The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-01
SENATOR'S BECOME SOUR ON LEMONS Root Pleads Against Increase of
 Tariff Rate DEBATE IS VERY ACRID Senator Gore Touches Upon Banana Trade and Says He Thinks He
 Has Freed Trust and
 Proposes Tariff.
DEBATE IS VERY ACRID

Washington, May S1.-Senators were very sour as they entered the Senate chamber today, because of having to meet on legal holiday As consideration of the tariff bill was taken up the paragraph on lemons over the Dingley law rate of proceeded to defend the amendment pro- posed by the committee on finance, which increased the duty to one and a half cents a pound
 A call being demanded, only AS senators, one more than a quorum answered to their names
 Senator Root made an impassoned ap- peal against any increase in the duty on lemons over the Dinglew law rate of one cent MT. Root declared that the lemon growers of California have made on an average a profit of $5S0 per acre l during the last year with expenditures amounting to $37O.
 T would not eliminate the lemon grow CTS of California or any other American industry but 1t Is a little too much for them to come here and ask an increase of duty when they already are making over 100 per cent profit"
 As the debate proceeded wordy ex- changes between senators became acrd
 Does the senator believe that state ment?" asked MT. Flint, as Mr Root declared that foreign lemons are laid down in New York at $2.42 a box.
 The New York senator replying that he did believe his own statement, MT Flint responded that yet in that very market the price was down to s115 to $1.sO a box which fact MT. Root account ed because the fruit was sold at aue- tion
 MT. Flint met the statement of profits made by lemon growers by declaring | that they had made only per cent upon their business and Senator Page expressed his hope that the duty would be made 1 high enough to permit California and l Florida to raise all the lemons used in this country.
 After speeches by Senator Smith of l Michigan. supporting and Senator Bur kett, opposing the finance committees in- crease of the rate on lemons to 11s cents | per pound the vote was taken. It re- | suited in sustaining the committee, 4d | to 28. Senators Foster of Louisiana and l Fletcher of Florida, democrats, voted i'll l the affirmative, with the republicans, and
 Senators Root, Beveridge, Bristow, Bur | kett, Crawford Cummins, Curtis and La 1 Toilette. republicans with majority oi l the democrats against 1t.
 An amendment proposed by MT. Burkett | to change the method of taxing lemons | from a tax per pound to tax per box ! was defeated without division. MT. Gore in offering an amendment | placing duty of cents a bunch or | bananas. said that the republican party
 and promised the people a fish but hao
 given them a bunch of serpents. He
 hoped the people would lgive them a nest
 of scorpions in return.
 l '1 think l have treed a trust,'' saic | MT. Gore. T am convinced there is 2 1 banana trust In this country"
 He added that the 6 cent duty he pro | posed was equivalent to 19 per cent ae
 valorem or one-tenth of a cent on eacf | banana. He believed this burden could
 not be transferred by the banana mon, opoly to the people but that it would
 add $2,225,0oO of revenue to the treasury