The Commoner
gUNE 11, 190
Df the Dingley law. Since the enactment of
Itho Dingley law, and until 1904, ho said, the
Control of trusts had been extended to 8,064
plants with a capital of more than $20,000,
00,000. Senator Nelson also discussed the tariff bill,
cud quoted numerous comparisons between the
existing law and the pending measure, with tho
Intention of showing that in the cotton schedule
tho rates had been raised from 20 to 50 per
cent above the Dingley law, by the substitution
of specific ad valorem duties. v
Senator Gore again quoted dividends and
surplus earnings of New England cotton and
woolen manufacturing companies to sustain
his contention that these corporations made
large profits, and Senator Pryo in reply declared
that, taking into consideration both successful .
and unsuccessful cotton and woolen mills, a
profit of not more than six per cent had been
realized by New England manufacturers upon
their investments in these industries. Senator
Elkins spoke at length advocating a duty on
coal and " petroleum. The cotton schedule was
constructively under consideration all day, but
no feature of it was passed on.
An Associated Press dispatch of one day's
proceedings in the senate follows:
Astonishing the senate by the citation of a
long list of cotton and woolen manufacturing
companies and giving their earnings, capital
stock, surplus, etc., Senator Gore today under
took the task of showing that corporations' en
gaged in the cotton and woolen industries were
making very large earnings.
The speech was one' that no other senato"
would have attempted without constant refer
ence to notes, but the blind statesman found
no difficulty in giving offhand the greatest va
rieties of details without the ability to assist
his memory in any way. The senate had prompt
ly begun the day's business by resuming con
sideration of the cotton schedule of the tariff
bill and Mr. Gore was tho first speaker.
Referring to the cotton and woolen manufac
turers and in a rasping and sinister tone, the
Oklahoma senator said ho did not blame them
for their large earnings. "I know they aro in
telligent citizens," ho said, "judging from their -business
success and from their selection of
United States senators."
He referred to tho statement made by Senator
Lodge that some of these large earnings resulted
from sales of real estate fortunately acquired
many years ago and said that the stock of tho
Troy Cotton & Woolen company of Massachu
setts had been advertised as earning G7 per cent
in 1907 without reference to profits from real
estate sales. He suspected, he said, "that the
good natured philanthropic manufacturers did
not divide their earnings 'on the square' with,
their laborers."
Senator Nelson followed. "The business in
terests of tho country need not be alarmed, as
their appeal to us for prompt action on the
tariff indicates, because there will be no down
ward revision," he declared, after saying the
understanding In his state was that the tariff
would be lowered. "The only thing they have
to wait for," he continued, "is to see how far
they can mark up their goods. At least there
will be no downward revision that they them
selves do not consent to."
Sustaining the contention of Senator Dolliver
In opposition to the specific duties ih the cotton
schedule reported by the committee on finance,
Mr. Nelson gave extended examples of specific
increases and their equivalent ad valorem rates
to show that they had been placed higher than
in the Dingley law.
"I have demonstrated," said Mr. Nelson, con
cluding his analysis of tho cotton schedule, "that
this bill increases all of these duties from 20
to more than 50 per cent over the rates of the
present Dingley law. '
Senator Beveridge, raising the question of the
absence of a quorum when the Minnesota senator
began to explain the cumulative duties, which
he declared were provided in thp cotton schedule,
Mr Nelson interposed to say: "Oh, these high
protectionists do not care to hear me. Never
mind. It would do no good if they were all
mustered in here; they would all retire."
Senators were in an angry mood June 3. An
Associated Press report says:
The day was begun with a speech by Senator
Stone of Missouri, in which he asserted that
the German officials had taken exception to re
marks recently made by Senator Aldrich, rela
tive to the wage statement supplied by the Ger
man government at tho request of the American
secretary of state. Mr. Aldrich has character
ized as "impertinent" the effort which he claimed
had been made in that statement to influence
American tariff legislation, and Mr. Stone under
took to show that tia epithet had been applied
to tho German government.
Mr. Aldrich resented this implication, but ho
repeatedly said that tho German manufacturers
had undertaken to influence tho course of tho
tariff bill, and ho charged that in so doing they
had been guilty of importinence.
During the course of his remarks, Mr. Aldrich
intimated that Mr. Stono was .acting as a repre
sentative of Germany, and this remark aroused,
tho angor of the Missourian. Declaring his right
to speak his mind as an American sonator, ho
said tho uso of tho expression was "a gross im
pertinence." Tho colloquy consumed almost three hours of
time. Ultimately Mr. Aldrich paid a high com
pliment to tho German people, and their em
peror, and the Incident closed for tho day, with
the statement by Mr. Stono that whilo Mr. Aid
rich and Mr. Depew, who also had boon Involved
in the controversy, had not made a' straight
forward retraction, as ho had believed they
should, they had so "sugarcoated" the doso as
to relieve It of its bitter taste.
Following the Aldrich-Stone episode, Senator
LaFollotte resumed his speech in opposition to
the cotton schedule, which proved to be a gen
eral criticism of the methods of the finance com;
mittee. Ho asserted that the German wage re
port, had, contrary to a statement by Mr. Aid
rich, reached the committee before tho tariff
bill was reported to tho senate, and he charged
the committee with general neglect In withhold
ing information from the senate. Ho opposed
tho new cotton duties as excessive, and made
an argument in favor of a general scaling down.
. Near the close of the afternoon session, Mr.
LaFollette became quit exhausted, and an ef
fort was made to obtain permission for him to
suspend and resume again tomorrow.
Senator Aldrich took advantage of the inci
dent to make an effort to obtain an agreement
to vote on the cotton schedule at a fixed hour
tomorrow.. In this ho was unsuccessful, and
after ten or fifteen minutes recuperation tho
"Wisconsin senator proceeded.
At 5:30 tho senate recessed until 8 o'clock,
, Tart rejoinders between tho senators from
Rhode Island and Wisconsin were frequent.
An explanation by Mr. Aldrich that compari
sons of Mr. LaFolletto were Incorrect because
of the changed application of tho law-through
court or other decisions brought forth a denial
by Mr. LaFollette.
"I say to the senator from Rhode Island," he
said, "as you have said to many senators here,
'you aro mistaken. "
Later Mr. LaFollette refused to yield to Mr.
Aldrich for an interruption, adding: "You are
going to be accorded the same kind of treatment
that I have received from you."
Concerning the night session of Juno 3, the
Associated Press says:
The atmosphere of the senate chamber was
surcharged with electricity tonight when the
tariff bill was taken up at 8 o'clock In the first
night session since congress was convened.
Fifty-rfour senators were present. Every repub
lican senator who Is in the city, except LaFol
' lette, was In his seat, and his absence was made
the subject of criticism that involved the sin
cerity of his attitude on the tariff bill, and finally
descended to serious attacks upon him by con
servative republicans In charge of the bill, and
spirited defense from insurgents and democrats.
Finally the tense situation, was smoothed .over,
but another outbreak is threatened and is al
most sure to occur when the Wisconsin senator
again gets the floor.
Growing out of a recess taken in the senate
yesterday In order to give Mr. LaFollette oppor
tunity to recover from tho ill effect of the exer
tion in his speech and his failure to be on hand
tonight to resume his remarks, some senators
sought to show that ho had received unusual
consideration.
Mr. Beveridge, In defending Mr. LaFollette,
asserted that no senator would question that
Mr. LaFollette was ill and needed tho rest.
Mr. Penrose declared that he would be able
to prove that Mr. LaFollette was well enough
to be abroad in the streets, "consulting with
the representatives of yellow journals and uplift
magazines."
Prompt defense of the Wisconsin senator came
from Senators Borah and Dolliver, republicans,
and Money, democrat.
Mr. Beveridge suggested that tho senate
should adjourn for a reasonable time to give
Mr. LaFollette an opportunity to recover and
7CflUttv rtni speech.
Mr. Virion opposed the suggestion, saying
tbat while the senators symapthizo with Mr.
LaFolletto, thoro was no reason why Mr. Bcver
ldgo should not mako his own speech if ho
desired.
Mr. Beveridge immediately Interrupted Mr.
Aldrich and refused to ylo'ld further to him,
saying: "I decline to yield because it Is not a
question of sympathy, and in tho second placo,
I havo no speech to mako."
Ill-feeling was apparent on every side. Mr.
Dollivor suggested that Mr. Aldrich might take
tho opportunity to mako certain statement
which ho said had been promised to tho senate
for four weeks.
Mr. Aldrich replied ho would select his own
time to make any speech that ho desired.
Declaring that Mr. LaFollotte had been offen
sive and insulting to him when ho had asked
permission to interrupt tho sonator from Wis
consin, Mr. Gallingor of Now Hampshire), said
that an unusual courtesy had been shown Mr.
LaFolletto yesterday, when tho senate took a
recess in tho middlo of tho day to glvo Mr. La
Folletto time to recuperate his strength.
"It has been a part of the customary tactics
of tho senator from Wisconsin," said Mr. Pon
roso, "to plead illness in tho middlo of tho
speech and under tho ploa to absent himself
from the chamber, whilo in fact it is generally
known that ho was consulting with tho repror
sentatives of yellow journals and tho editors of
uplift magazines."
Jumping into tho breach Mr. Borah criticised
tho propriety of making charges against a son
ator in his absence. Mr. Dolliver follQwed with
a declaration that he had sat near Mr. LaFol
letto when ho was speaking yesterday, and that
it did not require tho services of a physician to
prove that he was suffering severely from tho
strain of his efforts and tho boat.
Mr. Money, defending tho Wisconsin senator,
declared that ho could hear him breathing
heavily, anC that ho had been told by Sonator
Hale that this was audible across the chamber.
To end tho discussion Mr. Aldrich suggested
that the senate pass over tho cotton schedule
temporarily and proceed to tho consideration of
tho flax and hemp schedule. This mot with
general approval, but was followed by further
discussion on tho question of courtesies extend
ed to senators taken 111 whilo In possession of
tho floor, in which Senators Beveridge, Dollivor,
Money, Lodge and Gallingor took part.
Mr. Beveridge became irritated when Mr.
Scott of West Virginia, Buggoatod that ha should
obtain permission from the senator holding the
floor beforo addressing tho senate. He said that
senators were equally intelligent and one did
not need to be Instructed in tho methods of
procedure by another. Mr. Scott said something
about "bore," to which Mr. Beveridge replied
that he did not propose to havo the senator from
West Virginia instruct him.
Practical Tariff Talks
One of the heaviest burdens carried in the
tariff bill is that of sugar, and the persons who
carry it aro the consumers. Sugar is a univer
sal article of diet In this country. Tho poor
man uses as much of it as does the rich man,
and, there being more poor men than there are
rich men, it Is easy to figure out which class
Is most affected by the tariff on It. As some
one has put it, it taxes poverty in proportion
to its needs and the more tax poverty pays the
more wealth gains in unjust exemption. It Is
easy of demonstration that the only real benefi
ciary of the tariff Is the sugar trust. Tho
growers are deluded into the belief that if It
were not for tho tariff, the trust would pay them
less for their cane and beets. Yet it would be
difficult for anyone to conceive why the trust,
which, dominates the market and fixes all prices,
would pay more under any circumstances than
it was compelled to do.
No balder, bolder bit of brigandage than the
sugar schedule reveals can be found in tho
whole tariff bill. The American people consume
annually a per capita of eiglfty-onc pounds of
sugar. Every pound of this passes through the
hands of the sugar trust and theother refineries
that accept its price dictation and, never war
ring with it, may well be assumed as a part
of it. The tariff on refined sugar of standard
quality is $1.90 a hundred pounds, which Is
just a little less than it costs to manufacture a
hundred pounds of cane sugar. This is de
liberately placed that high in order to shut out
refined sugar. That it is effective is shown by
the fact that In 1907 but 219 tons were im-
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