Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-12-26
Trust Legislation
at the Present SEES
sion Of Congress
~ Judge De Ar
mond's Bills 81 @


demand, or, fifth, whenever it shall have
erected or attempted TO effect any con-
Solidation, combination, cooperation, un-
dertaking or agreement with any other
corporation, association or person con-
trary to any law of the United States or
of any state in which it shall do or offer
to do any business. or. sixth. whenever it
shall have given false information or re-
fused. failed or neglected to give correct
information in response to any lawful Of
ficfal demand or inquiry or done anything
designed to mislead the public as to the
true condition of its affairs or the true
value of its property or purposely given
false information 10 or withheld correct
Information from any public officer law
fully entitled to such information or any
person pecuniarily interested in Its stocks.
bonds condition or business as to the
matter concerning which lie is thus inter-
eSted.
Judge De Almond also introduced
the following bill:
That all goods, wares and merchandise
produced by any trust or other monopoly
and all goods, wares and merchandise sold
or bartered or offered for sale or barter in
restraint of trade or TO prevent. limit or
interfere with fair competition or to con-
troll, regulate or affect prices so as to cre-
ate. continue or promote monopoly shall
be subject to taxation in the same amount
wares and merchandise If imported into
the United States would be taxed by and
under the tariff laws of the country, and
the tariff and internal revenue laws and
; the rules and regulations relating thereto
shall, so far as they may be applicable be
applied and enforced in the levy and coll
lection OF the taxes hereby imposed. and
the secretary of the treasury shall from
time to time make and promulgate such
other and further rules and regulations
and require such other and further re-
ports and returns as may be necessary or
helpful in the rigid enforcement hereof,
and all provisions applicable hereunder of
the tariff and internal revenue and other
laws of the United States, declaring and
defining offenses and imposing penalties
and punishments shall be given full eff
feet In enforcing this legislation and fully
| accomplishing its objects and in confiscat-
ing property and Furnishing offenders.
If those two bills were passed the
trusts would soon be OH their last legs.
Whether lie will be able to get them
reported out of the committee remains
to be seen.
Funds For Prosecuting.
On Wednesday, the 18th day of De-
cember. that eminent jurist from Geor-
gia, Judge Bartlett, surprised the Re
publicans by Offering an amendment
to the Legislative. executive and judi
cial appropriation bill to appropriate
the sum of 100000 for the use of the
attorney general of the United States
in prosecuting the trusts. There was
mounting i'll hot haste" and much
rushing to and fro and laying togeth-
er of heads on the Republican side, and
finally Colonel William Peters Hep
burn of Iowa. chairman of the COM
mittee OH interstate and foreign COM
| merce, endeavored to take the wind
out of Bartlett's sails and to seize
the honor for the Republicans by
raising the Georgian Mt his own
game by amending Bartlett's prop
osition SO as to apportion half mil
lion instead of two hundred thousand;
but while Bartlett accepted the Hep
burn amendment, the honor of taking
| the initiative remained with Judge
Bartlett and consequently with the
Democrats. So the trust matter stands
at the present writing. With Dc Ar
inond's two bills enacted into laws and
with the funds to enforce them and
| other laws on the subject. provided by
Judge Bartlett's amendment, it would
soon be ascertained whether trusts can
be busted or not. The Democrats are
doing their duty aud keeping their
promises.
Amazing.
have repeatedly stated in congress
and out of congress that in my judg-
ment a good business man can take
the government of the United States
and run it as well as it is now run for
one-half of the amount annually appro-
| priated by congress. The loose way
| in which things financial are done by
the government is fully Illustrated by
| the following excerpt from the Wash.
| ington Post:
| In having his bill to fix the salaries of
| the isthmian canal commissioners re-
| ferrel to the committee on interoceanic
| canals yesterday Senator Morgan made
some interesting statements about the
| salaries now being paid. He told the sem
ate he had been trying for long time to
secure a statement from the government
of the salaries paid to the present COM
! missioners. but thus far had failed. He
| added that the best Information he could
obtain was that those commissioners were
still on the government pay rolls for 81 900
a month each.
Senator Morgan, commenting on the re-
markable situation. declared there was no
provision in the bill to purchase the Pan
anna canal as to salaries of the commits
| sioners. The compensation to be paid
| was left to the discretion of the president.
| If the salaries are cut down, as provided
| in the bill have introduced" said the
senator. "the sum being fixed at $1,000
year, there will be less scrambing for the
places" He said he favored adding to
that compensation the actual travelling ex-
penses.
The sthmian canal commissioners had
received during their terms of office. and
as far as he was able to ascertain they
were still holding office. the sum of $685.
3d. "They spent, according to the testi-
mony of Colonel Ernst" said Mr.. Nor
gan, two weeks in the isthmus of Pam
anna in the month Of January, during the
healthful season. After that they spent
six weeks in Nicaragua. They also spent
some time in Paris. They had reported
expenses of sl,oi5,G0O, which had been al
lowed and appropriated in connection
with their work, $4,000 of which is for ex-
penses referred to in the report of the
secretary Of state. including the pay Of
employees and laborers in Central and
South America
Senator Hale inquired whether 1t were
not possible to secure the figures, and Mr..
Morgan replied that he had been unable
10 secure any detailed figures. He pre-
scented telegram from Secretary Hay
stating that 1T would occupy the entire
available force of the state department for
quite period in preparing a detailed
statement.
II have been trying for months" said
Mr. Morgan ito get this informal ton.