Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-20
URGING FRUIT MEMS CAUSE
Congressman Kennedy Seeks to Have Ex-
press Companies Investigated.
ALSO PUTS IN GOOD WORD FOR LABoRERs
POEtOffice Clerks Entitled to More
Pay But Those who Draw Less
salary should Not BE over
looked I'm the Distribution.
(From a Stan Correspondent

(From a Stan Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1s.-(Special Tele-
grant, -Representat Kennedy appeared
before the interstate and foreign commerce
committee of the house this morning and
urged the committee to make a favorable
report on his resolution directing the inter-
state Commerce commission to investigate
certain express companies. The Western
Fruit Jobhers' association. in convention
assembled at Kansas City last month,
adopted a resolution charging that the
Adams. American, United States, Pacific
and Wells-Fargo Express companies were
unlawfully engaged in buying, selling and
handling fruits, produce and oysters, thus
coming into direct competition with legiti-
mate dealers. to their detTiment and disad-
vantage. The association demanded an in
vestigation by the federal authorities. Mr..
Kennedy introduced his resolution at the
request of Mr.. e. b. Branch of Omaha,
secretary of the association.
In presenting the matter to the COM
mittee Mr.. Kennedy said, in answer to one
of the members who suggested that the
investigation be made by the Department
of Commerce and Labor, that the act Gre
ating that department reserved 10 the In
terstate Commerce commission Jurisdiction
Of common carriers and therefore the De-
I
control over express companies, which by
the terms of the act to regulate commerce
were made common carriers. Mr.. Ken
needy also called attention TO the fact that
the act to regulate commerce gave TO the
Interstate Commerce commission express
authority to prevent railroad companies
! from dealing in commodities not necessary
for the operation of their lines, but gave
no such specific power to express com
panies. This. he said. was due TO the fact
! that express companies were included in
I the act after the powers OF the commits
sion had been defined.
i Much interest is being created throughout
! the country by Mr.. Kennedy's resolution,
/ Representatives Dawson and Hubbard of
Iowa having received letters urging them
to support the resolution.
More Pay for LabOrerS.
! Congressman Kennedy during the debate
on the postohloe appropriation bill today.
while the subject of increased pay for post
office clerks and letter carriers was being
considered. said that in conjunction with in-
creased pay for the above class OF postal
] employees that laborers about the several
postofhce buildings ought to be taken care
OF with as much cheerfulness shown
/ toward clerks and carriers. He said he
was heartily in favor OF the increases re-
commended by the postofice and post roads
committee. but IL had been his experience
! that men receiving the smallest wages were
! the last TO get promoted. He also spoke
! against the rules of the house which per-
NIT points OF order to be made against spe-
/ cifc increases and said that II was a relic
OF a past age. He insisted that the in
| creases ought 10 be tried out on their
merits instead OF resorting 20 the legis-
lative fiction Of getting them into the bill
after they had been knocked out OF the
\ measure by a resolution reported from the
/ committee on rules.
Conference over Iowa Indians.
| Senators Allison and DOlliver had a con-
ference with the president today regarding
the long existing dispute among the Sac
and Fox Indians as 10 the division Of GER
tain lands and moneys belonging to In
dians OF which those at Tama are a branch,
Some Of the members Of the Tama tribe