Middletown transcript., 1909-08-07
WASHINGTON LETTER

tariff revision downward. The "stand
,ae' forces of the Senate apd the House
1ave gone down to defeat. The unholy
alliance between Speaker Cannon and ex.
Littauer has come to
1auaht. The corporations OF the country
IRE to be made TO subject their affairs to
The clear light Of publicity. Justice is to
be done to the Filipinos. The people
will receive some benefit from a genuine
tariff revision and the Republican party,
under its new leader, William Howard
Taft has demonstrated capacity to with.
stand the influence of evil and present
solid front in opposition to the powerful
pressure exerted by lobbies Of the pro-
tected interests. These are the results OF
the agreement on the tariff bill which
has finally been reached by the confer
rees and which remains only to be con.
frmed, as it unquestionably will be, by
the Republican maiUFitiies The eHFe
houses of Congress.
~
Il required letter from the President
to the conferrees, in which, in simple but
straightforward terms he declared that II
the rate ON rough lumber was plsced
above $I.25 thousand feet and the rates
on women's gloves were increased above
the DingIey Law be would reject" the
bill, to bring the conferrees to their senses
and induce them to provide for that meas
ure of revision downward which Mr.. Taft
deemed essential. When the time came
20 write the letter, the President did not
hesitate to take the step, however, and
the result is one of which all Republicans
may we'll feel proud. The number OF
reductions contained in the completed
bill is far greater than lie generally sup
posed or than the public has had an op.
portunity to discover. Chairman Payne
has presented the results in an effective
manner. He shows that the duties have
been lowered on 81, 900, 900 worth of goods
used by the people, while they have been
increased ON only SS5O.OO0 worth. To
arrive at this comparison be takes the
year 1905 as basis of comparison which
is entirely consistent with the position he
has taken all along that she figures OF
1907 do not present q fair basis Of COM
parison for the reason that that was de-
cidedly exceptional year. Mr.. Payne
shows, moreover, that the increases fall
on $579, 900 worth of luxuriee, which con-
stitutes tWo-thirds of all the increases,
In further exemplihcation Of his conten.
ton that the bill constitutes genuine re.
vision Of the tariff, Mr.. Payne points out
that in a number of instances the duties
were so high as TO be prohibitive, that,
therefore, there were no importations and
in calculating the reductions now and
taking the importations Of any year under
the DinRIey law as q basis il is impossible
to show how much the people will be
benefited because the reductions made
will greatly increase the importation Of
those goods which are necessities, SO that
figures made q year hence, for instance,
would show a stiII larger percentage Of
decrease on goods used by the people.
The reductions in the metals schedule
should benefit every citizen of the coun-
try for everyone uses metal in some
form, from q penknife TO plow, The
rate on iron ore is decreased from 40
cents to Is cents ton; on pig iron from
81 TO $3.50 a ton; on scrap iron, which 10
used to work over into metal articles
which do not require the highest grades
of wrought iron, from 81 to 81 ton, etc.
-
| There has been considerable disposition
to oppose the adoption of the tariff report
by certain members of the two houses
who feel that the industries Of their sec
ton do not receive sufficient protection,
but the indications are that this will
abate and the bill will be adopted with
out any prolonged struggle. There is 90
much food ia the measure that large
maiorities Of the Republicans in both
houses will be strongly disposed to pro.
mote it's enactment and as for the dis.
gruntled ''stsnd pstters" the President
has made il very clear 10 them that il
the bill ebould fail he would convene
Congress in special session next October
and the very commodities which they
are most anxious TO protect, such as iron
ore, hides, lumber, ETC., would be sub
| iected to q merCiIess FIRE which could mol
but result in placing them all on the free
list. In the Senate there will doubtless
be some Republican votes against the
bill.
~
The Departments of State is watching
with keenest interest the progress ol
events il Spain. Fortunately there are
few American interests in the unfortu.
nate country, which n torn with internal
dissensions and graVsly menaced by {
foreign war. OF course, American Off
cials cannot with propriety voice publicly
their opinion regarding the affairs OF /
| friendly nation but it is no secret thai
the opinion is held in Washington that
most Of the riots. arson, bomb throsing,
etc, ere merely the work Of anarchists,
many OF them foreigners who have no
interest in she wsr in Morocco, who Be-,
| Iieye they see in She present situation "a
opportunity for unlimited loot. With
tbe military forces engaged In d confess
with she Moors, they believs that an era
/ ni theft and Fapine will NET entail ahal
nunishmsnss or the perpetrators which
fhHy 90 richly deserve.