Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-09
AFTER SENATOR PLAT
Petition Filed Today by G.
W. POST.
WOULD GUST Mr.. PLATT
HIS INTEREST INaUNITED STATES
EXPRESS WORKS HARDSHIP.
Post Check System Bone of Contention
Statement Backed by
Affidavit.
WOULD OUST MR.. PLATT

u
effort TO have Senator Platt of New York
vacate his seat in the United States Senate,
has sent a petition to President Roosevelt
and the members of the Senate calling at
tention to Senator Platt's connection with
the United States Express Company and
making certain charges.
Mr. Post says that by an act of Congress,
approved July 3 1890, entitled IAN act to
protect trade and commerce against unlaw-
full restraints and monopolies," which act
is commonly known as the antitrust act,
it is provided that every contract combi-
nation in the form of trust or otherwise,
or conspiracy in restraint of trade or COM
merce among the several states or with
foreign nations is Illegal and that every
person who shall make any such contract
or engage in any such combination or con-.
Spracy shall be deemed guilty of d misde-
meanor and, on conviction, shall be pun
ished by fine not exceeding five thousand
dollars or by Imprisonment not exceeding
one year, or both. By the second section of
the same act it is further provided that
every person who shall monopolize or at
tempt to monOpolze, or combine, or con-
spire with any other person or persons to
monopolize any part of the trade or COM
merce among the several states or with
foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of
a msdemeanor and, on conviction, shall re-
ceive the same punishment as is prescribed
in section one.
in substance extends the provisions of sec
ton one to combinations affecting trade in
any territory of the United States or in the
District of Columbia.
Mr.. Post charges that all express COM
panies have entered into combination and
conspiracy in violation of sections one two
and three of the act, and they restrain
and prevent competition in interstate eX
press business in the United States and in
the territories. and in the District of CO.
lumbia. He further charges that included
in the business carried on by said COM
panies is what is commonly known as the
express money order business, which con-
sists, not in the transportation of money.
but in receiving money at one office and
giving therefor an order payable at another
office, and that said money order business
is included in the objects of the illegal COM
binaton aforesaid.
Monopoly Alleged.
Mr.. Post claims that by reason of the
unlawful combination and monopoly the
express companies have been able to main
tain and have maintained charges for all
the different kinds of business above de-
scribed far in excess of reasonable rates,
and they have been collecting, and are
now annually collecting from the people
of the United States and from the banks,
trust companies and other financial insti-
tutions and from publishers of books and
others hundreds of thousands of dollars
over and above just compensation for the
services they render.
He says that for years past there have
been pending in the Senate and in the
House of Representatives several bills, the
general object of which is to enable per-
sons who wish to send money from one
place in the United States to another to
do so more economically and more con-
veniently than can be done by any method
now in use. The plans proposed by these
bills, if carried into effect, would enable
the people of the United States to trans
fer small sums of money from one place
to another with less trouble and with less
expense than is made necessary by the ex-
listing methods, which include mainly the
money order systems of the Post Office De-
partment and the express companies, or
transportation by these companies. BY
these plans much of the business of this
kind which is now transacted by the eX-
press companies would be taken from
them to their injury, but to the benefit of
the people of the United States and of the
government of the United States. which
itself now pays many thousands of dollars
every year to the express companies for
services which it is one of the objects of
such bills to render unnecessary.
Mr.. Post charges that in his capacity as
president of the United States Express
Company Senator L. c. Platt has parucl-
pated, and is now participating In the SAID
illegal combination and conspiracy, and is
daily engaged in performing overt acts in
pursuance thereof, and that in the Senate
ne has used, and is continuing to use, his
influence as a senator to oppose the pas
sage of the bills referred to, or any OF
them, on the ground that, If passed, they
would affect injuriously the business OF
said express companies, and reduce the
amount which said companies. by reason
of said combination and conspiracy, are
yearly obtaining from the people of the
United States and from the government
over and above just compensation for the
services they render.
Afhdavits Filed.
In support of his charge Mr.. Post Tiled
affidavits of Clarence E. Dawson and Ed
ward NJ Dawson, jr., regarding an inter-
view they claim to have had with Senator
Plat.
Mr.. Post said the public are without an
adequate remedy elsewhere against Sena-
tor Plat. because of the provisions of sec
ton of article l of the Constitution of the
United States, which makes the Senate sole
judge Of the qualifications of it's members.
and gives to the Senate only the power to
deprive a senator of his seat.
He concludes his petition by asking that
due inquiry may be made by the Senate,
and the petitioner afforded an opportunity
to introduce evidence in support of his
charges, and If it be found they are true
that Senator Platt may be expelled from the
Senate.
Attached to the petition is an affidavit
signed by c. E. and E. M. Dawson. in which
they say that at the request of Mr.. Post,
on the 14th day of December. 1908. they
called on Senator Thomas c. Platt, at the
Arlington Hotel, in the city of Washington.
in the District of Columbia Clarence Il.
Dawson informed Mr.. Platt that he was
the secretary of Charles E. Post, and ex-
planned to Senator Plat that Charles e.
Post is the originator of the Post check cur
| rency plan, bill for the adoption of which
had been introduced in tlE Fifty seventh
and Fffty-eightE CongresseA, and told him
Mr.. Post had been informed that Senator
Plat was opposed to the measure and also
| that they had come to see him for the pur-
pose of getting from Mr. Platt himself a
direct expression of his opinion on the SUBJ
| ject. Clararce e. Dawson claims he then
handed Mr.. Plat copy of the bill referred
to Oh. r. 1916 Fifty-eighth Congress) and
asked Mr.. Platt If he2 had ever seen the
| bill or become acquainted with the subject
| matter of it.
| He says Senator Platt replied: II have
seen 1t, and l am against 1t, because 1t
| conflicts with my express money order
business" He added that while he was
not In the Senate to represent the United
l States EXPRESS COrnnnpu at the time