The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-09
WANT PLATT EXPELLED
Q. w. POST PRESENTS PETITION
 AGAINST THE SENATOR.
Asserted That He Is Party to Conspir- acy to Maintain Identical Rates Among Express Companies
 of the Country.

Washington. Feb sc. w. Post of Battle Creek, Mich. who has interested himself largely in the establishment of | parcels post system today filed with President Pro Fem Frye of the Senate, A petition for the expulsion of Senator Thomas c. Platt from the Senate. The, petition is based upon the assertion that MT. Platt. as the executive ofn- cer of the United States Express Com pany, is party to a conspiracy to maintain identical rates among express companies for articles shipped over their lines and he asserts that Platt has told representatives of his com pany that he will oppose all legislation injuriously affecting his companys in- .terests.
 In his petition MT. Post charges the six express companies of the United States with conspiring to violate the antitrust act by monopolizing the ex- press business of the country and fixing the rates. He alleges that by reason of unlawful combination, the express companies have maintained charges for all the different kinds of business for in excess of reasonable rates and they have been collecting and are now an- uually collecting from the people or the United States and from the banks and trust companies and other financial in- stitutions and from publishers of books and others having frequent occasion to require the service of express conpa- nies, hundreds of thousands of dollars over and above just compensation for the service which they render"
 He then mentions the Post check currency bills, which are and for sew eraI years have been before Congress, and says that by the plans proposed in them most of the business of sending small sums of money through the mails which is now transacted by the express companies would be taken from them tos their injury, but to the beneht of the people of the United States and of the Government of the United States which itself pays many thousands of dollars every year to express compa- nies for services, which 1t is one of the objects of such bill to render un- necessary"
 MT. Post charges that in his capacity as President of the United States Ek- press company Senator Platt is par ticipating in the conspiracy charged, and, proceeding, says: He is daily en- gagged in performing overt acts in pur- suance thereof and that In the Senate he has used and Is continuing to use his influence as a Senator to oppose the passage of the bills referred to or any OH the BEObAu NhLS AEN PoSSSN they would affect injuriously the bus mess of said express companies and reduce the amount which said compa- nies by reason of said combination and conspiracy are yearly obtaining from the people of the United States and from the Government thereof, over and above just compensation for the ser vice which they render"
 He therefore asks the Senate to in- stitute an examination into the case and that if the charges are proved the Senator be expelled Explaining his reason for proceedings against the Senator, he says:
 The petitioner and the public are without any adequate remedy else where against said Thomas c. Platt, because of the provisions of Section of Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States, which makes the Senate the sole judge of the qualifications of it's members and gives to the Senate only the power to deprive Senator of his seat.
 In support of his statement Mir. Post filed an affidavit by Clarence E. Daw- son to the effect that Senator Platt had told him that he was against the Post check bills because the plan, if adopted, would interfere with his bus mess and that he would use his posi- tion as a Senator to defeat them.