Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-06-01
56th CONGRESS
CONTINUED from page ~

u
al amendment you know will never be.
come part of the constitutional. 1t car
never be ratified by enough states. n,
state that believes in the right of self
government will place in Congress the
power to come into the state and con
troll its domestic industries.
THE trusts understand they are not
| in the remotest danger from this lcgis-
lation. If you would propose a simple
amendment giving Congress control OF
all organizations engaged in interstate
| and foreign commerce it would receive
| every vote on this side of the cham
Der. If you insist on your amendment
! YOU know il will never become part of
the constitution. There are two ways
| of encouraging crime-one is to close
your ewes to its existence and the
| other to offer an impractic ablc obsta :
| Gle You are using the latter method.
You understand its purpose. 1t is mere
play. | have sometimes doubted your
sincerity" said he in conclusion, i
| have even doubted your political inteG-
rity Some of you may be hypocrites,
some even rascals. but none Of you are
fools
Railey's concluding sentence was
greeted with prolonged Democratic APP
plausc in which some Of the Republic
cans Joined.
Dalzell closed the debate for the ma
iority. No political party and no in
dividual said he, had future VINO
was not against trusts. This uttcrance
was greeted with derisivc jcers from
the Democratic side.
The difference between the three
political parties he continued. was
that the Democratic and Populist par
ties confined their opposition to speech
making. which the Republican party
believed in legislation. Republican
applause and renewed jeers).
The Republican party, he went on,
had placed on the statute books, in
1890, the Sherman antitrust law.
The Democrats came into power, in
1892. on a platform containing a strong
plank against trusts. But for four
wears they did nothing. Their Exccu-
tive did not even take steps to enforce
the law the Republicans had put upon
the statute books. The great Populist-
Democratic leader at Chicago declared
that n constituti1n NAL amendment should
| be passed giving Congress the power
| to regulate trusts.
yet when we come here" said he,
| with that very remedy tho leaders on
! the other side appeals to his colleagues
! to stand together against it. You
| charge us with bad faith. You say
| that no constitutional amendment that
| infringcs the power Of the states
| should bc passed. Your objection is
not to the form but to the substance.
| The remedy proposed by the gentle
| man from Texas already exists. The
! supreme court has decided that it is
not sufficient. With that remedy alone
| Congress is powcrlcss. If the trusts
are not to b. frightncd at the pros
pee. of this legislation it is because
| they knew that between them and it
stands the Democratic party III solid
phllanx.
You believe in dcmagoSy on tn,
stump: we believe in legislation upon
the statute books. prolonged KGpub-
lican applausc).
Richardson. before the vote was
taken upon the adoption Of the rule
attempted to offer il motion to recon
mt. Dll l'dlL''ll maui q y Ill VI VI dNi
ana it was sustained by the Speaker.
The vote was taken amid consider
able excitement and the rule wa
adopted, al TO lis.
1t was strict party vote with the
exception Of Mr.. Mann Of Illinois, WHO
voted with the Democrats against thu
rule.
The minority amendments to the bill
were then offered and considered pend
ing. after which the debate upon the
resolution was formally opened by
Ray. chairman Of the Judiciary com
mittce, it having been arranged chat
the time should be equally divided
Ray to control the time for the ma
jority and Terry. Ark. The ranking mi
nority member of the committee, for
the opposition. Rays argument follow
ed the lines of his report. He said
that the proposition to the minority t.
write into the constitution something
that was already there, was ridiculous
The power to regulate corporations en-
! gagged in interstate commerce already
existed. If the proposition Of the mi
nority was not political clap-trap he
did not know what it was. The people
have felt the sting of the trust evil
he said They have cried aloud for re
lief. They have appealed to state leg
iislatures and p have responded. Twen-
ty of them had passed effective anti
monopoly legislation but if the law,
Of the As states were uniform and il
Congress passed laws in perfect har
mony with them. he argued it would
still be impossible for the states ant
the United States together without ;
} constitutional amendment to reiev,
the people
Ray said if the resolution was de
: feated the responsibility would res
upon the Democrats. The majority hat
but is majority. 1t required a two
! thirds vote to pass the resolution. L
: the opposition defeated it they mus
, answer for it at the polls.
/ Ray spoke almost two hours. HI
E was followed by Terry. Ark. on be
half of the minority. He expressed
regret that in so grave an issue tn
r Republican party had seen fit to pre-
: sent 4 constitutional amendment in s.
I objectionable form that it never coul
g be incorporated in the constitution
: The question. he said. had been treat
T ed not from the broad standpoint o
G patriotism. but from the standpoint O
party expediency. If there was q sin