The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-17
Representative BOuteII Is Frank Enough In His Stand-
 Pat Position
CHAMP CLARK SNEERS
 AT PRETENSE OF {. .. P.
Congressman Underwood Wants All Who Sincerely Favor Revision to Place Their Case Before Ways
 and Means Committee.

Washington, November 16.-(Speeial)--
 Representative Underwood of Alabama
 and his fellow democratic members of ths
 ways and means committee believe it is
 imperative that those who are in favor of
 a sincere revision of the tariff, that is, q
 reduction of duties. should place their
 case before the ways and means commit
 tee. It Is not necessary for them to ap-
 pear personally; they may send state
 ments to the committee This is desir-
 able In order that the complete record of
 hearings may contain information show
 ing the benefit of a reduction from both
 the standpoint of the consumer and reve-
 nue for the government. The democratic
 members of the committee are daily do-
 ing good work in their questioning Of witnesses.
 The fallacies of the pretense for a. son-
 tinuance or an increase of rates are be- ing exposed but the committee has yet to hear a complete and 6ehnite argu-
 ment for reduction along ge,- >ral lines In other words, the advocates of tariff revision upward are in a position to say that there is no deman nd for a reduction, leaving the democratic members with lit tie to justify their course of opposition in the committee. Of course when the bill reaches the HOOr or the ttOuSe ana udl- vidual members have opportunity to
 discusS it openly the situation is different Even then the ron-clad rule which will be brought in will greatly curtan de- ! bate.
 l Representative Boutell of Illinois, d member of the committee, went so far to- | day as to repeat the time-worn argument 1 that a reduction of duties would not | benefit the consumer. On the same day
 the sugar trust representatiRef shelr
 allies are railing against d
 the sugar schedule which turns mlilIuits
 of dollars annually into the pockets of the trust.
 Against Revision.
 Representative Boiiten said: "lt is the | height of folly to cz 2eet that tariff re- | vision will benefit the consumer. No l matter what the ways and means com mittee does, and no matter what Con | gross decides to do with it's report on the subject the individual consumer will find | himself paying just as much for the ne- 1 cessties and luxuries of life '"The only classes that will benefit to any extent If the tariff schedules are re- duced," continued MT Boutell, Twill be the importers and jobbers. They will be l able to make little more profit on the | goods they bring into the country but l the man who eventually consumes the 1 article will find no appreciable differ ence in what he has to pay. The most | marked effect of a general tariff reduc-
 ton will be the loss of revenue to the government"
 | As Representative Boutell is in thor
 ough accord with Chairman Payne and | the other republican members of the ways
 and means committee, his interview may l be accepted as a fair index of the senti-
 ment of the majority.
 Champ Clark Sneers. l bat tla m, hp tee l do sot expect anything radical to be ac- | complished through the hearing was n-
 dicated when Champ Clark sneeringly l exclaimed to one of the witnesses:
 why, you don't suppose, do you, that | the committee IS going to do anything
 to the tarifr?'
 | It may be a coincidence, but it is
 nevertheless fact, that nine mon out of
 ten witnesses thus far examined by the l committee have declared in the most enl- 1 phatic. if not fearful manner against
 any reduction whatever in the tariff i schedules.
 1 You will ruin our business. they cried. l eve are just getting on our feet and l if you lower the tariff on our goods, l you will force us into bankruptcy | This has been the wall of the tobacco, l wine, and chemical producers. The miners | and manufacturers of barytes, mineral found in Missouri and North Carolina
 and used principally in the adulteration I of paint, demanded an increase in the tariff from 75 cents to s5 a ton. All Want Something. l The retort coke oven people who pro | duce coal tar products used largely in | the manufacture of colors think they l can get along better If the tariff on Ger l man chemicals is doubled and the Cali 1 fornia wine growers think that the Amer 1 ican vineyard will pay if the benefits of ti,e tx- he l from the wine raisers of Italy, France, | Spain and Portugal.
 The Connecticut, Florida and Georgia | leaf tobacco growers told the committee i that they are in pretty bad way | financially just at present, but as the crop 1 this year is a good one and prices are | fair, they think they can manage to ex- | ist if the tariff on Sum-tra and Havana l tobacco is not reduced Champ Clark attempted to prove that l the reason the tobacco men needed tho | tariff was because they had abandoned | the simple life" and had become used , to living like Nabobs." In the old days | they raised tobacco down south and made l money at it when the prevailing price was cents pound.
 1 Now, when the average price of wrap 1 per tobacco is $1 pound the growers | claim they are making nothing. Reduction Advocates. | The only witnesses up to date who have advocated reduction of schedules were ! two three importers of scotch and | English ales; couple of manufacturers | of dye colors, who want to get certain | raw materials in free, and John w. | Yerkes, representing a number of inde- pendent plug tobacco manufacturers who | are smartlng under the exactions of the l American tobacco company, which has | absorbed all the licorlce paste factories ir, nd l prices for the sweetening that goes into | chewing tobacco
 1 And today comes the sugar trust to be l followed later by the Steel trust. the 1 cotton. silk. wool, flax and miscellaneous l interests, all after an increase in the hope of securing the retention of the pres
 snt schedules.