The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1908-03-20

Washington, March 1o.-General
debate on the peneion appropriation
bill continued Ior over TOUR hours
On the house of representatives to-
day The subject discussed took
wide range, politics, finance, the
trusts and the presidents last spec
ial message, all receiving their share
OF attention. Mr.. Mouser, Of Ohio,
predicted the election of Secretary
Taft for president, while Mr.. Hill,
of Tennessee, in the course OF al
arraignment of the republican party
appeared equally confident that Will
liam J. Bryan would be the success
ful candidate.
Nessrs. Hardy, of Texas, and Wal
do, Of New York, discussed the cur
rency question; Mr.. Adair, OF In
diana, inveighed against the trusts;
Mr. Rauch, of Indiana, saw no good
in the president sending messages to
a congress which, he said, refused
to act on his recommendations. while
MIR Heflin, of Alabama, uttered a
bitter denunciatiCn Of the New York
Cotton Exchange.
At 4:24 p. m. the house adjourned
out Of respect to the memory of the
late United States Senator William
Pinkney Whyte, of Maryland.
In the course of a discussion CT
the cotton industry Mr.. Hefin, OF
Alabama, referled to the falling OIL
OF the trade of this country in that
staple. He declared that the south
was not only the greatest region III
the world for cotton but had demon
strated that there was no other place
in the world where cotton could be
manufactured so cheaply and profi-
tably. And yet, he said, England,
China and Japan were getting most
of the trade in cotton goods. II the
United States wanted a fair share
of that trade it must go after it.
He pleaded that cotton producers
should be put upon the same basis
as manufacturing or mercantile busi,
ness The one obstacle that stood in
the way of buying and selling cot
ton in the open, he declared, was the
New York cotton exchange, which
was the "rottenest on the earth and
the various bucket shops" He call
ed upon congress to act "and not
be deceived by suggestion = from
the White House that at some time
In the distant future a commission
may be appointed to look into the
apeculators hands"
THE producer, he assered, have
suffered the horrors that come from
the gambling exchange year after
year. There was." he said, IAN
army of producers in the west and
an army of producers in the south
marching through their representa-
tives to this chamber. asking you to
act now and drive from power the
gamblers in the exchanges in Chica-
go and New York"
Replying to question by Mr..
Fitzgerald, as to whether there had
been any complaints of injustice
done by the exchange in grading
cotton, Mr.. Hefiin charged that the
exchange had Disseminated against
the southern producer "a thousand
times over" The New York cotton
exchange, he declared, was the only
institution that could sell one hun
dred million bales of cotton in one
season. The output of cotton, he
said, has nothing to do with this
heartless and thieving game"
Ar. Heflin arraigned Theodore
Price, who, he charged, had a substi-
tute on the floor of the exchange
notwithstanding he had resigned his
membership. He referred to the case
of Assistant Statistician Holmes. of
the agricultural department, who
was indicted on the charge of CIV
ing out departmental information and
said that Price was the man who
made the government tell a lie to the
world and closed by insisting that
the time had come Ito eliminate the
gambling exchange from the cotton
business"
SENATE
There was full attendance of the
senate today when, at the beginning
OF the session, Senator Rayner, OF
Maryland, announced the death of
his colleague, William Pinkney Whyte
At the request of the family no for
NAL funeral will be held and no conf
mittee was appointed by the senate
to attend the services, but a remark
able tribute to his long life and
achievements were paid by MIR. Ray
ner.
After adopting the usual reeolu-
&hn "a al ~