The age-herald., 1900-02-14
NkNsF7 s47zzsF - ANTITRUST MEN HAVE WARM DEBATE
Government Ownership of Rail-
 roads Finally Endorsed.
THE PLATFORM AGREED ON
Committee Will Report Today-Jerry Simpson Declared That He'd Had Years of Experience With
 Trusts in Kansas

Chicago, February 13.-After a heated de- l bate the resolutions committee of the anti trust conference tonight decided to report | in favor of government ownership of rail- roads and for their seizure on payment of ,tual value and without payment for wa tered stock or other fictitious values." There was sharp discussion in the com- mittee, and several tilts between members was brought on by an effort to make the platform read as it had been drawn up, that the government should seize the railroads on payment of actual value and without payments for franchise values." Unanimous action was finally obtained by cutting out the words franchise values," inserting instead the phrase wa tered stock or other fictitious values' The committee also unanimously favored direct popular legislation as a means of ob- taining the result.
 The discussion in the committee room far outranked the deliberations of the main body of the conference. Ignatius Donnelly, John P. Altgeld A. P. McQuirk of Iowa and George Frederick Williams urged the committee to strike from the resolutions the proposed statement that any payment
  chise value.
 This is long fight" said Mr. Altgeld, "and it will be years before we come to the actual discussion of the proposition on which we are to base payment. Let us not cucumber the discussion with it now.'
 If we had encumbered the proposition to free slaves with a statement of what we would do with them, we never would lhave freed them," said MT. Donnelly.
 MT. Henry George, Jr., however, took the other side of the question. We are going before the people, he said Let go with the whole play through, and let them judge of it,
 Jerry Simpsons Experience
 Jerry Simpson also favored this view, de- claring that he had had years of experi- ence with this question in Kansas. His declaration brought on warm tilt with Representative McQuirk.
 You are not the only officer who has had experience" said the latter.
 Well, I'm no spring chicken, anyway" replied the Kansas statesman.
 "Your feathers have all been plucked al- ready" retorted his Iowa opponent, to which dc. Simpson replied with the old answer to the conundrum about building dams by mill site.
 Many startling statements were made before the committee, among them one by President M. l.. Lockwood, in which he said that before the government ownership was finally secured it would be necessary { to impeach at least one justice of the fed eral court. The committee also considered a proposition to recommend to the atten- ton of congress Senator Pettigrew's bill for government ownership of railroads, but it was voted down.
 A number of set speeches were heard at the morning and afternoon sessions of the conference.
 The night session was in the form of a mass meeting which was held at the audi torium, and brought out some of the strongest speakers among the delegates, including John P. Altgeld, F. S. Monnett. Samuel Jones, George Fred Williams and Tom IL. Johnson. President Lockwood of the antitrust league said tonight that he regretted that William J. Bryan's name was mentioned in the discussions and de- clared 1t was his intention to keep poli- ties out of the conference
 1t has been decided to limit all future ad- dresses in the conference to twenty minutes in order Ito get through with the pro- gramme.
 Agree on Platform
 The committee on resolutions, after a stormy session tonight, finally agreed upon a report which will be submitted to the con- ference for adoption tomorrow morning. The discussion was caused by difference or opinion among the members as to the de- tails of how the government should obtain control raiirad, telegraph. and telephone lines.
 The platform declares for government ownership of all public utilities and natural monopoNes. government money, the refer endum and direct legislation, and the with drawal of all protective tariffs from all ar tfcles controlled by a trust.