mat
ter, on any account, would be both a
mistake and misfortune. The mode
of procedure in the senate can wait.
Controversy on that point is not new,
nor, as we have just stated, is the point
pressing at this time. Filibustering is
not on the cards against the tariff bill.
Debate is, and debate will be in order.
The Republican leaders expect debate,
and so does the country. There is no
demand from any quarter that the bill
be damned through"
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