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JULY 2, 1'009
5
y
THE TARIFF IN THE SENATE
Senator Carter of Montana, protesting against
free hides, said: "If the conference com
mittee on this tariff bill decides Anally to place
hides on the free list there will bo found twenty
two republican senators who will vote to put
boots and shoes, harness and all leather pro
ducts on the free list. It is also certain that
this extraordinary session will be greatly pro
longed." When the vote was taken on hides the amend
ment offered by Mr. Aldrich and fixing a duty
of 15 per cent ad valorem was agreed to by a
vote of 4G to 30.
This is the rate under the present law, but
under the rulings of the treasury department is
applicable only to hides weighing more than
twenty-five pounds. The house placed all hides
on the free list, but the senate committee re
stored the Dingley policy, and now the senate
has sustained its committee.
Senator McLaurin undertook to have the pro
vision amended so as to make the duty appli
cable to hides weighing less than twenty-five
pounds, but failed, his amendment being voted
down, 31 to 48. An amendment by Mr. Stone
placing not only hides but many of their pro
ducts on the free list was also lost.
Declaring that he had voted with McKinloy
for free hides in 1890, Senator Burton said
that the subject had been very carefully con
sidered on that occasion. The "beef trust," he
said, probably tans 60 to 70 per cent of the
hides aild the whole tanning industry was
threatened by the operations of these packers.
"I think," said Mr. Burton, "it requires a
great deal of ingenuity to show that the farmer
is benefited by this duty on hides."
By an aye and nay vote an amendment by
Mr. Cummins fixing the duty on hides at 10
per cent ad valorem was rejected. The finance
committee's amendment re-enacting the Dingley
rate of 15 per cent ad valorem was then adopt
ed, 46 to 30.
The democrats voting with the majority were:
Bailey, Culberson, Fletcher, Foster, Hughes,
McEnery, Newlands, Smith of Maryland, Stone
and Taliaferro.
The republicans who voted against the amend
ment were: Brfggs, Burnham, Burrows, Bur
ton, Clapp, Crane, Cullom, Dupont, Frye, Johns
ton, LaFollette, Lodge," Nelson, Page, Root and
Smith of Michigan.
Reverting to the leather schedule, Senator
Dolliver offered an amendment which was ac
cepted by Chairman Aldrich, placing a dut;r of
15 per cent ad valorem in addition to the rate
provided for the leather in them, on leather
cut into shoe uppers or vamps or other forms
suitable for conversion into manufactured
articles.
Mr. Aldrich then reported from the commit
tee an amendment increasing the duty on lum
ber to $1.50 per thousand, and additional rates
of from 37 to 50 cents, according to the num
ber of sides upon which it was planed.
These rates, Mr. Aldrich explained, are a re
'duction of 25 per cent on rough and finished
lumber below the Dingley rates, except lumber
planed on one side, which retains the duty of
the present law.
An amendment increasing the duty on shingles
from 30 to 50 cents a thousand was also re
ported. The senate made short work of the lumber
schedule. An Associated Press dispatch said:
The first vote was on an amendment by Sen
ator McCumber proposing the rate of $1 per
1,000 on sawed lumber instead of the rate de
cided upon by the finance committee, which
was $1.50 per 1,000. The committee was sus
tained, 44 to 24.
From the beginning of the session there has
been a decided contest over the lumber rate
and one of the hardest fights made by the north
western senators had been for free lumber. In
the house the reformers succeeded in reducing
the Dingley law rate from $2 to $1. They con
tinued their efforts in the senate, but finding
themselves unable to make any impression there
they would have been willing to accept the
house rate. So stiff, however, was the sentiment
against them that they succeeded only in get
ting a reduction of 25 per cent from the Ding
ley duties and the majority against any reduc
tion as shown by today's vote indicates that
not only the committee's schedule will remain
unchanged in the senate, but that the sentiment
for a pronounced duty is so strong there that it
"will be difficult to change the senate rates in
conference.
The air in the senate chamber was close and
sultry when,. at 10 o'clock, President Pro Tem-
The Commoner
pore Frye rapped for ordor. Thero woro compara
tively few senators In their treats and a call for
a quorum was made as soon as Mr. Aldrich
had indicated his desire to havo the senate pro
ceed with the consideration of the lumber sched
ule. A quorum once obtained, Mr. McCumber
took the floor and presented his amendment.
To the surprise of all no one rose to speak, and
Senator Frye, always especially prompt in tho
chair, immediately put tho question to a vote.
Thero was a demand for tho ayes and noes and
the ballot resultod in the dofeat of tho amend
ment, 44 to 24.
Of the affirmative votes only ten were cast by
democrats as follows: Bankhead, Clay, Davis,
Gore, Hughes, Johnston, McLaurin, Overman,
Paynter and Tillman.
Tho republicans who cast their votes in sup
port of tho amendment were: Boveridge, Brls
tow, Brown, Burkett, Burton, Carter, Clapp,
Crawford, Cummins, Curtis, Gamble, LaFollette,
McCumber and Nelson.
The democrats voting against the amendment
Were Bacon, Bailey, Chamberlain, Fletcher, Fos
ter, Martin, Money, Simmons, Smith of Mary
land, Taliaferro and Taylor.
Insisting that the differentials on planed or
finished lumber provided by the finance com
mittee were unnecessarily high, Mr. McCumber
offered an amendment reducing them 33 1-3 per
cent and reducing the duty on sawed lumber to
$1.25 a thousand feet. Action on this amend
ment was not ss prompt as on tho preceding.
Mr. McCumber's amendment was rejected by
30 to 49. On this vote Senators Dolliver, Du
pont and Johnson, republicans, who had voted
no on the former ballot, changed to tho affirma
tive, as did Senators Bacon, Owen, Rayner and
Stone, democrats. This was a gain of seven,
but as Senator Bankhead, who had cast his vote
in the affirmative on the previous ballot, failed
to vote on the second ballot, this reduced tho
net gain to six. Tho additions to tho negative
vote were due largely to tho arrival of senators
who had not previously been in the chamber.
Senator Lorimer was among thom. He stood
by the committee.
Without loss of time the vote was then taken
on the main proposition, the finance commit
tee's amendment placing a duty of $1.50 on
sawed lumber with differential on finished lum
ber. "This won by tho largo majority of 50'
to 28.
On the day following the vote on the lumber
Bchedule the time was given over by senators
to speeches. Beveridge made an attack on the
tobacco trust. Bailey talked upon his favorite
subject free raw material. Ho declared that
previous to the Cleveland administration tho
established democratic policy was in opposition
to the free admission of raw material, and un
. dertook to show that such a policy was really a
part of tho republican school of high protection.
Mr. Newlands gave his attention to the in
come tax question, devoting especial consider
ation to the president's recommendation for a
corporation tax. He discussed at length tho
legislation of 1898, providing for a tax upon
the gross receipts of oil refiners, on which the
Spreckles case was decided by the supreme
court and wliich is relied upon by the president
as a precedent for the proposed corporation tax.
He pointed out that the law of 1898 was ap
plicable, not to corporations alone, but to every
person, firm, company and corporation carry
ing on such business, and suggested that a tax
applying only to corporations might violate tho
constitutional requirements of uniformity.
Reading a list of administrative items in tho
taTiff bill that have not been reported upon by
the finance committee, Mr. Money, in the senate
appealed to the chairman of the committee
to' bring in a report upon all of them. He
said he could form no fdea of the time neces
sary to complete the measure until he knew
what is to be considered. Mr. Aldrich said he
could not see why before the present week closed
the senate would not be able to dispose of all
the dutiable list, and added that he would en
deavor to promptly report all of the administra
tive items mentioned.
Beginning one day's session with an increase
of 5 per cent over the house rate of 35 per cent
ad valorem on harness, tho senate marched
steadily along throughout the nine hours of its
sitting, indulging in little speech-making, and
acting upon many important provisions. Among
the changes made were:
An increase of the duty on scrap iron from
50 cents to $2.50 per ton, thus placing it on
the same level as pig iron; an increase of one
fourth of a cent per pound over the house rates
on wire nails; an increase of from 4 to 6 cents
por pound on monazito sand and thorite and
other articles used in tho manufacture of gas
mantols and tho substitution of specific for ad
valorom rates on files, rasps, etc. Toward tho
closo of tho day Senator Ponroso of tho flnanco
committee presonted an amendment fixing a
duty of one-half cent por gallon on crudo oil
and after considerable debate it was defeated.
During tho day tho linoleum and oil cloth sched
ule was recast so as to moot apparently tho
demands of tho insurgents and was adopted with
tho understanding that if it should not bo sat
isfactory upon inspection in tho record tho
schodulo could bo reopened tomorrow.
The principal dobato of tho day was on tho
petroleum, linoloum and scrap iron provisions.
Speaking of tho provision for a high rato on
scrap iron, Mr. Crawford declared it was "pro
1" eno mI." Tho provision was also
criticised by Senators Cummins and Boveridge..
It, however, found defenders in Senators Oliver,
Dick and Aldrich.
ir Zhcr T,re many efCortB t0 amonl the scrap
mmrVQl0n,) bUt !t WRS ndlTtCd without .
r S fS?nat0M Ponroao "Poke at length in
im? X 8 0l amondmont, declaring it met
with the approval of tho independent producers
and refiners. Tho oil fields of Mexico figured
extensively in this discussion. Senator Gore
declared they were a myth.
"MR. BRYAN AND TUB SENATORS"
Indianapolis, Ind., Juno 10. Editor The
Commoner: I am sending you a clipping from
tho Indianapolis News, of Juno 9, 1909, which
is Indorsed by tiro democrats of Indiana. It is
good, and I appreciate what you said about
the democratic United States senators, running
aftor strange gods, and abandoning our na
tional platform for a "mess of pottage" in their
homo states. I believe in a tariff for "revenue
only and believe tho time has now como for
tho democratic party to make that tho para
mount issue. And our party should send men
to tho United States senate and to congress
who will stand by and for the poople, in favor
of truo tariff reform and on a basis for revenue
sufficient to run our government only. And as
this editorial fully indorses your stand, I want
you to road it. Wo democrats indorse you, be
cause we know you aro absolutely right, and it
is refreshing to havo a republican paper also
endorso you. WINFIELD S. JOHNSON.. '.
MR BRYAN AND THE SENATORS
The democratic senators whom Mr. Bryan has
very properly been criticising seem to havo for
gotten that Mr. Bryan is simply a' private citizen
and an editor, with the same right to criticise
them that is possessed by other private citi
zens and editors. Therefore, their suggestion
that he is trying to "dictate," to impose his
will oh the party, is unreasonable. If Mr. Bryan
had not condemned thom for their vote for
taxed lumber he would havo failed in his duty
as a citizen, an editor and a democrat. Here
is what the editor of Tho Commoner said:
"Tho democrats who voted against free lum
ber have: Voted to repudiate the national plat
fprm of the democratic party; voted to encour
age the destruction of our forests; voted to
raise the price of the chief necessities of life;
voted to tax a material that entdrs Into a mul
titude of industries and thus to place an un
necessary burden upon these industries; voted
to tax tho people of the whole country for tho
benefit of a comparatively few owners of timber
lands, and voted to tax a majority of their con
stituents for the benefit of a minority of tho'se
constituents."
These things are precisely what these demo
cratic senators have -done. Mr. Bryan has
simply put their record clearly before the coun
try. He has not sought to dictate.. He has not
sought to impose his will, but the will of the
party on these men. We do not wonder that
they resent the remarks of the late candidate,
for their application ig painfully direct. So we
have Simmons of North Carolina, who voted for
a $2 tax on lumber, saying that though he had
followed Bryan for twelvo years, he does not
see "what right he has to dictate to us in the
senate, who are attempting to put the party
before the" people in a manner which will en
able it to recover from the effects of his leader
ship." And Simmons is going to do this by
"considering the interest and the will of the
people of my state, just as Mr. Bryan did."
"I have," he says, "to answer only to the peo
ple of North Caroling, and care nothing as to
what Bryan thinks or writes." In other words,
Simmons is going to commend the democratic
party to the people, according to his own state-
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