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The Commoner.
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&NGUST 13, 1909
liours to the final debate on tho measure. At
2 o'clock the vote was taken on the adoption
of the conference report, which was agreed to,
!43 to 31.
Following closely upon this action, the senate
adopted Mr. Aldrich's concurrent resolution pro
viding for a reduction of the duties on various
manufactures of leather to meet tho views of
western senators, who had been defeated in their
efforts to obtain protection lor hides.
Mr. McCumbor's resolution providing addi
tional rebate regulations for the bill,, amended
at the instance of Senator McLaurin, to include
a provision for free cotton bagging, was adopted
Without division.
After this action there remained nothing for
the senate to do except to await the signing of
the measure. Senators Aldrich and Daniel were
appointed a committee to wait on the president
In conformity with the custom of informing the
chief executive that congress had concluded its
business and was ready to adjourn if he had no
further communication to make. Six o'clock
was agreed upon by the two houses as the hour
for final adjournment.
"Democrats and republicans, regular and irreg
ular, formed little social groups, with no indi
cation of hostility.
A resolution offered by Mr. Culberson, ex
pressing the appreciation of the senate for the
able and impartial manner in which the vice
president had presided over the sessions of that
body, was adopted.
In especially happy language Mr. Sherman
thanked the senate for the courteous treatment
which had been extended toward him at all
times. His life in the senate, he said, had been
made a continual pleasure by the consideration
that had oeen shown him at all times. Con
cluding his remarks by wishing the senators a
happy return to their homes, ho declared the ex
traordinary session of the sixty-first congress
adjourned "without day."
A burst of applause was accorded the vice
president as he laid down the gavel of his au
thority, and at 5:58 p. m., two minutes in ad
vance of the time fixed, the senate adjourned
sine die.
With its members nearly exhausted from the
heat and the arduous labors of the last four
months, the house of representatives devoted the
lasl day of the special session to perfecting the
tariff bill and transacting a mass of routine busi
ness. Speaker Cannon announced his commit
tee appointments, and they were received with
varying degrees of satisfaction.
The concurrent resolution amending the leath
er schedule of the tariff bill was adopted with
out a dissenting vote, after it had been discussed
for little over half an ho'ur.. No such good luckj
however, befell the McCumber-McLauren resolu
tion, revising the drawback provision and plac
ing cotton bagging on the free list, which had
previously been adopted by the senate. On the
claim of Chairman Payne that it was not in
order, it was consigned to the committee on
ways and means.
It was but a few minutes before 5 o'clock
when Mr. Payne's resolution, fixing 6 p. m. as
the hour of adjournment sine die, was adopted.
While the committee appointed to notify the
president that the house was ready to adjourn
was performing that duty, there was such an
exodus of members from the chamber that the
attendance dwindled away to a mere corporal's
guard.
A half hour remained before the appointed
hour of adjournment and the time was dragging
so heavily that by direction of the speaker the
hands of the clock were set ahead twenty-five
minutes Before adjourning the house, Speaker
Cannon, with the members standing with their
hats in their hands, made a neat speech in which
he thanked them for their service during the
special session. Upon its conclusion he got a
round" of applause from both sides.
The speaker said: "I desire to thank the
membership of the house of representatives for
efficient and faithful, and, in my judgment, wise
service during this special session of congress.
Representing as we do in the aggregate ninety
millions of people, scattered as the population
is from the Atlantic ocean to the Golden Gate,
and from the northern boundary to the southern
boundary, and producing as we do one-third of
all the products of all the civilized globe, it is
but natural when the chosen representatives of
the great -body of the people come together with
varying interests, with virile constituencies, that
they should disagree as to the proper policies
that should govern the enactment of legislation.
Out of that disagreement comes compromises.
Legislation is impossible except by the vote of
a majority, and that majority can not agrco
without compromise."
Immediately after signing tho Aldrich tariff
bill President Taft issued this public statomont:
"I have signed tho Payne tariff bill because
I believo it to bo the result of slncero effort
on tho part of tho republican party ,to make a
downward revision, and to comply with tho
promises of tho platform as they have been
generally understood and as I interpreted them
in tho campaign before election.
"This Is not a perfect taTiff bill, nor a com
plete compliance with tho promises made, strict
ly interpreted, but a fulfillment free from criti
cism in respect to a subject matter Involving
many schedules and many thousands of articles
could not bo expected. Suffice it is to say that
except with regard to whisky, liquors and wines,
and in regard to silks and as to some high
classes of cottons, many of which may be treat
ed as luxuries and proper subjects for a revenue
tariff there have been very few increases In
rates.
"There has been a great number of real do
creases In rates and they constitute a sufficient
amount to justify tho statement that this bill
is a substantial downward revision and a reduc
tion of excessive rates.
"This is not a free trade bill. It was not in
tended to be. Tho republican party did not
promise to make a free trade bill.
"It promised to make the rates protective,
but to reduce them when they exceeded tho
difference between the cost of production abroad
and here, making allowance for the greater nor
mal profit on active investments here. I believe
that while this excess has not been reduced in
a number of cases, in a great majority tho rates
are such as are necessary to protect American
industries, but are low enough in case of abnor
mal increase of demand and raising of prices to
permit the possibility of tho importation of for
eign articles and thus to prevent excessive prices;
"The power granted to .the executive under
the maximum and minimum clause may be said
to aBsure the removal of obstacles which have
been interposed by foreign governments In tho
way of undue and unfair discrimination against
American merchants and products.
"The Philippine tariff bill section I have strug
gled to secure for ten years past, and it grati
fies me exceedingly by my signature to give it
the effect of law. I am sure it will greatly In
crease the trade between the two countries and
it will do much to build up the Philippines In a
healthful prosperity.
"The administration clause of the bill and
the customs court are admirably adapted to se
cure a more uniform and a' more speedy final
construction of the meaning of tho law.
"The authority of the president to use certain
means assists him in the application of tho
maximum and minimum sections of tho statute,
and to enable officials to administer the law
gives a wide latitude for tho acquisition under
circumstances favorable to its truth, of infor
mation in respect to the price and cost of pro
duction of goods at home and abroad, which
will throw much light on the operation of the
present tariff and be of primary importance to
officially collected data upon which future ex
ecutive action and legislative recommendation
may be based.
"The corporation tax Is a just and equitable
excise measure, which it is hoped, will produce
a sufficient amount to prevent a deficit and
which Incidentally will secure valuable statis
tics and information concerning the many cor
porations of the country and will constitute an
Important step toward that degree of publicity
and regulation which the tendency" of corporato
enterprises in the last twenty years has shown
to be necessary." ,
Champ Clark has issued a statement in which
he says:
"Many, generally republicans, or near-republicans,
and more individuals keep mouthing
about dissensions among house democrats
and the perfect unity among house republicans,
notwithstanding the truth known of all men
who care to know that the house democrats
came out of the tariff fight more thoroughly
united on that question than they had been in
a generation, and the republicans came out of
it worse shattered than ever before.
"Some papers, either through carelessness or
malice, have gone so far as to say that had the
democrats not been absent in large numbers,
unpaired, we would have defeated the con
ference report on the tariff, bill. There Is not a
syllable of truth in it.
"Now mark how plain a tale will put them
down: On my motion last spring to recommit
the Payne bill with instructions which In
structions constitute a comprchonntvo demo
cratic platform so far as taTiff is concerned all
domocrats votod for it except four. On tho
Payno bill ltsolf, votod on Immediately after rny
motion to recommit was dofcated, tho republi
cans lost ono vote, and the democrats lost four,
a not loss to tho domocrats of three, a more
nearly unanimous democratic vote than has been
cast on a tariff bill In a generation.
"Many nowspapors aro trying to mako it ap
pear that tho Payno-Aldrlch-Smoot bill is a re
vision downward. This 1b absolutely untrue.
Tho average of rates of tho Payno-Aldrlch-Smoot
bill is about 2 per cent higher than tho
avorago rate of the Dingley bill, Whon tho
maximum goes into effect March 31, 1910, the
avorago rate will bo about 27 por cont higher
than tho average of tho Dingley bill."
An Associated Press dispatch from Washing
ton Bays:
Because of his instrumentality in having a
higher duty placed on hosiery, Senator Penrose
of Pennsylvania, is to bo tendered a banquot
by the hosiery industry of tho country and tho
manufacturers of Pennsylvania. Tho banquot
Is to take placo on Octobor 20 In Philadelphia.
A great Industrial parade, in which operatlvea
employed in the hosiery factories and other In
dustries in Pennsylvania aro to take part Is
planned In conjunction with tho dinner.
President Taft must abrogate tho Cuban
reciprocity treaty or, it is said, he will bo un
able to grant to Franco, Germany and other
sugar-producing countries the advantages of tho
minimum rates of duty of tho Payno tariff law.
This is made tho subjoct of a letter sent to the
presidont by Representative Brousaard of Louis
iana. The Cuban treaty contains a clause which
stipulates that tho Dingley rates on sugar will
not bo reduced by "treaty or convention" as
long aB tho treaty remains in force, according
to Mr. Broussard.
GOVERNOR JOHNSON AND TONNAGE TAX
Herman, Minn., Juno 29. Editor Tho Com
moner: In the current Issue of your paper
you have an article relatlvo to Governor John
son's veto of the "Tonnage Tax BUI." You
further Invito your readers to comment on this
article.
We note that you print Governor Johnson'n
veto message In full and wo presume that you
have perused tho same. If this la tho case
wo feel that your commont was influenced by
other information and from other sources and
wo can not help but believe that your Informa
tion came from prejudiced parties and from
biased opinions, for wo aro firmly of the opinion
that were you thoroughly conversant with the
existing conditions that you would not have
taken tho stand you did.
It is true that tho state democratic platform
contained a pledge for the tonnage tax; Tho
Commoner says "If the governor believed the
tonnage tax wrong he ought to have repudiated
tho plank of tho platform Immediately." As
a matter of fact Governor Johnson repeatedly,
during his campaign, stated that ho would veto
any legislation which in its scope would work
hardship on any one part of the state, and furth
er, it is a well established and incontrovertible
fact, in this state, that the tonnage tax would
work untold hardship and privation on the resi
dents of tho northern part of Minnesota.
Governor Johnson arose above his party and
plainly demonstrated the fact that he was gov
ernor of all the people. Platforms are some
times wrong, are sometimes made with certain
objects in view and while theoretically should
be in the nature of a contract, practically this
is not always true as evidenced by the platforms
of both great parties in years gone by. Great
indeed Is the man who has the courage to do
right and who has the courage to face the dis
approval of the makers of his platform when
he is convinced that his course is for the bene
- fit of the people.
It would seem to tho casual observer that a
man should be right irrespective of his party's
wishes. Governor Johnson's position today Is
that he is the governor of all his people and
not the mere figurehead of -fils party.
The republican congressmen who have repu
diated their party are classed as statesmen and
as public benefactors and the democratic con
gressmen who have repudiated their party, when
their party was right, are classed as traitors to
the cause. When a man repudiates a wrong
even though that wrong Is sanctioned by his
party he ought to be regarded as a benefactor
and the rank and file of the people of Minne
sota, regardless of party affiliations, so regard
Governor Johnson.
DR. THOMAS M. THAYER.
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