The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-28
SerenO Payne Speaks of Work
 on Tariff Revision
VAN CLEAVPS OBJECTIONS
One Man Appears for Automobile lm- porters and Wants Tariff Reduced. Removal of Pig Iron Tariff
 Is Requested.


 Washington, November Eve are fully aware that the, bill reported from the committee will be judged by the people not in the light or view of those wise prophets or critics who are judging it in advance. but in the light of what will be learned from the bill itself, and from an examination of the material before the committee"
 In these words Serene Payne, chair man of the House ways and means com mittee, today replied to the letter from J. w. Van Cleave, president of the Ma tional Association of Manufacturers.
 "Of course, if you have no information at your disposal which would aid the committee in the formation of bill, l can understand your refusal to appear If you have such information I cannot see why you do not accept the invitation which has been extended to you, and which is still held out to you should you reconsider your determinationf' concluded MT. Payne.
 Van Cleave's Views
 Tn his letter to the chairman of the ways and means committee, which was in reply to an invitation to testify at the tariff hearings before the committee, MT. Van Cleave says:
 we would rather bear the ills of the Dingley tariff than to be party to tariff revision made in the old manner. To appear before you to plead for certain schedules would be to acqHiesce in the superficial and unbusnesslike methods og inc iapesfigatier against which we pro- lest We have carefully watched all the statements that have been made by you and your associates in recent years, and instead of convincing us of the errors or our way. we are more than ever con- vinced that your present plans of gather ing information on which the readjust- ment is proposed to be based is wrong, radically, absurdly, fatally wrong
 Charles II. Sherrill of New York, who appeared today for the importers auto mobile salon, favored reduction in the tariff for automobiles. He charged that there is an automobile trust which ex- poets to get the duty on automobiles in- creased.
 Automobile Trust.
 "Instead of an infant industry which is seeking protection at the hands or your honorable committee said MT Sherril 'ft could more properly be called a trust. The American manuiac- turers of automobiles are divided into two large groups, one the Association Of Au- tomobile Manufacturers which IS organ ized about the so-called Selden patents and the other the American Motor Car Manufacturers which does not owe ai- legiance to the Selden patents. The Sei- den patent is an ingenious device to maintain a high price for automopheS among the manufacturers using the pat ont Up to now all attempts to breaN this trust have failed because it's founda- ton is a United States patent which is a monopoly granted by the government,
 T. IT Mutt. employed by the Western Bar Iron association, including plants in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, asked that the same differentials between steel and iron bars be observed and that the duties be high enough to maintain the small establishments.
 John w Walton of Cleveland, O., as a dealer, importer and consumer of wire rope. asked that the duty on that article be reduced.
 'If YOU want to reduce the revenue you should reduce the rates, advised MT. Walton. Now the American manufac- turer gets all the benefit and the gov ernment nothing for the rates gre pro- hibitive."
 Piu Iron Tariff.
 Nelson Lyon, secretary-treasurer of a company manufacturing wire articles at Tarrytown, N. Y., asked for removal of the tariff on pig iron. He claimed that if the entire tariff had been re- moved from pig iron during the last year. the American manfacturers would have received s153. 100000 more than they received for the product in 1904 In that year. he added. a profit was made, flor the steel trust does not produce unless it produces 8 profit"
 How much would that reduce the price of egg beaters for the consumer" queried MT. Cochran.
 Well they are very cheap now" re- piled MT. Lyon.
 ''woud you reduce your prices s4 a ton?'' insisted MT. Cochran.
 q hope I would be able to do so." replied MT. Lyon.
 Tn an attack on the "steel trust MT. Lyon Sald that uurlnS lHe pdIlc idsl ldll 'our great and good President Roosevelt, who rules our land in righteousness, all lowed the steel trust to turn 70 per cent of it's employees out to starve."
 He said the President encouraged this corporation to absorb it's competitor, the Tennessee Coal and Iron company.
 Immunity From President.
 ''We are also told continued Mir Lyon, that President Roosevelt promised this trust immunity from prosecution, so they came out boldly and told us they would not reduce their prices of produc- ton.
 why our great President is following the Standard Oil company to prevent it shipping oil a few cents cheaper than its competitors and lets this steel trust go scot free, while stealing from the public through the robber tariff. from one to two million dollars year, Is beyond my com- prehension.
 Representative Vreeland of New York, on behalf of constituent, George Koin,