Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-04-16
KULL DOES GOOD WORK
The Kull Bill Drastic Anti-combi-
nation Measure.

a live wire during the recent session of
the legislature, and one of the most
important measures of the session was
passed by his efforts. Several weeks
ago Mr.. Kull introduced bill aimed at
combinations, pools or agreements
made by lumbermen of the state. The
bill was quite similar to bill passed at
the previous session to prohibit combi-
nations by grain dealers.
Mr.. Kull's bill passed the house by
vote of 6S to "a, and went to the senate,
where the lumbermen made decided
stand against it. John w. Barry of
Cedar Rapids, lumberman, appeared
before the judiciary committee to pro-
test against the bill, stating that such
law would place a stigma on the
business, but the questions asked by
several senators indicated that the SEN
ators had been reading some the inside
correspondence of the lumbermen's S
trust. Mr.. Barry claimed that the bill
was introduced by Representative Kull
to vent his spite upon the men he de-
feated, but Senator Gilleland suggested
that inasmuch as Kull had won out,
the story didn't hang together very
well. After the committee meeting
Mr.. Kull was asked if he had defeated
lumberman. and the DesMoines Trib-
une contains the story as follows:
'Sure; / beat two of 'em," was the
reply.
"Both at once %
"No; one at time. The republicans
nominated a lumberman against me
two years ago last fall and I won out
on the strength of my standing as a
farmer. / beat him by eighteen votes.
He sold his lumber yard to Senator
Burgess and is now in the banking bus
iness. Last fall they nominated an
other lumber dealer and l defeated him
by 1913 votes.'
SIS this spite bill?" was the next
question.
Not by any means. / had heard OF
combinations by lumber dealers. Yor
can hear it even outside of Iowa. The
attorney general of Missouri collected
evidence which convinced him there
was lumber trust in this state
went to Investigating and l found that
conditions warranted the framing of {
bill. wrote it after the style of the
Stillman bill, which passed the legisla
ture last season, and affects graiI
dealers.
After several lumbermen had beel
heard and subjected to many questions
which showed plainly that the senator
possessed considerable information o
their own, the senate committee tool
one minute to recommend the bill fo
passage. When the bill was called VI
in the senate Senator Sammis for tn
lumbermen of the senate offered sub
stitute which was practically Mr.. Kull'
bill save that the words relating ex
clusively to lumber were changed
embrace combinations in any business
The lumbermen allowed this bill to pas
, the senate supposing they had arrang
, ed for it's slaughter in the house.
J, The substitute bill was passed to tn
!. house. Mr.. Kull accepted it, stating
that he asked for but a slice and tn
: senate had given him whole loaf
Mr.. Kull stated that the substitute wa
; written by lumbermen in an effort t
Z beat the bill, that the senate ha
} adopted it, and that he was more tha
) satisfied with it. The bill then passe
) the house by vote of "a to S. u
The Des Moines Capital, in comment
ing on the bill says:
"The joke is on Senator Smith Q
3 Mitchell, and other lumbermen of tn
: senate, who thought they had kille
Kull's bill prohibiting lumber pric
pooling by adopting rigid anti-trus
substitute aimed at trusts of all kind:
; The house passed the substitute will
, out opposition. By it's terms col
trusts, ice trusts, grocery trusts, lun
e Der trusts, in fact, any combine
e strictly prohibited.
t Smith of Mitchell, when he discove
ed the temper of the house, sought |