The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-29
TILT BETWEEN
TWO SENATORS
Beveridge ReSents the Know
lt-All Attitude of Spooner
of Wisconsin.
CHILD LABOR LAW DEBATE
HoosIEH STATESMAN MAIN.
TAINs HIS GROUND.

washington, Jan. Ex-senator BeveridEe
today resumed his speech in behalf of the
measure prohibiting interstate commerce
In articles which are the product of child
labor Mr.. Beverage stated that three
fourths OF the cotton factories of the
south were opposing the bill. that the
railroads Of the south were opposing it
and that the coal mine operators of the
south were opposing IT,
Senator Tillman acknowledged the very
great evil of child labor in his state, but
ne Deneved the question one for state
Tather than federal control. Adding TO
the difficulty In his state, he said, was
the northern millionaire, who invested his
money in cotton mills and then influ-
enced the legislature against child labor
laws.
GaIlinger Butts In.
The senator is to a certain extent
right interrupted Senator Gallinger.
There is northern money i'm South Caro-
lima, and God help South Carolina if
there was not northern money there"
Rather than have northern money
there exercising it's lobbying influence"
| retorted Mr. Tillman. Il would to God
/ the senator and all others would keep
/ northern. money out of my state"
spirited colloquy resulted between
| senators Spooner and Beveridge when the
former asked if il was the position of the
| indiana senator that congress had power
| TO enact, under the commerce clause of
/ IL
| vent child labor in the states Mr.. Bever-
| ldge replied that he so held. Mr. Spooner
| indicated that he should later have some
! thing TO say against that position where
upon Mr.. Beveridge retOrted that the SEN
ator could issue a fiat" If he saw fit
! indicating at the same time that this
fiat would be from the senate judiciary
committee 81 issue the fiat for myself, !"
retorted Mr.. Spooner.
Sarcasm of Beveridge.
You did give a fiat yourself" contin-
ued Mr.. Beverage. when you intro
duced a resolution directing the judiciary
committee to advise the senate on the
constitutiOnality Of the question involved =
he then said that the effect Of the reso-
luton was TO make Senator Spooner
chairman of the subcommittee who
would report on the matter
Mr.. SpoOner replied that he had been a
/ member of the senate for some time
somewhat longer than the senator from
| Indiana, but. he added. he did not expect
TO be a senator as long as the senator
from 1ndisna-and that it was not an
unusual thing for the senate to refer a
matter TO the judiciary committee for re-
port as to the power Of congress to act
adoption of the resolution" he concluded
Sheer by Spooner.
Mr.. Beverage then remarked that he
had yielded to the senator and that he
had announced when the senator was not
in the chamber that he would be glad 20
answer any question. To this Mr.. SpOOner
| replied that the committee would be gla ]
to get information from the senator on
the question and that he should be glad
to do So
"Of course" retorted. Mr.. Beveridge, II
cannot give the senator information nor
can anybody else" He then added. well
I might. but the senator does not think
so"
Mr.. Beveridge closed the incident by
remarking that it might be well to post
| pone action until the supreme court had
pronounced on the subject
But there seems to be here" he ad-
ded. "a junior supmere court with a de-
| sire to relieve the supreme court of the
United States of constitutional questions
| and the senate OF all constitutional res
possibility. and above all. l think this
practice is extremely dangerous
| Senator Beveridge continued his re-
marks until o'clock. when he suspended
until tomorrow. His position is that the
power of congress to enact the legisla-
| ton is ample, but when asked by Mr..
Rayner if this power could be exercised
TO absolutely prohibit commerce between
the states he replied that the question
was an impossible one.