Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-05-15
TARIFF BILL NOW
AT FEVER HEAT
West Virginia Senators are In the
Thick Of the Fight.
SCOTT INTRODUCES AN
AMENDMENT TO The BILL

snow Free iTdue icnuenCicsy anu
Senators Mccumber and Scott Have
Lively Tilt over same--West uir-
einia Senators Favor Night Session.
Washington, ID. c., May S.-This
week has made a notable one In the
Senate. Some advancement has been
made in the tariff bill, but it was
specially noticeable for the fact that
several Republican Senators broke
away from the Republican moorings
and on account of he first vote taken.
Among the Senators to show, at least
free trade tendencies, we're Senators
McCumber, OF North Dakota, and Dol
liver, OF Iowa. Dolliyer was born and
reared in West Virginia bat has lived
since early manhood in Iowa. Under
the guidance of Governor Cummins,
Iowa has tried o break away from
protection on articles which are not
grown or manufactured In that state
and 1t seems that Dolliver has fallen
in line. The first vote on any schedule
in the tariff bill was on Wednesday.
1t showed that the free trade Repub-
licans were only able to muster ten
votes, and this is thought to be the
extent of their strength.
Thursday morning Senator Scott in
troduced an amendment to the "Rayne
Bill" placing duty OF fifty per
centum ad valorem on oil, crude or re-
fined, and it's product. This was in
answer to the Plea of the oil men OF
West Virginia and he will fight to the
uttermost to have it adopted.
The West Virginia Senators have
had their hands full all the week.
Neither Senator Elkins nor Senator
Scott have been able to be away from
the Senate Chamber scarcely a mo-
ment, but are ready for any amount OF
work On Wednesday when Senator
Beyeridge, of Indiana, wanted the
hours OF meeting changed from eleven
to twelve o'clock. Senator Scott said:
mir. President, hope that rule will
not be made. For my part, | think
the things we should do in the present
emergency and in the condition OF the
country is to meet here at night and
hold night sessions in addition to day
sessions. We do not want to keep
the country hanging by the eyelids, as
it were. for months and months. we
want to give manufacturers of the
country and the business men an OPP
portunity to go ahead AS 1t Is, they
do not know what we are going to do
and what they can depend upon. /
think putting off the meeting until IL
o'clock is ridiculous under present
conditions and the stress the business
people of the country are under"
The senator takes the view that the
sooner that this is all over the better
it will be for the country.
He was prepared for an argument
with Senator Dolliver on the glass
schedule but the Senator from Iowa
did not touch on that in his long
speech. In a running debate last week
he spoke OF the glass schedule but
Senator Scott was able to show him
where he was wrong and did not in
this address criticise It at all
With Senator McCumber. though,
Senator Scott had a heated little de-
bate and upheld the principles which
he believes in and which he thinks
are of vital importance to the State
of West Virginia. During the course
of his speech Senator McCumber said:
no tariff should be levied upon
iron, coal oil, or timber where duty
upon any one of these articles con-
travenes every. principle of the pro
tective policy of the Nation"
To this Senator Scot replied as fol.
lows:
Il wish to ask the Senator from
North Dakota if he could not find
something else that we have in West
Virginia which he thinks should be
protected? The good Lord made II
possible for us to find oil and coal and
iron ore and lumber in my State. II
was His great privilege to give the
Dakotas a great soil-6 or s feet
thick-on which they can raise grain
for a great many years. The Senator,
suppose, thinks the Lord discriml-
mated in his favor and against us, be-
cause We happen to be a mountainous
State filled with minerals, with oil.
with coal, lumber and that therefore
we should have no protection; that he
should have 20 per cent. on barley and
an additional protection on grain, and
of course we are not to be considered
in any revision, except merely to put
us out Of business. | suppose that the
Senator thinks that the Lord did not
intend for anybody to live in West
Virginia.
"He wants free nail, free iron and
steel products of all kinds, free lum-
Der. free coal, free oil out in North
Dakota, and at the same time pleads
that the productions Of his State must
be placed on the dutiable list. Mr..
President, I believe in protection that
protects everywhere. AS a'i att