Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-13
THRUST BILLS
NETTING OF HOUSE JUDICIARY
CON1IITTEE.
Many Measures to Be Considered
Several Representatives Present
Their Ideas.

mittee on trusts Of the House judiciary
committee this morning when business was
begun in carrying out the program OF con-
sideratiop. The subcommittee consists OF
Chairman Littlefield and Messrs. Overstreet
and Powers of Massachusetts,. republicans.
and Clayton and De Almond democrats.
and each member was present Several
members of the House who have introduced
antitrust bills were heard. aud each advo-
Gated his particular measure a. cure for
the trust evil.
The hearing continued during the morn
ing and afternoon.
Representative Morrell's Resolution.
Representative Morrell Of Pennsylvania
was first heard on House joint resolution
217, introduced by him December 2. 1902.
The resolution makes an appropriation of
$3.50, geo to be used by the Attorney General
in the enforcement OF the Sherman anti
trust law and other laws which may be en-
acted.
Mr.. Morrell said he had called on the At
torney General, and at his suggestion on
the President. He was authorized to say for
the President that he was heartily In favor
of the appropriation.
Did you ask the President why he did
not communicate his views to Congress?'
asked Representative De Almond.
He recommended such an appropriation
in his message" was the reply.
Representative Overstreet questioned Mr..
Morrell closely as to just how this money
is to be used Mr.. Morrell said he had no
definite plan to suggest; that 1t was general
ly understood that this matter should be
left to the Attorney General.
Mr. Littlefield read section 1863 of the Re-
vlsed Statutes. which gives the Attorney
General authority to employ such additional
legal assistance to aid district attorneys In
any Mr. Hrot tod hot
the Attorney General might not be aware of
the existence of section 1853. He then took
the ground that the section referred to did
not provide the funds for the employment
OF such assistant attorneys, and that this
was a necessary matter. Mr.. Morrell sug
geSted a new paragraph to his resolution
to allow the employment of attorneys with
out the jurisdiction Of the civil service COM
mission.
Mr.. Gillett's Bill.
Representative Gillett Gep., Mass) was
heard on bill introduced by him December
6. 1901. The bill. he explained. gave each
state Jurisdiction over the matter of ad-
hitting into its territory any trust made
goods. Mr.. Gillett maintained that the trust
evil lay in the fact that some states char
tered trusts, whose opera ton worked evil
in other states. TO give each state control
over transportation Of goods into its terri
tory would give the necessary protection.
favorable report had been made on the
bill by the Judiciary committee in the Fifty
fourth Congress.
Representative Henry c. Smith rep,
Mich) spoke for House joint resolution 212,
proposing IN amendment to the Constitution
comforting power on Congress to define.
regulate prohibit and dissolve trust mo-
nopolies. Mr.. Smith argued that whether
this power was ever used or not. the moral
effect of the amendment would be most
wholesome.
Mr.. Shallenberger' Measure.
Representative Shallenberger (republican)
of Nebraska had a word to say about a
bill introduced by him December II, 1901.
The three principal evils of the trust sys-
tenn. in his opinion. were favoritism of
TRANSPORTATION companies and the fdvorit-
ism of the protective tariff and fraudulent
Capitalization. He had attempted. he said,
to remedy the latter evil by taxing watered
stocks out of existence publicity was his
remedy for the transportation evil and the
taking of the tariff out of politics by the
appointment of non-partisan tariff COM
mission. The duties of this commission
would also be to ascertain about watered
stocks and rate discrimination. All of these
remedies were strongly urged by Mr.. Shall
lenberger.
Mr.. Suffers Remedy.
Mr. Suzer (democraD told the commit
tee that the whole problem was to devise a
wav whereby the interstate commerce com
mission could get proof against corpora
lions doing an interstate and foreign COM
merce. To this end Mr.. SulZer had pre-
pared a bill establishing bureau of cor
porations to be added to the interstate COM
merce commission to make reports on cor
poratfons and obtain evidence. He as
serted that. in his opinion, the present law
was fully adequate if evidence could be OBJ
tanned.