The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-01

to us.
General Debate Opened.
General debate on the resolution was
opened by Representative Ray, Chairman
of the Judiciary Committee. Illegal COM
bnations ard monopolies. he said, op-
pressed the people, whose appeals to State
Legislatures had produced antitrust legis-
lation in twenty-five States. In the alb
sence Of Federal control, illegal combina-
tions driven from one State went to other
States. where they were permitted to con-
tinue their business. He proposed to show
that as the law now stood. Congress was
unable to control the trusts. He thought
the provision extending the amendment
over all the territory controlled by the
United States was necessary. as the Re
publican party maintained the Constitu-
tion did not extend ex proprio vigore to
all territory and it would not do to drive
the corporations out of the States and
have them take refuge in that territory
to which the Constitution did not extend.
MIR. Cooper asked if the amendment would
not permit Congress to legis!ate against
single corporations by special legislation.
at might be possible" replied Mr.. Ray.
that Congress might pass such special
act, but Congress is supposed to be COM
posed Of honest, intelligent men, and Con-
gress never has done anything of the
kind
Mr.. Cooper thought the amendment con-
ferred on Congress the power OF special
legislation against individual corporations.
which right was denied the States. He
thought the amendment made single busi-
ness corporations subject to the will OF
the dominant party in Congress.
The Republican party had no quarrel
with corporations, said Mr.. Ray, but only
with the trusts, which undertook to mo-
nopclize certain products through the de-
struction of competition.
Mr.. Ray referred to the trust evil as
having been the subject of legislation from
a period before Christ, and he thought 1t
was time something of the kind should be
written in the Constitution of the United
States.
MIR. Terry opened for the minority in
opposition to the amendment. He accused
the Republicans of hypocrisy, saying the
trusts were laughing in their sleeves at
the feeble efforts made to check their
course. From the trusts were drawn the
supplies of the Republican party. and
every one knew they would not threaten
or destroy their base of supplies. Mr..
Terry contended that if the Republicans
really wished to abolish the trusts they
would join hands with the Democrats and
pass some law similar to that of the bill
recently passed by the House regarding
prison made goods. This. he thought.
would answer all purposes by placing all
goods manufactured by trusts and shipped
from one State to another under the laws
of the State into which they were ex-
ported.
Mr.. Terry was followed by Mr. Lanham,
also a member OF the Judiciary Commit
tee. He closed with an appeal for the
preservation of State rights. saying the
hope Of the Republic lay in the integrity.
indestructibility, and autonomy of the
States. At sos O'Clock the House took a
recess until So'clock.
The Night Session.
At the night session the first speaker
was Samuel w Smith, who addressed the
House in behalf of the pending resolution.
Mr.. spight Of Mississippi was yielded one
minute by Mr.. Terry. and upon the expi-
ration of his tine was granted leave to
extend his remarks. in opposition 70 the
resolution, in the Record
The next speaker was Mr.. Clayton OF
Alabama He criticised the sincerity of
the Republicans. who, after having had
control of the affairs of the Government
for four years, delayed, until a resolution
enter upon the consideration of the pend
ing measure. 1t was political trick, MIR.
Clayton said, to allay popular elamor
against the dominant party. Nc9cdy was
so simple as to believe that the proposed
amendment would be adopted. 1t would
take away from the States the right to
restrain trusts within their own limits.
The proposed amendment gave to Con-
gress the right TO define wha. constituted
t1a
power to license criminal combinations Of
capital. Mr.. Clayton gave it as his opin-
ion that the Interstate commerce clause
in the Constitution gave to Congress the
right 70 deal with the evil of trusts. He
charged that the Sugar Trust, the Paper
Trust. and others were the creatures Of a
protective tariff, and that they could be
brought to book by removing the protec-
tive tariff on articles produced and sold
by a trust.
Mr.. Kleberg addressed the House in op-
position to the resolution. He character
lied ii as delusion and a snare.
Mr.. Kitchin followed Mr. Kieberg. He
quoted from several Republican platforms
containing declarations against trusts. In
the last national platform of the Repub-
lican party all reference to the trust evil,
Mr. Ray had said, the platform makers
had overload That was not true.
They had avoided it. The Republican
party, after having had possession Of the
Government fer years. had made no eff
fort to arraign trusts until On the eve OF
the adjournment of Congress and the verge
of Presidential campaign. The resoIu-
tion was palpably insincere. The Repub-
lican party dared not TO deal harshly with
trust 1t was the creature of trusts.
Trusts owned the Republican party. They
made up its campaign tuna.
Mr. OlmsIed advocated the pending reso-
luton on the ground that under the re-
cent decisions of the Supreme Court, Con-
gress had not a constitutional right to con-
troll the trusts, which it was most desired
to reach. Mr.. 0lmsted said perhaps the
worst trust was the voting trust, which
prevailed in Mississippi and other South
ern States In Mississippi there was a po-
litical syndicate of a few thousand gen.
tlemen who controlled seven seats in the
House of Representatives.
Mr.. Smith of Kentucky asked If the cleo
tion law of Mississippi was not practically
the same as that provided for Hawaii by
the Republican Congress. 1t was admitted
that this was the fact.
Mr.. Olmsted returned to his attack upon
the Mississippi constitution. 1T was not
even submitted to the people. he said.
Mr. Gaines-Neither was the Federal
Constitution. How many colored men
does Pennsylvania send to Congress?
Mr.. Henry at this point entered the
House and said: Il hear that the gen.
tleman from Pennsylvania has been say
ing something about the Mississippi con-
sttution. What was it?'
Mr. Olmsted repeated
Mr. Henry-If you say that anybody in
my State who has right to vote is nut