The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-06-14
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, Iune II,

From our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, June II, 1900.
The democrats could not make the
republican majority in Congress re-
main in session and transact the busi-
ness which they were elected to trans
act, but they could, and did, thorough
ly expose the hypocrisy of the repub-
llcan treatment of such important
matters as the Nicaragua Canal bill,
the trust question and the reduction
of war taxes before adjournment, and
they did more In the debate on the
armor plate clause of the Naval ap-
preparation bill, the democratic Sen
atois made their fight on the armor
trust SO hot that Senators Hanna and
Elkins actually championed that trust
on the floor of the Senate, thus furn-
lshing conclusive proof that the ad-
mlnistlatio and the republicans in
Congress were favorable to trusts in
general, and 20 that trust especially.
Instead of openly voting to pay the
| armor trust the price it demands for
| armor plate, the republican majority
whipped the devil around the stump"
by authorizing the Secretary of the
Navy to purchase the armor that will
be needed during the coming fiscal
year, if he can do so at what he con-
siders reasonable" price; otherwise
to establish government armor plant
1t is dollars to broomstraws that the
Secretary of the Navy will consider
the trust price for armor reasonable"
and that he will rot use the authority
conferred upon him, to establish a
government plant and bread the grasp
ing MONOPOLY. If Boss Hanna had
not been bertain of that he would not
have allowed the authority to be given
him. Anyway, 1t was cowardlv for
the majority in Congress to shift the
responsibility for favoring this trust
from themselves to Secretary Long.
A fight between the Coast Survey,
a civil bureau, and the Hydrograhlc
bureau OF the Navy Department, over
an appropriation in the Naval bill
heightened the session one day.
Senator Pettigrew stirred up the re-
pubhcans by delving into political his
tory. He charged, on the authority
of MIR. Cramp himself, that Mr.. Cramp
contributed 100000 to the republi-
can campaign fund of 1892, with the
express understanding that he was to
be repaid with profitable contracts to
build ships. When Senator Carter,
who was chairman of the Republican
National Committee which handled
the campaign funds of that year, deni-
ed that any such agreement had been
made with Mr.. Cramp-mind you,not
that Mr.. Cramp had contributed the
money Mr.. Pettigrew stated that he
had a conversation with Senator Car
ter, repeating to him what Mr.. Cramp
had said, and that Garter had replied
laughingly, IL guess, we did hit the
old~man pretty hard" Mr.. Pettigrew
also gave Boss Hanna a few swpes
that even his thick hide could not
keep from hurting, reading extracts
from the memorial presented to the
Senate charging Hanna with having
bribed his way into the Senate, dwell
ing with emphasis upon the charge
that Representative Dick, now Secre-
tary of the Republican National Com
mittee, and Maj. Rathbone recently
suspended as director of posts in Cuba,
were Hanna's agents in carrying out
the bribery. Mr.. Pettlgrew added as
his own comment: "We see now in
what school this man Rathbone was
educated" Mr.. Hanna's reply consist
ed largely of calling Mr.. Pettigrew a
traitor to the republican party, which
was not very convincing.
| Representative Cummings, of New
York, reused the democrats of the
House to enthusiasm by reading a let
ter from Col, Bryan, denying that he
had ever said that he favored an anti
trust Constitutional amendment or be-
lieved one to be necessary, unless the
Supreme Court should hold that Con-
gressional legislation against trusts
was unconstitutional, and adding that
the republican party has shown in this
Congress that it does not wish to ues-
troy trusts, by supporting a PROPOSE
tion to give the National Banks con-
troll of the currency, and thus create a
paper money trust.
The Senate by vote of 43 to 20
carried out the republican programme
of hanging up the antitrust bill passed