Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-23
PAYNE EXPLAINS
TARIFF MEASURE
FIRST GUN IS FIRED IN WAR TO
CHANGE REVENUES
LEADER OF REvIsIoNIsTs DE-
FENDs PROPOSED SCHEDULE
Declares It Is American Protective
PoIIcy-Champions Dingley Law
as a Boon, to United
States

WASHINGTON, March 22.-The first
gun In the tariff debate was fired in
the house today by Mr.. Payne of New
York.
Before he began his remarks an
agreement was reached under which,
while the bill is under consideration.
the daily sessions shall start at II
o'clock instead of at non. In opening
Mr.. Payne declared that the country
was overwhelmingly in favor of pro-
tective tariff.
at Is In favor of a protective tariff.
Tt is an American policy" he said, land
it seems to ibe a question acquiesced IN
by the great majority of the American
people" -,
Mr.. Payne declared the Dingley bill
had proved to be boon to the people
of the United States, in proof of which
statement he cited the immense collec-
lions of revenue and expenditures I'M
der il as given in his recent report on
the bill.
Those expenditures, he said, includ-
ed $780, 900 900 for the Panama camel, ror
which no bonds were issued.
so that" he said, "the entire sur
plus over the ordinary expenditures OF
1000 during that period"
To Guard Schedules
Emulating the ways and means COM
mittee of the house, the Republican
members of the finance committee or
the senate will take extraordinary pre-
cautions to prevent the dtVHfg1ng OF
schedules agreed upon for the new
tariff bill until such time as the bill
has been perfected
In the few sessions of the committee
that have been held rates have not been
discussed at all. The discussions nave
been confined to questions of procedure,
such as agreeing upon the employment
of certain experts in tarln making 10
aid in preparing bill.
All the Republican senators nave
agreed that they will not discuss rates
outside the committee room. Follow
ing the usual custom, the Democratic
members of the finance committee will
not be consulted until the bill has
been completed. They will have an
opportunity to examine it, however,
before it is reported to the senate,
though this courtesy has not been
shown in the past and Is contrary to
the procedure Of the house ways and
means committee In connection with
the Payne bill. The Republican MEM
bers of the ways and means committee
completed their bill and 1t was intro
duced in the house before the Demo-
cratic members OF the committee
saw it.
The first chance they had to express
themselves upon it occurred in the
committee after the bill had been re-
ferred and that opportunity was ex-
tremely limited.
Plan as Outlined
The plan outlined by Senator Aid
rich and his Republican colleagues on
the finance committee is to take up
the bill and put 1t into shape and then
to call the full committee together.
The Democrats then would then have
the unhampered chance of submitting
a minority report to the senate at the
same time the bill is reported. The
minority members of the committee
Wills assume any responsibility for
the measure If the ordinary custom is
followed.
1t is likely, however, they will take
the house tariff bill and dissect 1t and
build party measure which would be-
come an important part Of the minority
report.
In maintaining secrecy on rates to
be recommended by the finance COM
mittee, 1t has been decided not to in
corporate in the bill any figures until
the bill is completed. There will be
prepared tables which Will be kept I'M
der cover in the committee room and
not taken therefrom by any member
Of the committee. These tables will be
in the custody of trusted employees.
AS a further means of preventing
disclosures concerning details of the
bill, the question of rates will be post
poned until the phraseology of the va
rious principles to be incorporated in
the measure has been agreed upon. In
60. 0f tI1n hi will
be perfected before an effort is made
to agree upon any of the several sched-
ules over which there is likely to be
conflict between the senate and house.