Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-24
TRUST LEGISLATION
ISSUE IN CONGRESS
Disposal of Subject at This
Session Is Question
of Hour.
MEMBERS ARE CLAMORING
TO ENTER CAMPAIGNS
President, Who Wants Action, May
Have Hard Time Holding
Lawmakers Here.

enact trust legislation at the present
session of Congress Is the question
which Is vexing the democratic leaders
in Washington. The view of the ma
jority of the democrats in both the
Senate and House is that 1t will be i'm
possible to put the trust bills through
unless Congress remains in session un-
til September or later This Congress
is strenuously opposed to doing
The President may be strong enough
to keep Congress here during the sum-
rner. but he will have a more difficult
task than keeping the members in
Washington last summer One and all
they are clamoring for early adjourn
ment so as to return to their homes
for the coming campaign.
Vigorous Hint Given.
The suggestion that Congress might
content itself on the trust question for
this session with passing the antitrust
bills through the House and postpon-
ing consideration in the Senate until
December brought out a vigorous hint
from the other end of Pennsylvania
avenue yesterday.
That President Wilson will be satisfied
with nothing less than the passage
| through both houses of Congress at the
present session Of the antitrust legisla-
| ton recently agreed upon was made clear
by officials close to the administration.
| 1t was said at the White House the
President is firmly OF the opinion that
antitrust legislation should be enacted
at this session and is not willing to make
any compromise which might endanger
| the program determined upon by the
House democratic caucus. Although he
realizes the desire Of many members of
Congress to adjourn early, he believes
the antitrust legislation can be expedited
| In both houses.
However, there are many factors in
| the situation which tend to show that
there may be no trust legislation at the
present session, with the exception, per-
haps. Of the passage of the so-called
trade commission bill.
Plan of House Leaders.
In the first place. the House democrats
have determined not to send any Of the
bills relating to the regulation of cor
porations to the Senate until all have
| been acted upon. 1t would have been
possible to pass finally the trade COM
mission bill yesterday and to have sent it
on its way to the Senate Immediately. But
under the rule adopted by the caucus OF
| the democrats this trade commission bill
will have to wait until the two other
| trust bills have been passed by the House,
and 1t Is believed that ten days or two
weeks will be necessary to complete those
measures in the House. 1t is said that
this course was adopted with the idea
that an omnibus measure, including. the
features of all three bills, would be
framed and presented to the Senate after
the thyee bills had reached the Senate.
II this be so. there promises to be a
pretty fight in the Senate as to whether
the interstate commerce committee or
the judiciary committee shall frame this
omnibus bill. Senator Newlands Of Ne
vada, chairman of the interstate COM
merce committee, said last night that he
fully expected that the trade commission
bill, as passed by the House, would be re-
ferred to his committee, and he added
that his committee had not yet deter
mined whether it would make a fight to
get the other bills.
Position of Overman.
Senator Overman Of North Carolina.
who has been acting chairman Of the
judiciary committee because of the Ill
ness Of Senator Culberson on the other
hand declared that he intended to make
strong effort to have the trust bills,
other than the trade commission bill,
referred to the judiciary committee
AS 1t happens. the judiciary committee
has SO far given no consideration what
ever to the proposed trust legislation
Therefore. should the trust bills be re-
ferred to it, the. committee will be forced
to take several weeks, probably, to con-
slider and perfect the measures, perhaps
giving hearings. The frank statement
Of Senator Overman has considerably
complicated the situation. For, were all
the trust bills referred to the interstate
commerce committee, that committee it
is believed. would be able to make an
early report on an omnibus measure 1t
has been studying trust legislation for
some time. and the interstate trade COM
mission bill, drafted by a subcommittee
contains number of the features now in
the other trust bills of the House
Senator Newlands announced that his
committee would take up the interstate
sideration and report to the Senate. He
said he believed 1t would be pos
sible for the committee to make its re-
port within week or ten days at the
outside. But he added that the commit
tee had not yet decided whether 1t would
report its bill to the Senate or would
wait until it received the House bill
May Go Into Caucus.
It appears likely that the democrats of
the senate will be forced to go into eau
Gus on the trust legislation question, Just
as were the democrats OF the House, or
at least that the steering committee will
have to adopt a program.
Should 1t be decided not to enact trust
legislation at the present session, but to
allow Congress to adjourn after the bills
had passed the House. there is excellent
chance that another year and half will
elapse before such legisIa ton can be put
ha