The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-18
COTTON GAMBLING
 BILL IS REPORTED Senate Committee Refuses
 Recommendations JUDGE FAIRFAX TALKS President Thompson of New Orleans
 IN
JUDGE FAIRFAX TALKS
President Thompson of New Orleans Cotton Exchange and Judge Farrar Argue Against Bill.
 Draws Large Crowd

Washington, February 17.-Under an
 agreement that it vote today on the bill to prohibit gambling in cotton futures, the committee on interstate commerce
 decided by a vote of to to report to the Senate without recommendation Tho failure of the committee to make recommendation to the Senate resulted from the conviction on the part of sey- eral members that a measure of such
 importance should be given more consid- eration than was possible under today s
 vote An agreement had been made,
 however. and Senators Clark of Arkan- sas and Tillman of South Carolina held the committee to its word
 Three sections, favorable as it passed the House. were eliminated by the Sen ate committee and some of the friends of the measure say the changes make the measure non-effective. The sections struck out are:
 That which authorizes agents of tele- graph, telephone cable companies to administer oaths in their efforts to ascer- tain whether messages offered for trans mission were in violation of the law. That declaring books, newspapers, pam phlets letters or other writings or publi- cations containing quotations which might induce making of contracts in violation of the proposed law should be non-mail- able.
 That providing that the Postmaster General, upon evidence sufficiently to himself might return mail to the senders when he believed 1t to be unlawful under the proposed act.
 ba of the committee was pre- oeded by a hearing which consumed the entire forenoon, so that when the com- mittee came to determine its course 1t had no time for an exchange or views. The result was that most of the members of the committee were unwilling to m oorse a bill of so drastic a character, although they were in favor of some measure that would eliminate gambling from the dealings in cotton.
 Representatives of the New Orleans Cotton exchange and exchanges or New York and Chicago trained their guns up on the bill Tn the hearing. They attacheu the bill as being hurtful to the farmer and of being impossible Of enforcement, so far as it's evident purpose was con cerned.
 The hearing was attended by large number of senators from southern states who are not members of a committee ant a number of southern congressman, all of ! whom displayed great interest III the !, proceedings. ,, | The principal arguments against the biii was made by Judge b. H. Fsrrar, repre- sentlng the New Orleans exchange and W. E. Thompson, it's president. They con- stunned practically all of the time. The committee seemed particularly interestei in trying to get the views of the wit nosses as to whether the government Will separate speculative trade from the legit- innate transactions, where buyers and sell CTS intended to receive and deliver goods. Judge Farrar thought the courts might
 interpret the proposed law so as to pre- vent all business, but that it would be impossible under the measure to separate the good from the evil. He contended for the right of dealers, whether mer- chants, spinners or farmers, to hedge in the matter of disposing of cotton. In re ply to a question by Senator Clapp the speaker said he would approve any meas ure that would absolutely prohibit trans- action where there was no intention to receive or deliver, but that the bill in
 question would not accomplish that re- suit.