The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-12-29
Would Have Party =F'nG Mini
mum Tariff N s.ssIre to Go
Before the sypIe With
RESCUE STATIONS ARE
TO Be ESTABLISHED

Friends of River and Harbor Improve
ment Policy Are Skeptical of Po-,
sition Recently Taken by
James j. Hill.
Washington, December 2s.-(Special)-
Henry D. Clayton of Alabama, chairman
of the democratic caucus of the House of
Representatives, today expressed his
views as to the democratic attitude in
the proposed revision of the tariff
81 have the most implicit confidence
in the capacity of Champ Clark and his
democratic associates of the ways and
means committee" said Mr.. Clayton,
'and would in no particular invade their
appointed jurisdiction to speak for my
party in committee deliberations on the
tariff. Indeed, would vote for any rev.
enue measure they might propose.
But as a democrat and the represen-
tative of constituency grievously op-
pressed by the exactions for private in
terests of the Dingley law, I do not be-
lieve it impertinence on my part to offer
some suggestions.
'In my opinion it is not sufficient for
the democrats in the next Congress to as
sumo an attitude of simple negation and
merely oppose what the republicans Of
fer. We must formulate an entire tariff
bill. covering every schedule from agates
to zinc and go to the committee of the
whole with it, champion it, demand di-
vision on its every schedule and ask for
the yeas and nays on it in the House.
Should Be Carefully Framed.
"The bill should be carefully consid-
cred in principle and In detail. In short,
1t should be measure we can go to the
country on. The democrats are unex-
celled to kick things to pieces. Let us
show that we can put things together as
the old party did in the time of Jackson
and Polk
I'VE can do it. It only requires the eff
forts
''Then we are to have, so it Is said, the
maximum and the minimum, which is
only another name for reciprocity. OF
course the republicans will insist on max
ing the maximum as big as they dare.
But our bills might fit in for the mini
mum in some schedules. And let us
press it.
''The republicans are laundering in the
index. They cannot revise the tariff
down. Who gathers figs from thistes
or grapes from thorns? And yet that
is the crop of figs and grapes Can
non, Aldrich Burrows, Dalzell and COM
pany will give us.
I'VE want a complete bill on which to
go to the country In 191O"
Rescue Stations.
Carrying out its efforts to reduce the
number of fatalities In coal mines, the
United States Geological survey is about
to establish rescue stations in the prin-
cipal coal fields of the country in add-
tion to the experiment station at Pitts
burg. The new stations will be at or
and it will be the purpose of the experts
to teach the miners and mine bosses how
to use the most approved apparatus for
mine rescue work.
Government mining engineers thorough
ly trained in the use of rescue apparatus
will be assigned to the stations, and they
will be ready at moments notice to
go to any disaster in their district The
experts will be equipped with oxygen
helmets. which will enable them to enter
a mine at once, even though it is filed
with gas or smoke.
One of the rescue stations will be at
Urbana, ILL.,. in connection with the Uni
versity of Illinois.
This station will take care of west
ern Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana Mis-
souri, and Michigan. A second station
will be in New Mexico and a third in
Oklahoma Several locations are sug-
gested for the station which will cover
Alabama Tennessee. Virginia, Georgia
and eastern Kentucky. Birmingham and
Lexington are both suggested. as we'll as
Knoxville. in connection with the Uni
versity of Tennessee.
SkepticaI of Hill.
Friends in Washington of comprehen-
sive policy for river and harbor improve
ments, and there are many such in the
halls of LEGISLATION, have become some
what slSeptical over the position taken
by Mr.. James J. Hill. who. in an inter-
view. was severe in his denuncation of
the bond issue of $5O0.0o0,O0 enthusiastic
ally indorsed by the recent convention of
tne NHtlOndl Rivers ana fiarDOrS con-
gress.
Mr.. Hill, speaking of the recommended
bond ISSUE said "It is reckless. fool
ish and may almost say a criminal poll
icy. When we arrive at the subject OF
appropriations and the question of hn.v
and to what extent money shall be pro-
vided for the ,ast undartaisi~~ We have
touched the vital nerve center of anv
large enterprise and the annge~ noirt
Some of the more enthusiastic advocates
of WATERWAYS have made the mistake of
urging that the national credit he nledge1
to unheard of amounts in order that we
may complete tho whole work at once
The men who would borrow and spend
lavishlv nav mean well. but the sign
board where ther road diverges Is
marked Disaster"
Against the opposition of Mr., HILL who
sees in the hond issue RECKLESS and
foolish policv." stands the strongest kind
of indorsemen+ ~ bond issue by Presi-
da~t Tocvo'-oit T-.-o p~r~'7~rt Fairbanks
Presidept-elect Taft, Andrew Carnc~
Champ Clark and a host of representa-
hxfl ,, In, ~ of