The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-07

" aEgsyz : e
Here is the situation briefly The pres
ident wants congress to enact bills which
have gone so easily through the senate
Instead of taking; up the senate bills, the
house has passed the Littlefield bill, which
is quite a different matter as one which
the administration does not care for at.
present.
Taking What He Can Get.
The principal reason why the president
does not want the Littlefield bill is that
the senate is unwilling to pass it. The
president wants what he can get, and
the senate has answered him in the mod
crate bills it has enacted. Now It is up
to the house to enact the senate bills.
It has been suggested that the senate
knew when it passed the antitrust bills
without discussion that there was safe
and sure grave prepared for them IN the
house. Whether this insinuation is true
will be determined by the sequel.
TO retrieve the 81 81 ~ the whole adj
minstrel TN III isinseflz Us now directed
to getting the house committee on IN
terstate commerce to report, the so-cal1ed
Elkins bil,5 which is the measure for
stopping rate discrimination by the rail-
roads, and then to get. from speaker
Henderson, a. rule by which it can be
brought to q. vote in the house. Ellf 1t
can be brought to vote there is no doubt
about it's passage. But this is: where Mr..
Henderson balks. .-g1r
A number of conferences have been
held with Mr.. Henderson. He has been
complaining of illness and remains in his
rooms and will see few people. The con-
ferences have mot been encouraging:
Will MI. Henderson take upon himself
the responsibility for defeating the ad~
ministration's antitrust program? Ihere
are we'll Uniformed members of the house
who secretly believe that he will: Mr..
Henderson is going out OF politics. Ifla1
| is a most important and inauspiclous cir
cunstance at present He is not an ap-
plicant for any office Of political chaf-
aGter but is regarded as unduly sym
pathetic with the great corporate inter-
! ests.
| If current suspicion as to Mr.. Hender-
I son does him an injustice he will have
earlv opportunity to show 1t by with
drawing his personal opposition to tne
most important legislative measure ad'
vocated by this administration.
To Smoke Out MIR. Henderson.
The president does not propose to have
| his antitrust program defeated by trick
erv. or if it is defeated, he will do nj:
| best to put the blame where 1t belongs
| The first business in hand is to smoke GU
Mr.. Henderson,. If the Iowa Statesman
comes cheerfully to the front Wei AM
| good. If he does not, there will be al
extra session. The house will be organ
| lied under the speakership of Mr. Can
non and the antitrust campaign
will be taken up at the beginning
It would mean a good deal of hard feel
ing and some strained relations between
| the president and some members of hi
party in congress. Mr.. Roosevelt doe
/ not want this He hopes there will be n
occasion for an extra session. But n
!. will have one if things do not take a shar
turn for the better.
, Standard OIL Jumps In.
Atanother point opposition to the anti
trust program has also developed. Stand
ard Oil jumped into the game an
tried to emasCulate the publicity bu
reau section of the department OF com
!. merce bill Restrictions and limitation
l on the bureau are what the trust repre-
! sentatives tried to get tackled on. M
5 Roosevelt told several persons that h
t would veto the entire department OF con
: mrece bill if that were done. And tn
o Standard Oil trust would be held TO az
t count for that, too.
t In general. the campaign against tru
: legislation is OH in earnest. All sorts
rlrnors and n1is-sta tements are af1oat ar
strenuous efforts are being made to oil
credit the presidents motives. 1t Is we
to bear this fact in mind in reading
n reports on the subject. Just now tt
fight is in the house of Representative
and is directed to the defeat of the ant
rebate bill, theN so-called Elkins bill, al
: Mr.. Henderson is the most formidab
l obstruction.
n w. w. Jermane.