The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-01-14
PlH7IsaH LEGISLATION.
Congress Under Republican Domi-
nation Makes Laws for Benefit
Of Party Not for Coed
of the Country.

Washington, D. c., January l2.-
One of the sharpest debates recently
witnessed in the United States Senate
grew cut of the effort OF Senator Vest
to have & bill removing fhe duty On
anthracite coal, in accordance with the
Presidents recommendation. reported
from the finance committee. In Germs
made thrice eloquent by the feeble
condition of the speaker, which would
not permit him to stand without the
support of bis desk, the Senator, for
the second time in one week, pleaded
the cause Of the poor and needy. He
begged his opponents for tee sake OF
humanity to abandon partisan consld--
erations and pass measure offered
g by a moor democrat but calculated
to tighten the hardships OF the cid
and feeble and of little children who
wept because Of the cold. In heart-
less but forceful terms Senator Aid
rich taunted the Senator from Mis-
souri, with having consented to 40
per cent. duty on coal when the dem
ocrats we're in power and Mr.
Vest replied chat, as the
Senator from Rhode Island we'll
knew, that duty vas admit
ted to the Wilson bill because four
democratic Senators who held tie bal
ance of power were untrue to their
party and made the 40 per cent. duty
the price of their vote for the bill
He urged the republicans to rise above
the sordid consideration of vested IN
terests and partisan policy and act for
once solely in the cause of humanity,
but his words fell upon deaf ears.
In the debate between Senator Vest
and his opponents the former quoted
the late Nelson Dingley as having said
that the rates of the Dingley bill had
been made too high with the purpose
of having a margin on which to trade,
so that the United States might make
reciprocity treaties without injury to
American industries. Senator Hale
took up the charge and repudiated the
we'll authenticated evidence presented
by the Senator from Missouri. He
lodged the point at issue and pretend
ed to regard the statement of Mr.. Vest
as reflection on the personal charac-
ter of Mr.. Dingley which he ably de-
Tended from an attack which had
never been made.
On Thursday the Senate, after
learning that Senator Nelson believed
he could conclude his speech on state
hood in about three days, adjourned
until today. The status of the State
hood. measure, was not interfered
with, however, and will be the regular
order at 2 O'Clock today. The impres-
sion is growing that the opposition
will be eventually forced to yield and
admit the three claimants to state
hood, but at present the republicans
are fnding the contest convenient
barrier to legislation which they do
no not care to enact. This is especially
true of antitrust legislation which
such men as Senators Hanna, Aldrich
and Others hope to avoid.
The anxiety of the President to
please the people and secure the enact
ment of antitrust legislation has re-
suited in strained relations between
the Administration and the members
of the7sub-commitee charged with
the preparation of an antitrust meas
ure. When Congress met the House
Judiciary committee appointed sub
committee consisting of Messrs.
Littlefeld, Powers, Oyerstreet, De
Almond and Claytonsto draft a trust
bill. This sub committee aksed the
President for an administration meas
ure and it was refused. Then they
asked the Attorney General for his
views on tho subject. They were
furnished and the committee i'm
mediately set to work to draft bill
enlbodying them. Then, to the amaze
ment of Mr.. Littledeld and his con-
ferees, Mr.. Knox sent to Representa-
tive jenkins, Chairman Of the JudlcI-
ary Committee, two bills with re-
quest that they be introduced. This
was done and only when they appeared
in print did the subcommittee, which
had been burning the midnight ell
over its measure, learn that 1t had
been completely ignored and that bills
had been introduced which were cal
culated to render obsolete the bill on
which they had expended so much time
and labor.
Under threat of an extra session the
members of the Senate have consent
ed to the passage OF some simple"
and innocuous antitrust measures.
These bills, they say, must be SO
simple as to provoke no lengthy debate
and must receive the unanimous sup
port of the republicans which is tant-
amount to saying that they must be SO
drawn as to be incapable Of thwarting
the intentions or desires of the trusts:
The lengthy and sweeping ,bi u brought
in with much spectacular advertising
by Mr.. Hoar has subjected the vener-
able Senator to nothing but sridic1le,