The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-08-12
What the People VIII Pay Less
and More For President
Tdtt's Fight For Down.
ward Revision.


subject to a fine OF $1,000 and i'm
prisonment for one year.
During the closing days OF the tar
If controversy, before the bill was
voted on for final passage, over forty
Republicans who had grievances Of
one sort or another against certain Of
the provisions of the bin stated that
they would vote against 1t. They had
1t In their power to defeat the meas
ure and force the president to call
another special session In September
or October. They had the party lead
ers plainly worried for time, but
| the able peacemakers at the capital,
Including President Taft himself, sue
ceeded in calming the ruflled waters ut
last
HISTORY OF THE BILL.
The new tariff law will be known In
history as the Payne bill, taking Its
name from the chairman Of the house
committee of ways and means, the
Hon. Serene u. Payne Of New York,
who also had a part In framing the
Mckinley and Dingley acts. Actually
! 1t should perhaps be called the Payne
AMrich bin, as the chairman OF the
senate finance committee has had quite
as much to do with debating Its final
provisions as Mr. Payne. On this line
Of reasoning. however, there are those
who insist that 1t should be called the
Taft BILL as the hand Of the president
has been seen in all the moves that
have shaped 1t from the days OF the
Republican national convention that
nominated him and adopted a plank
for tariff revision up until the hour OF
the final fight In conference committee,
| when the big man In the White House
| made his historic fight for free raw
materials and for carrying out the
promises Of the party.
II Is the first time there has been
change Of the tariff laws In twelve
years, the Dingley act having gone
into effect In 1897 The inception Of
that law was strikingly like that OF
the present. In each case 1t was en-
acted by an extra session OF congress,
called as the first act Of an incoming
administration. More noteworthy still,
each of these extra sessions was called
to meet on March Is, the first one
having been issued by William McKin-
ley Of Ohio, the last by William How
ard Taft of Ohio.
The Tariff Plank.
The agitation within the Republican
party for revision of the Dingley
act has gone on from the days Of the
"Iowa idea" until at last 1t eliminated
in the plank in the last Republican
platform beginning
''The Republican party declares un
equlvocally for a revision Of the tar
iff by a special session OF congress i'm
mediately following the Inauguration
of the next president"
In his campaign on that platform
Mr.. Taft construed this plank as mean
ing revision downward, point that h
Insisted on In his speeches and finall!
clinched In his inaugural address whel
be said that conditions had so changed
relative to the Dingley act that the.
"will permit the reduction Of rates II
certain schedules and win require tn
advancement Of few, II any" Tha
, meant revision downward, which wa
, recognized substantially by the hous
bill, but was changed to actual rt
; vision upward by the senate bill.
was at this point that the preslden
quietly but firmly injected himsel
into the fight In the conference b'
= tween the two houses, the house stan(
ing behind him and forcing the senat
:. to Yield. The Payne bill In its preser
!, form Is the result.
4 First Tariff Bill.
: The first tariff bill enacted In tn
8 United States was that Of the Fir
t. congress. The opening section Of thf
0 bill stated that, In addition to securin
= money for the support of the govern
Il ment, the tariff was adopted for "th
encouragement and protection Of maj
: ufactures." From that time politics
parties of national scope have clashe
/. on the issue of the tariff as to whetht
t or not II should be more than "f(
d revenue only"
o The expenses of the war OF 1Sl
b necessItated material increase In Il
It tariff, but an adjustment occurred tW
j. years after the close Of the WI
n through an act prepared by Hem
o Clay.
l. In 1926 the tariff was jumped up
a few pegs, and n year later It WEI
higher, from 81 to Al per cent.
When, in 1882, bill establishing
Il protective tariff policy was passe'
r South Carolina refused to recognii
q the validity Of the increased duti'
# and threatened to secede. PresldeI
. Jackson had to dispatch warship
d South Carolnaian waters.
u A horizontal reduction Of the tari
It took place In 1888. Twelve years late
l. under Folks administration, a b
D. uFdlteu ny NuuSlN D. w "lhS'' oNNiC"'
,s Of the treasury. was adopted, standir
l. mildly for the protective policy. Th
N bill lasted until 1857, when reductiC
IN to 20lh per cent occurred on the ave
age duties. Actually free trade sy
N TEN, this low tariff proved adequa
-e for all government needs until the ou
m break of the civil war, when an l
s, creased income was necessitGted.
30 The Morrill, Bill.
to The Morrill, act Of 1861 increas,
lie duties about one-third, and the Il
Or was extended to include tea, coff
- and sugar. Internal revenue was &C
lected, beginning I'm 1862, and two yea
later the duties were raised 80 p,
AT cent for period Of ninety days.