The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-03
TIlLMlA cRITIc|sEs LAM
S: C. Senator StiTs the Senate
by Assault on Statutes.
He Says Congress Is TO Blane-He
Cites tho Beef Trust Decision as IN
stance of Shortcomings and Declares
Senators are Trying Hard Not TO
Pass Relief Legislation

AA.uNt A@-tst&aGbkA
| In the n Tuesday Mr.. TiIlaan
raised another rumpus by criticislns
what he called the shortcomings / n
existing statutes which make posi-
BILE decisions by the federal courts such
as that recently rendered by Judge
Humphrey 81 Chicago in the beef
trust prosecutions.
Judge Humphrey decided that as the
packers had given TO James r. Gar
field, commissioner Of corporations.
certain information pertaining 10 their
business when Mr.. Garfield was max
ing his sO-called beef trust investiga-
ton, they were thereby made immune
from criminal prosecution and punish
nent, but tha judge intimated that The
corporations involved might be pun
ished under the law by the fines pre-
scribed for violating the interstate
commerce act.
Senator Tillman branched off from
this theme into a wholesale assault on
the laws n on congress for enacting
such laws. He declared that il seem
ed TO him the senate tried hard how
not 10 pass laws for the relief of the
people. He also intimated that The
house was now Juggling with some
measures Of relief with the view 0t
doing nothing. Then he ooh a whack
al the insurance companies and banks
Tor contributing 10 republican cam
raign funds, and called attention 20
the fact that he had introduced a res
olution at the opening Of congress ask
ing for an investigation of his charge
that national banks had diverted funds
intrusted TO their keeping to campaign
expenses. He hammered away az this
charge, and by inference seemed 10 be
criticising the senate committee Oh
privileges and elections, to which his
resolution was referred, for having
lone nothing up to this time.
Mr.. Foraker sprang to his feet and
somewhat warmly resented the South
CarOlinian's remarks on the bank sub
iect. The OhiOan related that he, Mr..
Knox and Mr.. Bailey had been APP
pointed a subcommittee by the COM
mittee on privileges and elections for
the purpose of framing a bill MAX
ing it unlawful for national banks
longer to contribute to campaign
funds, and that he had explained only
the day before to Senate Tillman hat
the reason the subcommittee had not
made progress with its work was be-
cause Of the unavoidable absence OF
Senator Bailey. After an exciting
passage at arms between The Oh;oan
and the South C~arolinian, Mr.. TIL
man laughingly apologiZed TO Mr..
Foraker, declaring that he had not
meant to criticise the subcommittee
or the whole committee.
Mr.. Tillman had taken the floor out
Of order by unanimous consent to
present and have read a letter from
a firm of coal operators near Pitts
burg who made the same complaint
against the Pennsylvania railroad for
refusing t provide the firm switching
connections which was made by me
Red Bank Fuel company against the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad in West
Virginia. He used this as a text for
a preachment against what he charac-
teriZed as the apparent i~ndlsposltlon
of congress to afford the necessary leg
rislative relief from corporate exac-
tons and eXtOrtions. He drew Nh.
Spooner into the scrimmage by appeal
ing to the Wisconsin senator for an
opinion on some legal question. In the
course of the colloquy Mr.. Spooner re-
marked in reply to Mr.. Tillman's ap-
prving reference to a newspaper car
toon on the beef-trust decision, that
he had recently seen a cartoon repre-
senting the South Carolinian as lying
down behind his desk and being kick
ed at by the democratic donkey.
The last one of this kind | nave
seem broke in Mr.. Tillman. repre-
sented me- as astride the donkey with
the elephant tied to the donkey's -all,
and we were going on up the ROAD
p aceably."
This provoked roars of laughter
from the galleries and the senate
floor.
Mr.. Spooner declared somewhat pet
ulantly that if MIR. Tillman would get
rid OF some OF his jaundice and put
aside some Of his suspicious OF his
fellow senators he would get along
hett =. Mr.. Tillman replied in ef-
feet that what Mr.. Spooner called
iaunGice ID hin was merely his ina
bility to appreciate the legal refine
merts made by the lawyers in dis
cuss:ng legislation affecting corpora
tons. /
Returning to the subject of contri-
buttons by the insurance companies
10 republican campaign funds, Mr..
Tillman exclaimed: Now, there is
District Attorney Jerome over in New
York. He, too, seems TO have fallen