The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-03
LEI PEOPLE JUDGE
CHAIRMAN PAYNE REPLIES TO vANcLEAvE's STRUCTURES ON
 TARIFF INVESTIGATION
MANUFACTURER SAYS PLANS ARE WRONG
Head of National Association of Manu- facturers Wants a Nonpartisan Tariff Commisslon--vsn cIeave Prefers the DIngIey HlIl to Any Pro- posed Tariff Legislation.

Washington, Nov. 29.-"We are fully aware that the bill reported from the committee will be judged by the peo- pie, not in the light or view of those wise prophets or critics who are judg- ing it in advance, but in the light of what will be learned from the bill it. self and from an examination of the material before the committee"
 In these words Serene Payne. chair man of the house ways and means committee Friday replied to the letter from J. W. Vancleave, president of the National Association of Manufac- turers, criticising the methods pursued in revising the tariff.
 of course If you have no informa tion at your disposal which would aid the committee in the formation of a bill l can understand your refusal to appear If you have such information 1 cannot see why you do not accept the invitation which has been extend ed to you, and which is still held out to you, should you reconsider your de. termination, concluded Mir. Payne.
 In his letter to the chairman of the ways and means committee which was in reply to an invitation to testify at the tariff hearings, Mir. vancleaye 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 acquiesc in the unbusiness-like methods of investigation against which we protest. We have carefully watched all the statements that have been made by you and your associates in recent years, and instead of convinc. ing us of the error of our ways, we are more than ever convinced that your present plans of gathering informa- tion, on which the readjustment is pro- posed to be based, is wrong, radically, absurdly, fatally wrong
 MT Vancleave sets forth his views regarding an expert non-partisan tariff commission" and claims that i, is impossible for the ways and means committee in the limited time 1t has at it's disposal to make an inquiry which can furnish an adequate basis for any such tariff as the country de. mands.
 There was little of interest brought out at Fridays session of the commit tee which was to finish up the hear ing on the metal schedule. While au- tomobiles are to be discussed fully at New York appeared Friday for the importers automobile salon. favoring a reduction on the tariff for automo piles.
 He charged that there is an automo- bile trust which expects to get the duty increased. Instead of an infant industry seeking protection at the hands of your honorable committee, said Mir. Sherill, it could more prop erly be called a trust The American manufacturers of automobiles are di vided into two large groups, one the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers which is organized about the so-called Selden patents. and the other the American Motor Car Manufacturers association which does not own allegiance to the Selden pat ents. The Selden patent is an in. genious device to maintain high price for automobiles among the man. ufacturers using the patent. Up till now all attempts to break this trust have failed because its foundation is a United States patent which is a monopoly granted by the government.
 MT. Sherill asked that the duty on automobiles be reduced from 45 per cent to 30 per cent ad valorem, claim ing that the manufacturers of foreign automobiles involved the use of much American machinery besides bringing large business to the American car riage builders, who. he said, made 90 per cent of the bodies for foreign motor cars.
 The committee was in session until A late hour Friday evening.