Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-07-02
Lemonade the Limit for
Thirsty Senators.
Senator Hale Makes Plain His
Opinion on Leather Duty.
Responsible for Exemption Of Small
Corporations in Excise Tax Bill,

(SpeciaD-One great assuager of a
hot legislative summer in Washington
is apollinaris lemonade. 1t is a pro-
duct of Senate deliberations The
House officially knows nothing of the
cooling drink that is manufactured
daily by the barrel down in the base
ment of the Capitol 1t is lifted up by
the pailful-big round pailsful-by
lusty negro messengers and placed on
oil cloth covered tables in the Repub-
lican cloak room, the Democratic
cloakroom and in other places around
the north end of the Capitol where
men in the public service most dc
congregate.
The Senate apollinaris lemonade is
not quite so thick as pudding, but it is
sweetened powerfully. as apollinaris
takes more sweetening than plain
water. A couple of glasses of it make
fairly good midday meal, so that the
keeper of the Senate restaurant sees
his receipts for luncheons falling off
when the weather gets sufficiently
warm for the starting Of the
apollinars lemonade industry Apol-
linaris lemonade for all the Senate and
all the Senate's friends is an institu-
ton of recent years. Of course it costs
quite a little bunch of money when
the hot summer session is prolonged
as it is being prolonged this summer
But it all comes out of the contingent
fund and nobody seems disposed tC
complain.
The rest of the year the Senators
get at public expense all the mineral
and sparkling waters they can drink
The cheerful bottles are carried into
the committee rooms-92 committee
rooms-every morning placed on ice
and are ready for consumption any
hour of the day when a thirsty senator
or his clerk or his friend happen
around Nowadays the demands up
on the bottles of sparkling water are
not very large. The sparkling water
with lemon juice and sugar in it have
the call.
Representatives in the House do no!
get even mineral water at public ex-
pense. The Government furnishe
them with ice water and nice coolers
therefor, it stops short there. Probably
one of these days patriot will ster
forth, declaring that what is good
enough for the Senate is none to good
for the House. Hence apollinar:s
lemonade and mineral waters. And
some day probably the patriots vote,
will be needed and Representatives
will be refreshed at the public ex-
penSe.
Senator Hale, Of Maine, has been
putting in some hard ticks during the
last ten days. He has had an active
part in gathering up the odds and
ends of the tariff schedules. He was
one of the Republican Senators, who
cooperated with President Taft in get
ting the corporation tax amendment
whipped into shape and. with other
Republican Senators. was a dinner
guest at the White House two even
ings when the amendment was under
discussion. He took charge of the
Senate provisions for raising the
duties on boots and shoes to 20 per
cent. While the tariff bill was thus
focusing the activities of those at the
Capitol, Senator Hale also pushing the
census bill to a finality and grinding
out an appropriation of s1O,OOOOO0
to keep the big bureau at the foot of
Capitol hill at work after July L.
He was one of the conferees VINO
finally fixed up the long delayed
legislation for taking the next Census
and, not only fastened the prepara-
ton of the appropriation bill but
passed it through the Senate so that it
could become law before July 1. IN
this effort he had a meeting of the APP
preparations Committee, OF which the
Sanafnr ix- Cha
of the hottest afternoons of the week
and shaped up the bill for the Senates
consideration.
Senator Hale took very positive
ground about the duty on boots and
shoes, which are manufactured in
great quantities in Maine factories
He felt unwilling to support the item
for free hides in the tariff bill be-
cause it meant a reduction of the
duties on boots and shoes. 1t is the
Senator's judgment that the duties on
boots and shoes should not in any
event be reduced.
The last stage of the manufacture
which puts the article upon the
market, as it is worn by the con-
sumers. the men, women and children
W nose Ieel are SIlOu, SAID the senator
during the debate in explaining his
position, has to deal not only with
the duty upon hides. but with the duty
we put upon sole leather that enters
into the product. | think were it not
for my general course of fealty to the
Finance Committee and my acquies
cence in it's conclusions. l should move
to make the duty upon boots and
shoes % per cent in lieu of 20 per
cent. / do not think that under our
system of recognizing the advanced
product that that would be an unreal
sonable duty considering the duty we
put upon hides and sole leather and
that the advanced product has to bear
whatever burden comes from that"
This idea was strongly emphasized
by Senator Hale. who had a long de-
bate over it with some of the South
erners, especially with Senator Bacon
of Georgia. and with some of the low
tariff Republicans from the Northwest
like Senator Clapp. of Minnesota. He
not only proposes to make the duties
on boots and shoes as high as the
Ehnance Committee Will consent &c