The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1911-09-06
Tariff Bills, Direct Elec-
ton of Senators and
Arbitration Do Not

the committee On census, April %; re-
ported to the senate July 6; passed the
senate Aug. 8; senate bill concurred in
by the house Aug. 4; signed by the
president Aug. 8.
Political Reform Measures.
Resolution Providing for the Direct
Election of Senators.-Introduced In
the house April 5; reported to the house
April 12; passed the house April 13; re-
ceived by the senate and referred to
the committee on the judiciary April
Il; reported to the senate May 1; pass
IL the senate June II; senate confer
ees appointed June q; house confer
ees appointed July 5. This resolution
is still in conference.
Publicity of Campaign Funds.-Intro-
duced in the house April 10; reported
to the house April II; passed By the
house April IA; received by the senate
and referred to the committee on priE
lleges and elections April IL; reportcaa
TO the senate June 10; passed by the
senate July II; house conferces ap-
pointed Aug. l; senate conferees ap-
pointed Aug. 2: conference report
agreed to by the senate Aug. 16: by
the house Aug. II. Signed by tn
president Aug. 10.
Of the important legislation or lee
islative action remaining the senate
has not acted upon the arbitration
treaties with Great Britain and
France, which were reported to TIC
senate on Aug. II.
The bone Of contention in the bill
for direct election of senators is the
senate amendment placing senatorial
elections under federal control. This
is the same amendment which defeat.
ed it in the previous congress.
The chief difficulty in the way Of
the arbitration treaties is the desire
Of the senate to retain its control over
what shaft be arbitrated and to ex-
empt certain matters from arbitration,
such as the Monroe doctrine and the
admission Of Asiatfes into the United
States.
The reason for. the first veto Of the
statehood bill, as already intimated.
was the recall of judges feature IN the
Arizona constitution. This was ehmi-
mated in the second bill.
Waiting For Tariff Board.
Tie chief reasons assigned by Presl-
dent Taft for the veto of the tariff bills
were that they were not scientifically
and carefully drawn, that they were
not in harmony with the protective
principle and that the tariff board lad
not yet reported. He promised that
before the next session the board
would report as to the wool schedule
and that he would then recommend
revision in accordance with such re-
port. '...
Trtst Investigations were begun dur
ing the session, and they are still III
progress. Constructive legislation to
bear OF federal regulation Of corpora
tions is regarded as certain to come
as result of the inquiries. and plans
already have been Instituted to revise
the antitrust laws.
Special investigations into the Unit
ed States Steel corporation and the
American Sugar Refining company
were undertaken to discover whether
these industrial organizations operated
in violation Of the antitrust and in
terstate commerce laws. The inqui-
ries have been exhaustive and still
are in progress. though the sugar COM
mittee, headed by Representative
Hardwick Of Georgia. practically has
concluded it's work ard will meet in
the fall to draft its report.
The Steel corporation inquiry dcve!-
oped many interesting facts. but the
predominant feature Of the inquiry
was the emphatic public declarations
of great financiers that the Sherman
antitrust law is too archaic to deal
with modern business methods. They
insisted that there must be new leg
lSlat1On to rerulate Tie CCFfoiaIloHo
Of the country.
Chairman Stanley of Kentucky plans
to resume taking testimony il! the fall
and hopes to haze as witnesses An
drew Carnegie ::nd ]. Pierpont Nor
gan. Among the prominent men who
testified at great length before the
committee are former President Roose-
welt, Judge Z. II. Gary, chairman OF
the board of directors of the Steel
corporation; John ". Gates. since de-
ceased: Grant +. Srii!ey. Charles N.
Schwab, George ". Ter;!:s. Lewis
Cass Lelyard, L. c. Hanna and Oak
leigh Thorne. Colonel Roosevelt vol
untariI? appeared before the COM
mittee in New York to defend his
course in approving the absorption OF
the Tennessee Coal and Iron company
by the Steel corporation during the
financial panic of 1907.
During the inquiry Judge Gary made
the startling proposal that the govern
L. of ~