The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-01
Champ Clark Shows Why the Payne-AIdfich Measure
 Should Fail
TAFT PROMISED ID HAVE
 TIE TARIFF REDUCED
News from White House Is Confusing and Nobody Knows What Taft Will Do With Tariff Bill When
 1t Is Completed.
 

Washington, April 30.-(Special )-.How can the President refuse to veto the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill and at the same time keep faith with the peopIe?',
 Representative Champ Clark of Mis-. souri. the democratic leader in the house. asked the above question tonight in dis cussing the attitude the President will assume when the tariff bill reaches him. Assuming that the Senate will remain deaf to public opinion and will fall to pass bill materially reducing the sched- ules of the Dingley act. Mr. Clark does not see how the Executive can give 1t his approval.
 During the debate in the House." said MT. Clark, 'I stated that I was afraid that the chairman of the ways and means committee had attained what Milton de- nominates the bad eminence' of fathering the worst tariff bill ever put upon the statute books but strange to state in many features the Aldrich bill is worse than the Payne bill. The energies of Sen ator Aldrieh appear to be concentrated in an effort to re-enact the Dingley law in most cases, and where the rates are not re-enacted to raise them. This is re- vision with vengeance. Query: If it were intended to re-enact the Dingley rates substantially, why this extraordi- nary session of Congress with the conse- quent expense and disarrangement of business, which Speaker Cannon has de- clared costs the country slO, ,OOOoOO per day.
 Payne Bill Higher.
 "rhe average rate of the Payne bnl.'' continued MT Clark. was 1.56 per cent higher than the Dingley bill, notwith- standing the fact that it was the extor- tion of the Dingley bill against which tha people protested to such an extent and with such emphasis as to frighten the re- puolicans into promising or pretending to promise revision down. I use the word pretended advisedly, for everybody knows that during the campaign the promise of revision downward was given out by re- publican speakers and newspapers in sec tons where such promise was calculated to win votes, and 1t did win votes Now however, after the election, Senator AL drich body asserts that no republican promise to reviee the tariff was made. (
 Wlil the devil was sick, the devil
 monk would be;
 When the devil was well. the devil 4
 monk vas he
 Promise of Revision.
 ''If President Tafts campaign speeches and inaugural address do not promise re- vision downward then Tallyrand was cor rect when he said that language is in- vented to conceal thought. 1t Is as well settled as anything in the future can be that the average rates of the Payne Ald- rich bill will be higher than the average rates Of the Dingley bill. What is the President going to do about it? The news reports from the White House are quite confusing. One day 1t Is promulgated that the President believes in non-in- reference with Congress, the next we are informed that while he expresses no opln- ion as to any particular item, he will veto the bill unless it redeems republican promises for downward revision. But how can the President refuse to veto the bill and at the same time keep faith with the people? They were certainly led to believe tbat If he were elected with republican Congress there would be substantial revision downward and they will be satisfied with nothing less. If he vetoes the Payne-Aldrich mon- strosity he will take high rank as a President. Otherwise not Such an op- portunity to bless a mighty people and at the same time to win imperishable renown has come to few men in this world.
 The overshadowing question Is. will he seize this golden opportunity to enroll himself among his country's greatest benefactors? Let us hope that he will He did not owe his nomination to Ald- rich and other tariff barons. There ls no reason why he should give them aid and comfort in his efforts to make even heavier the heavy tariff yoke which the people have borne for a decade and of which they hoped and still hope he will help relieve them"