Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-26
CARNEGIE WILL NOT APPEAR
Says He Already is on Record on the
Tariff.
GREAT FAITH IN PROTECTION
Surest Way to secure II il to Reduce
the Protective Duties and
Then Finally Abolish
Them.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.-Sereno Payne.
chairman of the house ways and means
committee. today received reply to the
invitation which was extended to Andrew
Carnegie to appear before the committee
at the tariff hearing ons the metal schedule.
Mr. Carnegie thanks nj Payne for his in
vitation, but asks to be excused from ap-
pearing before the committee, saying that
he has served his full term in Washington
upon tariff matters.
II am no longer in business. and in my
Century article" reads the letter. com
panion to that of My Experience with Rail
way Rates and Rebates, have said all
that have TO say upon the subject. Manu-
fscturers will appear before you from whom
you can pbtsin the reqsssed details.,'
Mr.. Carnegie says that Judging from the
comments upon his article by various dis
tnguished gentlemen in Washington, as
published in a New York paper, he feels
that they have not read the article itself
but only a few striking extracts separated
from the context.
when you read it," he continues, "you
will discover that my faith in protection
wherever it is proved to be necessary, is
| as strong as ever and that l continue also
to believe that the surest way to secure
needed protection is to reduce protective
duties from time to time and finally abolish
them when no longer needed
| Pursuing this policy our party has al
ready reduced duty on steel rails from S2s
TO 81 and other duties in greater or less
degree"
1.-The Mckinley tariff, which made great
reductions, is a case in point. 1t would
prove false in it's history and its pledges
II 1t failed now.
Democrats Aided Protection.
'In the most critical times the protec-
tive policy received indispensable aid from
patriotic democrats in congress, as / have
shown. This is as 1t should be. Duties
on imports should cease to be a party
| question Only what is best for our com
mon country should be thought of.
II attach supreme importance to the
maintenance OF present duties upon luxuries
used chiefly by the rich, not from the
protective but from the revenue point OF
view. Special attention is required to
the revenue needs of the country these
days to meet increased expenditure and SO
far as I know, none can be obtained with
so little pressure upon the people the
two hundred odd millions now flowing
into the treasury from such articles Yours
true protectionist.
ANDREW CARNEGIE"
I When the hearing on the metal schedule
of the tariff was begun, zinc was first
taken up. s. D. Mitchell of Carthage
Mo, and Alexander o. Ihlsing OF Oronga
Mo-, asked that calamine or zinc oxide
= be removed from the free list and assessed
a duty Of 1H cents a pound.
Representative Boutell brought out the
admission that the prices on zinc ore anC
sheet and pig lead would be increased Il
the duty should be imposed.
Democrats Take Hand.
Don't you think that II the tariff is Il
, be lowered to equalize the difference n
: cost of labor that labor should receive
: all the benefits from the tarff?' asked
Representative Champ Clark of Missouri
, who is the first member of the COMMITTEES
! who has not argued for the requests o
T the interests from his own state whei
those requests were for protection.
Bourke Cochran OF New York was en-
deavoring To show that the protection
2 asked was much more than was required
to equalize labor lost in this country ant
! abroad when Chairman Payne asked:
rs IT worth while arguing these economi
I facts?"
That's what I thought the purpose n
t this inquiry waste determine who shal
] pay the tax" asserted Mr.. Cochran, "bu
in view of the sensibilitv of the chairman