Evening star., 1900-05-02
DISCUSSION OF. TRUSTS
ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL BEFORE
THE SENATE.
Restricting the Quarter
masters Department in Its Pur-
chases Defeated by 1S to %.

During the greater part of the session of
the Senate yesterday afternoon the army
appropriation bill. carrying supplies for the
military establishment of more than s114,-
100000, was under consideration rhe fea-
ture Of the discussion Of the measure was
debate on trusts, precipitated by an amend
ment offered by Mr.. Berry (Ar1.). providing
that the quartermasters department should
not purchase supplies from any recognized
trust. The amendment was defeated. The
bill had not been completed when the SEN
ate adjourned.
After The Stars report of the Senate pro-
ceedings was closed yesterday afternoon
Mr.. Hawley. in charge of the bill. offered
and secured the adoption of the following
amendments:
Appropriating 10000 for clerk hire. furni-
ture stationery. etc. FOR the college:
increasing the appropriation for paymasters'
clerks al 81 400 each from sl2j.WU to Sl33
GOO, and fixing their compensation on ser
vice basis, thus: Those who have served 1if-
teen years, $500; ten years. 81 600: five
years. Woo; less than five years. $1,too:
fixing travelling allowances for officers ard
men discharged in the insular possessions
at cents mile.
committee amendment was offered by
MI. HaWiey striking out the last paragraph
OF the bill and inserting the following:
THAT the act approved January H. 1899.
granting extra pay to officers and enlisted
men of the United States volunteers shall
extend to all officers and enlisted men OF
the volunteer organizations who have served
honestly and faithfully III the volunteer
army of the United States during the war
with Spain. and have been hpnorably dis
charged prior to January II 1899 with their
organizations, without furlouyh or by rea-
son of their services being no longer re-
qulred. or at any time by reason of wounds
received or disability contracted in the ser
vice and in the line of duty, and who haze
not received the extra pay granted in said
act or subsequent acts of Congress supple
mental thereto"
The amendment was agreeI t..
Aimed at Trusts.
Mr.. Berry offered the following amend
ment, which precipitated debate upon the
question of trusts: THE quarterma ster's
department, in making contracts and pur-
chases of articles and supplies for the mill
tary service. shall give preference all other
things. including price and quality. being
equal. to articles Of the growth, production
and manufacture of the United States; and
as between the producers, manufacturers,
merchants and dealers of the United
States preference shall be given. all other
things, including price and quality, being
equal, to those producers. manufacturers.
merchants and dealers who are not men,
bers of or in any way connected with any
trust or combine formed to produce. manu-
facture or sell the articles which are being
contracted for and purchased by the quar-
oefstl Al1iehA iSi tite AiAAii'1is
service"
Mr. Sewen On j. inquired what he meant
by trust. He had heard of these propo-
tons before, but had not heard anybody
give a satisfactory definition of trusts and
combines. What were commonly known as
trusts ne said had in many instances
proved to be public benefactors.
He designated the Standard Oil Company
and the American Sugar Refining Company
as two combinations of capital which had
cheapened their products to the people.
This ''populistic sentiment about trusts,
he said. was the adoption of the small ways
of the past of transacting business and 1t
was not in any respect based upon good
sense.
Mr. Berry replied that he had not ex-
pected Mr.. Sewel to agree with him and
be in sympathy with any effort to curtail
or destroy the power OF great combinations
of capital In the course of discussion
of trusts. Mr.. Berry said it was well un-
derstood that the object of such comDina-
tions was to raise prices. lie declared that
the question of trusts was one of the great
est now faced by the people of the coun-
try. He knew, he said. that the leaders of
the republican party We're not in favor of
trusts. and pointed out that the republicans
of Ohio only last week had adopted plat
form condemnng trusts.
"Of course" said Mr. Berry, 'the plank
was a feeble one, but ii was plank
Mr.. Hawley opposed the amendment on
the ground that the officers of the army
had no option but to accept the lowest bids
for supplies.
Mr.. Stewart took the ground that it had
thus far been impossible to frame such leg
islation as would be effective against trusts
Most of the efforts in this direction had
been. he said, perfectly wild and crazy"
and the proposed amendment was one of a
comedy of errors on the subject
MIR. SeveII's Statement Denied.
Mr.. Pet,igrew attacked MIR. Sewelrs
statement that the Standard Oil Company
and the American Sugar Refining Company
bap of bp had
cheapened products. lie produced figures
which he maintained. showed that neither
of the great corporations mentioned really
had cheapened its products, their action
at all times being directed toward the
crushing out OF competition and the In
creasng of their own profits.
Mr.. Stewart maintained that the only
remedy for trusts was competition. If a
Legislative remedy could be found he would
favor ii. He said there Were combinations
of capital that were bad and others that
were good.
Mr. Teller-"Wil the senator tell us what
is the difference between bad trusts and
good trusts"
THE Senate Of the United States is a
trus:." replied Mr.: Stewart and l be
ieve ID good one LaughterD
Some of the trusts said he. were monopo-
lies and they were bad. The line of de-
marcation between bad trusts and good
ones was difficult to ind. But" said he,
in conclusion, leave competition untram
mcled and The people will rid themselves
of all had trusts. OF course. we cannot
in any way stop the overproduced industry
Of bowling against trusts simply to win
votes to get into office.
Mr.. Teller believed that the trust ques-
tion immensely important and one that
must be met squarely and handled 1t was
desirable, ne thought, that ii should be
dealt with by the states, but the difficulty
was that many legislatures were controlled
by the trusts themselves. National legs
lation Of kind that could would be
enforced was, therefore. desirable.
Mr.. Teller said the trust question would
have to be dealt with by law. The time
had come to take hold of trusts. IF the
Sherman law were enforced" said he. "as
it ought to be. there would not be the cry
there is now against trusts. If a law should
he enacted providing that the officers OF
any trust or combination should be i'm
prisoned for contributing to the fund of
any political party stop would soon be
put to an alliance between trusts and
politics"
Mr. Teller sad the subject was a delicate
one as il was desirable that proper cor
porations should not be made to suffer
The Amendment Defeated.
The amendment offered by A1r. Berry was
defeated IS to 30 as follows:
Yeas-Bacon, Bate. Berry. Butler, Clay,
Davis, Harris, Heitfcld, Jones (Ark.). Ken