The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-12-13
BAR CONVICT GOODS
Each State is Given Preroga-
tive by the House.
A STRENUOUS SESSION
Democrats Oppose Porto Riean Fran.
chise-Three-cornered Appropria-
ton Bill Introduced and Made
Special Order.

A Washington special says: BY
practically unanimous vote the house
Friday passed the bill limiting the
regulation of interstate commerce be-
tween the several states in articles
manufactured by convict labor or in
any prison or reformatory. The bill
was introduced by Mr.. Hunt Of Missou-
ri, a practical stone-mason.
Under the Wilson bill, which be.
came a law in 1890, convict labor
made goods may enter into active
competition with goods manufactured
by free labor" and under this fed
eral law a state could not pass law
that would prevent the shipping into
the state prison made goods Of other
states. The law passed abrogates the
interstate commerce law, as at present
applied to convict made goods, there.
by affording to the different states and
territories the right to inhibit the
shipping of convict made goods with
in the confines of any state or ter
ritory.
Mr.. Hunt asked for its passage not
only for the interest of the free labor,
but in the interest Of the manufac-
.urers. He said it was an attempt to
curb the criminal competition Of the
penitentiary with the free labor of the
country.
1T is cruel" he said, "to ask the
free labor of this country to main
tain it's dignity and its self-respect,
If it has to wait until the product OF
the state prison is sold before the
employer can get reasonable price
for his honestly manufactured prod
ucts."
Other speeches were made by Sher-
ley of Kentucky, Gaines Of Tennessee,
Henry of Texas and Grosvenor ef
Ohio.
The democrats IN the house op-
posed the consideration of the bill
comforting United States citizenship on
the inhabitants OF Porto Rico. Chair.
man Cooper of Wisconsin, under the
call Of the committees, called the at.
tention of the house to the erroneous
position Of the bill on the union cal
endar, insisting that its proper place
was on the house calendar.
Mr.. Clark of Missouri, leading the
minority, objected to its transfer, but
Speaker Cannon decided with Mr..
Cooper that it properly belongs on
the house calendar, which would give
it different status than on the un-
ion calendar. The chairman Of the
committee on insular affairs attempted
to have it called up for consideration.
Again MI. Clark protested, insisting
that the house had a right to. have
:lotice OF the possible consideration OF
the measure. Fhe speaker sustained
the protest, and the bill went over.
The discussion disclosed determt-
nation of the democrats to fight the
measure whenever possible.
With an appropriation of s20,C0O,OO
and provisions barring "simplifed
spelling" in documents authorized by
law or ordered by congress, the leg
islative, executive and judicial appro-
priation bill for 1906 was reported to
the house by the appropriations COM
mittee, which was made special or.
der for Monday.
The amount carried by the bill is
$6S5,S42 less than the estimates. The
appropriation for the current fiscal
year aggregated $30,1SS,44S5. The en-
tire number of salaries carried in the
bill is 14,727, or 22o less than in
cluded in the estimates therefor, and
% more than provided for the current
year. An increase from $1,000 to S1,400
is made in the allowance to members
of the house for clerk hire, and the
requirement that members certify they
have spent this amount is omitted.
The appropriation for miscellaneous
expenses for the year is cut from $780,.
900 to $4,000. The salary Of the sec.
retary to the speaker is increased
frono s2 nm IN Sd 000