Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-24
DUTIES TO BE SUSPENDED
On ALI Building Material for San
Francisco.
THE CHICAGO FIRE PRECEDENT
Extract From Debate at That Time
on the Exemption of Lumber
From Remission Of Duty.

There Is wailing and gnash.ng OF teeth
among the tariff stand patters'' In Con-
gress. Jus, at the moment when tho
Speaker. the Paynes. Dalselis, Aldriches and
others had the stand pat game framed up
to their satisfaction, the protection goose
honking high and everything lovely. along
comes the proposition to admit free Of duty
steel. lumber and building material for the
reconstruction of San Francisco. Several
bills were introduced yesterday. and moro
will follow.
1t IL believed that q bill will pass Con-
gress taking the duty OF steel. The stand
patters don't see their way clear TO defeat
the proposition. In the first place there is
precedent for IT In the case of the Chicago
fire. when Congress took similar action. In
the next place. the word has already gone
out that American steel works are behind
In their orders and cannot fill acquisitions to
the extent demanded by the San Francisco
situation. Steel win be demanded for every
business structure. II Is thought.
In the last place, which Will be the first
consideration in determining the issue. the
country probably would not tolerate tho
spectacle of the steel trust barring the way
against importations for the stricken city
from abroad, while at the very moment Il
was selling steel cheaper to foreign con-
sumers than to the home demand.
Inspiration to Revisionists.
But what an inspiration this will be to
the tariff revisionists." walled the stand
patters at will open up the whole tarirr
question. furnish an object lesson that the
plain man can see and the learned man cam
not refute. We are surely up against it."
o The democrats ;a are seizns upon the op-
Gaines OF Tennessee was first in the breach
yesterday with a bill providing for a draw
back on all building material actually used
", cfrtto fsDt, A,I
den of Illinois, a republican. sought to
soften the blow to the standpatters with a
bill providing for suspension for ono year Of
duties on steel. on the ground Of shortage
of structural steel In this country
The main source of anxiety to the stand
patters is the certainty that the bill pro-
vidng for the rebate on building material
Will precipitate tariff debate. Scores of
amendments will be offered, providing for
reductions on other articles of the Dingley
schedule. and there will be long wrangie
over the whole tariff question. And this.
too, right on the eve of our stand-pat cam
paign for Congress-" moaned the stand
patters. at surely is awful"
Chicago Fire Precedent
The precedent furnished by the action In
the case Of the Chicago fire occurred in tho
second session Of the Forty-second Con-
gress. A bill was introduced in the House
by Mr.. Burchard. It provided that on all
goods. ware and merchandise imported as
gratuitous contributions should be admitted
free of duty. The second section provided
that there should be allowed and paid under
such regulations as the Secretary of the
Treasury should prescribe on all material
actually used In buildings on the ground
burned over. or in their repair or recon-
struction. drawback OF the import duties
within the term of one year.
When the bill came back from the SEN
ate Ii carried an amendment excepting
lumber from the remission of duties. In
the House Mr.. Dawes said that IL this
lumber amendment were agreed to the bin
could pass.
Mr.. Conger Of Michigan said: "dr Speak
er, desire to state to the House that after
consultation with gentlemen representing
the various interests affected by this bill. II
has been understood that this proposition
terests: and therefore / desire on the part
of those / represent that with this amend
ment the bill for the relief of Chicago may
be passed and go into operation as soon as
possible"
Then up rose Mr. FInkelburg of Mis-
souri,, republican. and with great scorn
remarked: Il suppose the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Conger) means to say that
the delegation from Wisconsin and Michf-
gan, having saved their lumber interests.
are willing that anybody else may be sac
rificed." Mr.. Conger had no reply to this
sally. the amendment e. cepting lumber was
agreed to and the bill passed.
1t Is considered quite doubtful, however,
II exemption of trust-controlled building
material would be tolerated at this time,
in the present temper of the people and a
portion of the Congress toward the subject
Of tariff revision. In fact. the proposition
will probably not even be made. The steel
trust will, 1t is thought, be glad to escape
without an amendment reducing the duty on
steel to the whole country.