Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1903-02-12

WAsHrsarox. Feb. 3. 1903

i Our Washington Letter.
wAsHIs0ros. Feb. Q, 1903.
Senator Mark Hanna has intro
duced ia the Senate a bill which
because Of its barefaced purpose of
catching thenegro vote and offsetting |
the negro appointmentsof President
Rcosevelt, would be ludicrous were
IL not capable OF being made the
means Of defrauding thousands of
ignorant and trusting people. SEN
ator Hanna's bill proposes to pen
sion every ex-slave and the relatives
of such ex-slave as have elder men,
bers Of their families dependent on
them. The pensions are to vary |
from "a per month for slaves under |
80 70 SIS per month for slaves 20
and over Moreover, bonuses are
to be paid TO such as prove eligible
for pension ranging from 500 for
those aged 50 10 $500 for those sew
enty and over. AS soon as the bill
was introduced, Mr.. Hanna was
seen by your correspondent and
frankly admitted that he had NO
intention OF urging the measure and
never expected il TO become law.
When asked why he had introduced
il, he said he had done so at the
request of a friend and merely wish
ed TO be accommodating. Asked IL
the friend was going to be his cam
paign manager in 1904 Mr.. Hanna
refused to answer. Commissioner
Ware, when seen the next day, said
that the Hanna bill would almost
bankrupt the government if it were to
become "a law. Evidence as to who
were aud who were not ex-slaves
would be practically impossible to
procure and the law would be made
the excuse for voting thousands Of
private pensions to negroes by leg
islators anxious to secure the negro
vote.
-.
While Senator Hanna's pension
bill is obviously a bid for negro
support in the next national conven-
ton, its worst feature is the end to
which Il will be put by INSCRIPTIONS
persons. Senator Mason introduced
a similar measure some years ago
and il is estimated that certain
educated negroes" who formed the
x-slaves Federation" collected
from the negroes i'm the South up
wards of 5000, 900 for registry, rep
resenting that registry by the as
ISOLATION would insure 10 them the
benefits Of the proposed pensions as
soon as the law passed. The bill,
as do all measures introduced in
Congress, bore the legend, Read
twice and referred to the committee
on, ETC., and it was represented to
the negroes that having been read
twice it would require but one more
reading and they must lose no time
in becoming enrolled. The FEEDER
alton" was finally barred from the
the use of the mails.
- .
According TO the Senate leaders,
the antitrust program of this SEES
sion of Congress is completed in so
far as the upper chamber is concern
ed. The passage of the Elkins bill
is expected in the House. The Lit
tlefield bill, itself too mild in its
provisions to correct any of the trust |
abuses. was passed by the House on
Saturday. but will be buried in a |
Senate committee where il will never |
see the light of day. The Senate
program includes the appropriation
OF $500, 600 for the employment Of
expert attorneys in the prosecution
of antitrust cases; law making
antitrust cases privileged i'm abe
courts; penalties for granting and
receiving rebates on transportation
charges, provided by the Elkins
law; and a wholly inadequate pub
licity provision attached to the bill
creating Department of Commerce
and Labor.
-
Reviewing the Senate program"
o prominent democratic senator, who
requested that his name be with
held, said TO your correspondent to-
day: Antitrust Legislation by the
party was bound to be a
failure. IL is ridiculous to suppose
that the republicans are going to
enact legislation that would cur.ail
the profits or be otherwise obiec-
tsonable to the very interests which
have sent them here and keep them
Ia Congress. Some of the provi-
sions are fairly good. The 500, 600
for the Attorney General is all right
Il IL is properly administered, but
that is a large u. III, as is probable.
it goes to favored attorneys in the
republican party it will be worse
than wasted. The law for expedi-