Evening star., 1919-09-28
By N. O. MESSENGER.

- King OF France VINO marcneo
IN his army up the hill and then
marched it down again:
Well. that is what the House of Rep
fesentatives did the other day in con-
nection with a proposal-to exempt
farmers organisations and labor
unions from the Operations of the
statute against conspiracy in re-
straint of trade. Only the House did
not march down the hill-it fell down
pell nell.
It was this way: The deficiency bill
carried provision that no part Of a
fund for the Department of Justices
use in prosecuting alleged offenses
aEainst the Sherman antitrust law
should be used in cases where farm
ers, and laboring mems organizations
were concerned. In committee of the
whole. where no record of the vote is
taken, the committee voted to strike
out this limitation upon the law of
the land. But. next day. when the
bill came up for fina1 passage and
the yeas and nays were ordered. each
man having to go on record. it was a
different tale Where were all those
valiant supporters of the statute as
vritten1
All. they had vanished with the
snevs Of yesterday. The vote was
reversed, overwhelmingly.
- = r t
But let Q member. of the other body
Of Congress. q grave and reverend
senator,
HOW ONE aENAToR tell
VIEWS HOUSE RETREAT. about it
Here is
what Senator Thomas Of Colorado
said In the Senate:
How the average member Of Com
gress in either house bravely votes
when there II no record vote and how
sseely he votes when there is one.
We all know why It was done. Ger
tain labor leaders and agriculturalists
shook their fingers In the faces of
the Representatives OF the people and
they got down on their stomachs-
crawled in the dust, and reversed
their action hope that expression
IL not unpariiamentary? If it is I
WIN withdraw It. !, wonder If We
are going to do the same thing. The
bin In here. coming out from the
cemmittee. senator's. veryssoon.zWhat
ars you going to do about if. I hope
I shah live long enongh to vote as
voted before. although my vote may
net amount To- much So tar it has
not
President Taft. in 1918. vetoed a
hGl because It contained q provision
similar to. the
PRESIDENT TAFT's one now under
PLAIN LANGUAGE. discussion. The
de m ocra ii c
congress later re enacted the vetoed
provision and President Wilson ap-
psovSd the act In which 1t appeared,
because he could not separate the
provDion from the act, although he
szDsessed the belief that 1t was un-
constitutional.
President Taft. in his veto message.
denounced the provision asc"ciass leg
tslation Of the most vicious sort. II
It were enacted az substantive law
and not merely 40 . qualification upon
the use Of moneys appropriated for
the enforcement OF the law no one.
I take II, wound doubt its unconstitu-
tio1ality. A similar provision In the
laws Of the state Of Illinois was de-
clared BY the Supreme Court to be an
invasion Of the guaranty Of equal
tho fourteenth amendment to the
Constitution Of the United States.
The proviso is subtly worded 30 as
In q measure to conceal its full ef-
feet by providing that no part Of the
money appropriated shall be spent in
the prosecution Of any organization
or individual for entering into any
combination or agreement having in
view the increasing Of wages short
ening Of hours or bettering the con-
ditton of labor etc. So that any or
ganization formed with the beneficent
purpose described In the provfso
mfxht later engage in a conspiracy
to destroy by force violence or un-
fair means any employer or employe
who failed to conform to it's require
nents; and yet because of its orig
inally avowed lawful purpose, i,
would be exempt from prosecution. sc
far as the prosecution depended upon
the moneys appropriated by this act
no matter how wicked. how cruel
how deliberate the acts Of which II
was guilty. - At a time wher
there 10 Widespread complaint of ths
high cost Of living. it certainly woult
bS anomalous to put on the statute
hoeks an act in effect preventing tn.
preoecution Of combinations Of pro-
ducers of farm products for the pur'
pose Of artiicially controlling prices
and the evil is not removed. although
It may be masked by referring t,
the purpose Of the organization a
to obtain and maintain fair ant
reasonable price for their products
k4E4 4s.se 80
Well. well. well! Hars. j actuall.
. word for the plain people. outsid
ours IN A wpsp md organize
ron PLAiN5PEoeLE.s bodi:e.s. ut
tered In Con
Y< ~~,na. sa,s A. - g. y~o,n>n