Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-06
TRUST LEGISLATION
Considerable Progress Made by
Congress Along That Line
This Week
ACTION TAKEN BY THE HOUSE
Rule Adopted for Consideration of the
Bill Expecting Hearing of Trust
cases-Littlefield Bill Will Also Be
Taken Up at once-senate Situation
Other Congressional News.
cTIoN TAKEN BY THE HOUSE
.ulc Adcnted Tor Consideration of the
Other Congressional News.


Iagreement upon the fourth and mos
important item in this legislation. Th,
house today adopted rule for the con-
sidera.on of the bill for eXpediting the
| hearing OF trust cases in the courts, anc
also for the consideration of .he Little
field bill, which will be voted on Satur-
| day.Afternoon.
/ The bill to expedite trust cases
/ passed by the senate was amended III
the house and adopted. The amendment
| was insignificant and will be acceptei
| by the senate, sending that bill to the
president for his signature. The appro-
| priation of 100000 to aid the depart
ment of justice in prosecuting trust
cases and securing evidence against the
trusts, is in the legislative bill now In
conference. As that appropriation has
| been agreed upon by both houses, il
cannot be eliminated without the fail
ure of the bill.
The bill for the creation of the de-
partment Of commerce is in conference,
and will probably be agreed upon to-
morrow. The Nelson amendment pro-
|
| ing bureau Of publicity for corpora
tons and applying the interstate COM
imerce law to all other corporations as
We'll rs railroads. has been accepted by
the house conferees and will be ac-
lcepted by both house and senate The
interstate commerce commission will
be left as it is. an independent COM
mission. reporting to Congress, and no.
part of the department of commerce,
as provided for in the house bill.
These three items of trust legislation
are satisfactory to the president and
viii be accepted as carrying out in good
faith the declarations of the republic
can party in favor OF legislation to reg
ulate the trusts. The president, how
ever, desires that congress shall amend
the interstate-c commerce law so as to
remedy the evil of rebates and draw
backs by which the trusts lave secured
fayors in the transportation of their
products.
The Littlefield bill now before the
House proposes such legislation. and il
IS satisfactory to the president ana
the attorney general. The Elkins bill.
which was passed by the senate on
Monday, also provides for the same leg
islation. and it is satisfactory to the
administration.
There has been suspicion :hat these
two bills, both designed to accomplish
the same purpose, but originating in
different committees, We're intended to
pass each other in the corridor between
the two houses and never actually get
together and be consolidated into an act
of congress. The speaker has been sus-
pected of planning such a hippodrome
performance, which would enable both
houses to go on record as in favor OF
such legislation without accomplish
ing it.
These suspicious have been so serious
as to make necessary several confer
ences of senate and house leaders with
the president and his attorney general.
One of these conferences was neld last
night, and the whole situation was there
considered by the. most experienced re-
publican legislators of the house and
the senate.
Elkins Bill in Danger.
1t was agreed that The rebate bill was
il. serious danger of Telling by reason of
each house passing separate bill. one
coming from the judiciary committee
in the houss and the other from the in
sterstate commerce committee in the
senate. so as to provide no common
ground for conference and definite
agreement upon an act OF congress. Inc
president suggested that such fallurs
would not satisfy the country, and that
ii would not relieve him of the necessity
for calling an extra session OF the FIFTY
eighth congress to 10 the work Whlch
should be left undone at this session.
The senators and representatives in
the conference agreed with him that
the time had passed for mere political
trickery to make records without en-
acting law They decided to take hoid
of this peculiar situation ana develop
a plan by which the Elkins bill and the
Iittlefield bill should be brought to-
rother and the substance OF both en-
acted into law.
The Littlefield bill will be passed
by the house and sent to the senate,
where it will be referred TO the judic-
iary committee, and there probably
This Will not be due to
nreiudice against the rebate provisions
of that bill, but because the senate
has already passed the Elkins bill COW
ering that subject, and has also agreed
to provide for publicity in the Nelson
n amendment to the department Of COM
merce bill.
Up to the Speaker.
The house coltmittee on interstate
and foreign commerce will, however,
take UP the Elkins bill and report it
fayorably to the house. This will place
the responsibility for bringing that bill
TO q vote directly upon the speaker
and his committee on rules. The speak
er has the power to refuse recog-
milton for the bill and provide for its
but for him to exercise
such veto will be accepting the re-
for failure and an extra
session of congress.
The house leaders, who are earnestly
in sympathy with the administration
in regard to it's trust policy, do not be-
lieye that Speaker Henderson can af--l
ford to accept such responsibility, even
tho he is to end his public service with
this session of congress. They believe
that in providing way to bring this
legislation directly to the speaker and
committee on rules, they have cleared
the situation of it's greatest enbarrass-
ment and insured the agreement of