Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-10
Conference Report on the Bill
Called Up in House.
NELSON'S AMENDMENT
OPPOSITION OF MR.. RICHARDSON
OF ALABAMA.
Eulogies Next Sunday-Rawlins Reso'
luton Referred by the Senate
District Bill Taken Up.

At the opening of the session of the House
today Mr.. Steele Qnd.) called attention to
the speech of Mr.. Conry (Mass), printed
in the Record this morning. under the gen.
eral leave to print granted on the anti
trust bill. The speech dealt with the SUBJ
ject of Mr.. Conry's contested election case
in Massachusetts, and Mr. Steele claimed
that it was a violation of the order which
confined remarks to be printed to the sub
ject of the antitrust bills. He asked that
the speech be stricken from the Record. AS
Mr.. Conry was absent at the request of his
friends. the matter went over.
Sunday February %, was set aside for
paying tribute to the memory of Represen-
tative Tongue of Oregon Eulogies upon
the life and public services of the late Rep
resentative Rumple Of Iowa were also Or
dered on the same day.
Mr.. Hepburn, chairman of the interstate
commerce committee, then called up the
conference report upon the department of
commerce bill.
Opposes the Nelson Amendment.
Mr.. Richardson (Ala.), one of the con-
ferees on the bill, to whom Mr.. Hepburn
yielded thirty minutes, explained his rea-
sons for declining to support the Nelson
amendment, covering the bureau of corpor-
ations. He said he did not believe any
democrat could sustain himself by oppos-
ing everything aimed at the trusts because
it was of republican origin. But he did
not believe the Nelson amendment was
aimed at the trusts
He said it travesty upon what 1t
claimed to be. It's purpose. he declared,
was not to authorize the President to pro-
coed against the trusts, but simply TO Sc
cure information upon which he could base
recommendations. This. he said, was a
pure response to the bold threats which
were heralded abroad that an extra session
fitrnl neyiS -I.,F ion,
were enacted. 1t was "a preteXt and a
subterfuge."
He called attention to the language of
the amendment that the information OBJ
tanned by the bureau of corporations 'or
so much thereof as the President shall d.
rect. shall be made public" Was that the
wanted publicity? he asked. He did not
doubt the honesty of the present executive,
he said, but suppose another man more
friendly to trusts should be elected. Then
what would the Nelson amendment amount
to? He concluded with the statement that
the amendment was artistically framed to
defeat what the people wanted-proper reg
uation of the trusts
The Program Ridiculed.
Mr.. Ball (Texas), who followed Mr.. Rich
ardson, ridiculed the program of the ad-
ministration regarding antitrust legsla-
ton. The administration, he said, was rep
resented as anxious to obtain the passage
of the Nelson and Elkins bills, and it was
pretended that the Standard Oil Company
was sending kilograms to prominent sena-
tors against their passage. He did not be-
lieve it. Il do not believe said he, that
John D. Rockefeller or any other trust
magnate has raised a protest against the
homeopathic doses in those bills
Mr.. Mann Qil.) declared that the Nelson
amendment would give to the bureau of
corporations greater power to investigate
the affairs of trusts than was sought to be
conferred by any bill presented to Congress.
Mr.. Auamson (Ga) said that while he
realized the Nelson amendment was "a
delusion and a snare, thinner than thin
air, yet as notice had been served that
X was the only measure on the program
OF the trust busters" it would receive his
vote.
The Report Adopted.
The previous question then was ordered
and the. roll was called on the adoption of
tn conference report.
The report was adopted-251 to 10. Those
voting in the negative were Ball CTex.). De
Almond (Mo), Fleming (Ga), Lester (Ga).
Littlefield CMe), Little (Ark.). Reid (Ark),
Robertson Ua), Shackleford (Mo), and
N2ndiver (Mo).
On the Sundry Civil Bill.
The House then went into committee Of
the whole and entered upon the consdera-
ton Of the sundry civil appropriation bill.
Mr. Cannon. chairman of the appropria-
tions committee. in charge of the measure,
explained its provisions. 1t carried, he said,
$1S.011.92o, being sS.s7s. 432 less than the
estimates. and sI7,3s5. $40 more than the
current law. The big increase, he said
was more than accounted for by S14, 464 1893
for rivers and harbors and 49, coo, 600 recon-
mended for the relief of distress of the
people in the Philippines.
Proposed Office Building.
In his explanation of the sundry civil bin
Chairman Cannon gave extended details of
the plans which the appropriations commit
tee had had prepared for the erection of
an Office building Immediately south of the
Capitol for the use of members of the
House The cost of the building is esti-
mated at 50, 100, 600 and the cost of the site
at 100000.
Mr.. Cannon, after explaining the plans
said that the bill did not contain the item
because 1t was clearly subject to point
OF order. but that he should move at the
proper time to insert the necessary para.
graph carrying the appropriation.
The building proposed by Mr.. Cannon is
70 cover a little less than two acres The
floor space Is to be 1876. 600 square feet; the
building to be three stories high with a
basement and subbasement, with ninety
slN rooms on each floor.
1t Is to be connected with the Can nv
tunnel, and besides accommodating the
members OF the House room in the SUBJ
basement will be furnished for a folding
room and document room, and If neces-
sary the heating and ventilating plant for
the Capitol can be transferred to the base
ment Of this building.
Mr.. Cannon said that title to a suitable
site could be obtained in probably five
months; that 1t would take two and one
half years after that time to complete the
building.
Mr.. Cannon went into detail on the great
necessity for Office rooms for members OF
the House, and paid high tribute to Super
lntendent Woods of the Capitol who he
said. was worthy, honorable, efficient and
competent, possessing all the knowledge of
trained architect, besides unusual good
In accordance with instructions from the
committee. he said. MIR. Woods had sub
united three plans. The committee had
taken the second plan as it's basis. The
proposed site, he said, would be either
where the Congressional Hotel is now To-
Gated or in either one Of the three blocks
below that hotel bordering the Capitol
grounds
Enlarging the Capitol.
When Mr. Cannon had completed this ex.
PLANTATION and announced his intention to
submit the matter for the consideration Of
the House. he advocated modifying the
eastern front Of the Capitol by extending
the building los feet from the east wall of
ha