The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-08-11


ceived In the senate ana rsfsrrea ID
the committee on finance April 10.
Senator Aldrich, OF Rhode Island, the
leader OF the senate % chairman Of
the finance committee, subsequently
became chairman Uf the conference
committee. which was appointed to i'd
Just the differences arising between
senate and house and between both
houses Of congress and the president.
The report Of the conference com
mittee which determined what would
be the provisions Of che Payne bin In
1ts fnal form was q victory for Pres
7dent Taft. He Informed an OF the
conferees that hides must be placed on
the free list, together with petroleum,
crude and refined. They thereupon
decided to cut the Dingley tariff ON
hides to 8 per cent. Tho president
heard the news and sent word that he
had meant what he had said about free
hides. The figures were then lowered
to Z per cent. Now Chairman Serene
-. Payne, Of the ways ana means com.
mlttee, decided to demonstrate that his
original bill, providing for free hides
should no longer be subjected to the
Omasculatory operations 81 the ma
joraty Of the conferees. He announced
thnt not even a per cent duty on
hides would be accepted by either him
self or the house. without free hides
this tariff bill will not pass the house, =
he was quoted was saying.
Message to the conferees.
The tariff came on hides instanter,
and as quickly oil was put ON the un-
taxed schedule, together with gasoline,
benzine and naptha. The leather,
rough lumber, print paper coal and
Iron and glove schedules ranked next
In importance during the closing days
of the controversy.
If hides came in free, the important
New England boot and shoe manufac.
turing interests would consent to re-
luction of the tariff on their products,
Gtherwise they would continue to
fight. The solving Of the hides prob.
lem left it simple matter to agree
to lower duties on boots and shoes,
the Dingley rate being 25 per cent.
Saddlery and harness were cut to 40
per cent, as against the Ding1ey rate
of 45 per cent. The president resort
ed to the unusual method of sending a
written message to the conference
committee demanding lower rates on
lumber and gloves than the Payne bill
provided and he secured them.
The president was subjected to Sc.
ferest pressure from both the upward
and downward revisionists throughout.
The upward reyisionists told him that
reduction of duty on hides and leath-
er manufactures would make the next
congress Democratic. in which event
they argued that Taft would not pos
sibly be renominated for the presi-
dency. The "Downwards" told him
that Roosevelt surely would be the
next Republican candidate for presi-
dent il the campaign promises for a
downward revision were not fulfilled.
Fight for Corporation Tax.
The president had q ,highly difficult
task also in preserving his scheme for
a corporation tax intact in the Payne
bill. This feature Is clearly the most
unpopular one in the entire measure,
90 far as members Of the senate and
house. were concerned. Many Of the
members argued to the president that
the tax as provided for was unconsti-
tutional. Resolutions viii be intro
duced In the various state legislatures
condemning the act and recommends
ing It's repeal. according to statements
made by various congressman IN
Washington.
The corporation 'tax>uf I per cent on
the entire MT ancome pver and above
5000 recetvad ahy corporations from