The San Francisco call., 1906-05-24
TARIFF TALK
IN THE HOUSE

WASHINGTON, May 23-The is
sues destined TO be uppermost be-
tween the two great parties during
the coming campaign are already be-
ing Joined, if the speeches now being
made in the House of Representatives
are safe index.
Several weeks ago Rainey of Illi-
nois made carefully prepared
speech on the watch trust asserting
that the watch manufacturers of the
United States had one price for
watches at home and lesser price
abroad.
Today, in the House, Charles B.
Lands of Indiana in a sense answered
Rainey, frankly admitting that Amer
lean manufacturers had one price at
home and another abroad. He de-
Tended the practice as in accord with
good business methods, insisting that
all countries sold their wares for less
prices abroad than at home.
Landis also paid some attention to
a speech made by Bourke Cochran,
wherein the latter denounced the pol
icy of protection as one of public
plunder, the fountain source Of all
corruption and the cause of total de-
moralization of the A2neriean republic.
This Landfs denied He said that
every poor but ambitious emigTant
who landed here during the last ten
years would refute the allegation. Re
ferring to Cockran's speech, he said:
This is the best country on earth,
and not the worst country on earth.
And If I thought about 1T as the gen.
tleman from New York 1 would re-
sign my seat in this House, sell out
my belongings and move to some other
country nearer in harmony with my
political notions
Lands displayed a number of pic
lures of Coxeys army and comment
ed on it's appearance in Washington
and the demand of its members for
work.
"That was the condition during the
last years oe democratic rule said
Lands.
In reply to this, Williams, the mi
nority leader, said that he had walked
through Coxey's army while it was
encamped on the grass in front of
the Senate entrance to the Capitol and
at that time the Wilson-Gorrnan bill
was under discussion in the Senate.
He insisted that the Government was
still operating under the Mckinley
bill at that time. and that revenues
were being collected under that Re
publican measure.
Williams said he was encouraged
in the fighH the Democrats were max
ing in favor of tariff reform because
of the number of Republican leaders
who were wishing for relief from the
protective tariff. He said the sledge
hammer debater. Hepburn of Iowa,
the chaste and brilliant Boutelle and
even the humorist of the Republican
side. Cushman of Washington, had
been all Communicated TO support the
protective theory, and he inferred
from this that the attacks were hav-
ing effect.
1t was Williams solemn belief that
the worst thing about the protective
tariff was that it corrupted the friends
of good government. He said the Re-
publicans would come into the, Demo-
cratic party and say to the friends of
free trade: 1--WE will protect you
against frost, we will protect you
against hail." and so the Democrats
yielded and even he had been direct
ly approached along similar. lines. but
he had been thus far able to say:
Get thee behind me, Satan
Lands took up the assertion of Will
liams that the price OF corn was so
low in 1890 and 1891 that the farm
ers were compelled to burn it for
fuel. He said he came from corn
belt in Indiana, and he denied that
farmers were compelled to burn their
corn because it was drug on the
market
Williams insisted that he was right
in his statement.
This brought Hinshaw OF Nebraska
into the arena, to say that. while he
did not know what Kansas did in
1885,, he knew as a Nebraskan that
corn was not burned in his State.
Reeder of Kansas followed to re-
pudiate the statement that the farm
ers of the Sunflower State had burned
their corn.
When Lands concluded the Repub-
lican side arose and accorded him an
ovation.