The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-02-01
GOSSIP OF NATIONAL CAPITAL.
TRUST CONTROL OF CONGRESS
EVIDENT.
Measures That Would Benefit the Tax
payers by Controlling the Trusts
and Curtailing Their Power
to Rob the Public Is Be-
ing Tangled.

Washington, Jan. 24.-The complete
domination Of congress by the ex-
treme protectionists has been strik-
ingly illustrated during the past week,
when the Ways and Means committee
has been conducting hearings on
the bill urged by both the president
and the secretary Of war, and which
provides that but 25 per cent. Of the
Dingley tariff shall be collected on SUI
gar and tobacco imported from the
Philippines and that other imports
from the Philippines shall be admit
ted free. The president urged this leg
islation in his message as essential to
the welfare of the archipelago and
Secretary Taft has haunted the halls
of congress trying to impress their
duty in the matter on members Of
the lower house, but the fact that
| Hearings" have been held is regard
ed as indicating the unwillingness of
kSAsooc@t3S
the bill. The fear that some protected
! interest, and particularly the sugar
trust, may suffer, is leading such
prominent Republicans as Dalzell,
Grosvenor and others to oppose the
| measure and its chances in the
| house are indeed slim, while in the
senate they are nil.
congress believed to be controlled by
railroads is being watched with ex-
treme interest by those who espouse
the cause Of the people versus the
great common carrier monopolleS.
The president has made it so plain
that no member of congress can be in
doubt as to his duty regarding the
railway rate question. The small ship
per needs the protection Of the Amer
lean government against the rebates
up the great trusts of the country by
methods conceived and first practiced
by the Standard Oil Company and
since then adopted by every success
full trust Despite these facts, however,
to prevent adequate legislation and
the opposition is developing in most
/ ~; Acf,, ~
congress are resorting to their favorite
tactics and less wise members are
| making their usual blunders.
The uninitiated senator or represen-
tative takes it for granted that the best
way to kill bill, or defeat policy, is
to speak against it and vote against
it. Not so the initiated. He appreciates
the danger Of such a course where the
bill or policy commands popular re-
spect and he therefore poses as its
friend, but he is too solicitous. With
a determination to secure "full and
complete and accurate knowledge on
| the subject he persists in bringing in
| witnesses who take up the time of the
committee having the measure in
charge, until it becomes too late in
| the session for action. This is called
| "strangling in committee" and is the
favorite method of Senator Elkins,
Representative Dalzell, General Gros-
venor and similar statesmen" Anoth-
er practice especially with measures Of
national importance and affecting the
railroads, is to amend the bill with the
professed purpose of rendering it un-
constitutional SO that after the gov
ernment has pressed it in the courts
at great cost of money and time it viii
| fall before the supreme court Of the
United States. These are the methods
employd by the astute statesmen, but
they have still another to fall back on.
AS a last resort, they excite the rad
| icals in congress to pitch Of en-
thusiasm which utterly beclouds their
better judgment and leads them to
insist on such extreme legislation as
to insure ultimate defeat for the
measure which they have been instru-
mental in amending.
All of these methods will be employ
ed before the opposition will allow
the remedial legislation urged by the
president to be placed on the stat
utes. The friends of the administra-
ton and the Democrats. will exercise
the utmost vigilance to prevent the
success of any Of these methods with
out complete exposure Of the per
petrator, whoever he may be. Of
course. d majority will rule in any
event but it is regarded as almost as
important that the snakes in the
grass be exposed to the public gaze
as that the legislation itself be enact
cd as such exposure will insure the