New-York tribune., 1921-06-17
Senate Rejects
Its Own Bill to
Curb ackers
Measure Turned Down by
Vote of 81 TO "a and
House Legislation Taken
Up Despite Objections
La Toilette Overridden
Substitute Is Proposed
Giving Authority to the
u. $. Trade Commission
From The gribune's wa,hinoton R,...,,

. bpGSIthUCOn
WASHINGTON, June 16.-The Sem
ate to-day overrode efforts of Senator
La foilette and others to force ccnsid
Grafton of the bill reported by the SEN
ate Agriculture Committee to regulate
the packers. Instead, the Senate took
up the House measure, despite La Fol-
iette's objections that it was full of
ioopholes and that important pro-
visions of it were proposed by Mr.
Lightfoot, attorney for the beef trust"
Debate on it had been in progress sew
eral hours when Senator Sterling, Of
South Dakota. offered q substitute.
which would give the direction CT the
control of the packers into the hands
Of the Federal Trade Commission.
Neither the House measure nor the
Stefling substitute had been voted on
when the Senate adjourned. They will
be considered tomorrow The vote to
reject the Senate bill was 81 to 81.
Senator La Toilette, attacking the
House measure, charged that the copy
of packers bill which he held up be-
fore the Senate, had been delivered to-
DR.. T. C. Atkeson, of the Grange, "by
the attorney for the beef trust" con-
tanning interlineations, seven of which
later appeared in the bill as it passed
the House.
The House bill is the packers bill
as they have been able to modify it,"
declared Senator La Toilette.
Amendment Adopted
Senator La Toilette declared the
farm organizations and labor were both
against the House bill. He read a
statement prepared by number of
these organizations to prove it.
In the course of the day an amend
ment was adopted to the bill 20 make
it plain that the Federal Trade Com
ent authority as to the packers, and
another which makes it specific that
the Sherman antitrust law is not re-
pealed as to the packers.
Efforts will be made tomorrow to
strengthen the House bill by a num-
Der Of amendments.
A feature of to-day's debate was q
speech by Senator Kenyon in which
he upheld the trade commission, said
producer and consumer were at the
mercy of the Big Five" packers,
urged regulation of monopoly and
warned against big business getting
into government.
Senator Kenyon said the trade COM
mission had turned the light on few
o& the great monopolies and hence the
Just a few days ago." said Senator
Kenyon, "the trade commission filed q
report on the lumber industry that viii,
arouse the ire of the gentlemen en-
gagged in cornering the prices of lum-
ber to the American people,"
Attacks Lumber Men
He referred to the Douglas fir in
dustry report, and added:
1o0a hn |,
the lumber combination, who have
marked up the quotations of fir lumber
from 800 to 500 per cent, will, with
their lobbes, be infestng the city of
Washington, demanding a high protec
tive tariff on lumber. The Federal
Trade Commission went into this mat
ter. Business that makes from 800 to
500 per cent profit ought to be dis
turbed where it is done through ere
ating a monopoly to rob the American
people, and some people in this country
are not going to be a bit frightened at
the cry of keep your hands off bust
ness and keep away from regulation of
business.
"If it is the purpose of reactionary
leaders on the Republican side to help
destroy the Federal Trade Commission,
they will be met at Philippi, on that |
issue.
81 will suggest to our Republican !
leaders that great majorities are dan
gerous, and if they believe that the
election was mandate to take away
all regulation of big business, as the !
Senator from Maine, Mr.. Fernald, ar
gued yesterday, they have misunder
stood the election returns.
Nobody wants to injure business. |
More business in government was the
slogan of the campaign. That did not |
mean for big business to move in and |
take charge of the goYernms sntn