The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-11


interests that provision of law SINH
lar to the Wadsworth bill that 1 voted
TOT IN the Fffty-sixth and Fffty-seventh
congresses, would have, if enacted into
law. made 1t impossible to sell oleo-
margarine as butter and would have
compelled that industry to be conduct.
ton.
:. 1t is easy for an editor with a bril-
nant imagination and with utter disre-
Emporia. to charge congressman with
voting In the interests of Wall street
ana the packers trust, but it is anoth-
er thing to demonstrate from the rec
oros that the votes cast by me years
ago We're wrong, when time has. DEM
onstrated that they were right then
and are right now
Trusts and Suspending Tariffs.
This Is the charge in the article:
ON pages 6499 and $500 of the Con-
gresslonal Record, volume 80, part Z,
Longs vote is on record against allow
ing the president of the United States
to suspend the tariff duties on any ar
t1cle which was found to be controlled
by trust: it would affect securities
of Wall street; it would act as a big
stick over monopolies and trusts, bur
Wall street needed a vote and Long
tle."
This vote was cast on May 81, 1900;
II was on bill to amend the Sher-
man antitrust act. This was a party
vote. The Republicans of the house
of representatives determined to pre-
sent certain amendments to the Sher-
man antitrust law. The Democrats
presented a number Of other amend
ments to the bill, all of which were
voted down by strict party vote. Mr..
Terry. a Democrat from Arkansas,
presented an amendment providing
he h. -, TYv,s%
States should be satisfied that the
price of any commodity had been en-
HANGED in consequence of any mono
poly, he should issue his proclamation
suspending the collection of all GUS
tom duties on like articles Of mer-
chandise brought from foreign coun-
tries. This amendment presented the
Democratic doctrine of the regulation
of trusts by the reduction of the tar
ifs. The Democrats have always
supported this doctrine and the Re
publicans have always opposed it. The
protective tariff was not made for the
trusts or for the particular industry,
but for the benefit of the whole peo-
pie. including principally those who
earn their living by the labor Of their
hands and brains. A tariff construct
ed on these lines would eventually
mean free trade in this country. for
instead of permitting congress to re-
in the power of a ombination of mo-
nopolies in the United States to de-
stroy all domestic competition, by
forming trust in the particular ar
ticle. President Roosevelt hit this
fallacious doctrine on the head with
great force and vigor in his letter two
years ago to Mr. Watson. at the open
ing Of the congressional campaign.
He said:
THE question of revising the tariff
stands wholly apart from the question
of dealing with the so-called trusts;
that is, with the control of monopolies
and with the supervision Of great
wealth in business, especially in cor
porate form. The only way in which
it is possible to deal with those trusts
and monopolies and this great corpor-
ate wealth is by action along the line
of the laws enacted by the present
congress and its immediate predeces-
sors. The cry that the problem can
be met by any changes in the tariff,
represents, whether consciously or I'M
consciously, an effort to divert the
public attention from the only method
of taking effective action
This is what the Democrats were
endeavoring to do in the 56th con-
gress when this vote was cast. The
amendment was defeated by a vote OF
1884 to 1872. I voted against the
amendment as did every other Re-
publican in the house; every Demo
crat voted for it. Side by side with
Bristow I place the above extract
from the letter of President Roose-
Welt and I leave to them the difficult
duty of reconciling their position with
that of President Roosevelt.
voted against another amendment
offered to this bill which sought te
require corporations doing an inter
state business to file statements Of
their condition with the government
| The amendment differed greatly from
the recommendations made by Pres!.
dent Roosevelt in his recent messages
The amendment had no place on the
| bill which we were considering ant
| was offered by the Dmocrats knowing
that it would be voted down. Ever,
Democrat voted for it and every Re
publican voted against it. If I voted
| for Wall street, so did every other Re
publican in the house. I voted will
| the Republicans and Mr.. White ant
Mr. Bristow think ] should be turnet
out of the senate because 1 did no
vote with the Democrats.
| The Union Station, Washington.
| This is the charge:
1.-THE grab Of the Pennsylvania rail
| road in building the Washington un1ol
station is one of the most notorious Il
this country. Scores of honest men II
congress protested. But Long did no
| protest On page 1850. volume &c. par
8 of the Congressional Record, Long l
found voting for this gift Of over fou
million dollars to the railroad company
It was another place where Wall stree
found Long dependable"
/ This was a senate bill; it passed tn
house in December. 1902, while 1 wa
in Kansas engaged in the senatoria
contest The vote referred to was cas-
February Is. 1903, after second con
Il ference committee reported. The sen
ate bill proposed paying the Phil
adelphia, Baltimore & Washingto
Railroad company $1,500,000, while tn
house proposed paying this compan
81. 100000; the senate proposed to pa
| the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad com
. pany s1.500.000, while the house pre-
posed to pay it 100000. The differ