The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-01-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


WASHINGTON, D. c., January 18th.
Mr.. EDIToR-One of the sharpest de-
bates recently witnessed in the United
States Senate grew out of the effort OF
Senator Vest to have a bill removing the
duty on anthracite coal, in accordance
with the Presidents recommendation, re-
ported from the Finance Committee. III
terms made thrice eloquent by the feeble
condition Of the speaker, which would
not permit him to stand without the sup
port of his desk, the Senator, for the sec
ond time in one week. pleaded the cause
of the poor and needy. He begged his
opponents for the sake of humanity to
abandon partisan considerations and pass
measure offered "by poor democrat"
but calculated to tighten the hardships of
the old and feeble and of little children
who wept because of the cold. In heart
less but forceful terms Senator Aldrich
tainted the Senator from Missouri with
having consented to 40 per cent. duty
on coal when the democrats were in power
and Mr.. Vest replied that, as the Senator
from Rhode Island we'll knew, that duty
was admitted to the Wilson bill because
four democratic Senators who held the
balance of power were untrue to their
party and made the 40 per cent. duty the
price of their vote for the bill. He urged
| bor orrh1ico,c fn rico ohnuo tho cnrGiH
consideration of vested interests and par
tisan 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 opponent 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 in
dustries. Senator Hale took up the
charge and repudiated the well authenti
Gated evidence presented by the Senator
from Missouri. He lodged the point at
issue and pretended to regard the state
ment of Mr.. Vest as a reflection on the
personal character Of Mr.. Dingley which
he ably defended from an attack which
had never been made.
On Thursday the Senate, after learning
that Senator Nelson believed he could
conclude his speech on Statehood in about
three days. adjourned until today. The
status of the Statehood measure was not
interior ed with, however, and will be the
regular order at 2 o'clock today. The i'm
preston is growing that the opposition
will be eventually forced to yield and adj
nit the three claimants to Statehood, but
at present the republicans are finding the
contest convenient barrier to legislation
which they do not care to enact. This is
especially true of antitrust legislation
which such men as Senators Hanna, Aid
rich and others hope to avoid.
The anxiety of the President to please
the people and secure the enactment of
antitrust legislation has resulted in
strained relations between the Admins.
tration and the members of the sub-com
mittee charged with the preparation of an
anti trust measure. When Congress met
the House judiciary Committee appointed
a subcommittee consisting of Messrs.
Littlefield, Powers, Overstreet, De Ar
mond and Clayton to draft trust BILL
This sub committee asked the President
for an administration measure and it was
refused. Then they asked the Attorney
General for his views on the subject.
They were furnished and the committee
Immediately set to work to draft bill
embodying them. Then, to the amaze
ment of Mr.. Littlefield and his conferees,
Mr.. Knox sent to: Representative jenkins,
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee,
two bills with request that they be in
troduced. This was done and only when
they appeared in print did the sub-com-
mittee, which had been burning the mid
night oil over its measure, learn that it