Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-04
THREATEN TO REVOLT
Republicans Demand Changes
in Tariff Bill.
PETITION THE COMMITTEE
Thirty Members Formulate Amend.
ments They Desire Reported.
DUTY ON COAL AND IRON ORE
West Virginians Especially Insist
ent in Demands-other Com
mittee Reductions Agreed To.

Insurrection among the republican men,
bership again menaces the House leader
ship. This time it is directed against the
tariff bill.
| Some thirty republican members of the
| House met yesterday afternoon to
| formulate a demand upon the ways and
| means committee that amendments to
| the pending tariff bill which they desire
| shall be authorized in the rule to be re-
ported to the House next Monday.
Representative Hughes Of West Vir-
ginia presided over the meeting. which
| was attended by three of the members of
| the ways and means committee: Rep
| resentatives Fordney (Mich.), Cushman
| (Wash) and Gaines (West Virginia).
Those present have been most prominent
| in advocating certain changes in the bill
Their opposition is largely responsible for
| the delay in taking up the measure under
| the five-minute rule
A number of these members contended
| that their desire was merely to permit the
Offering of amendments to the lumber,
| hide. iron ore and coal schedules in or
| der that there might be a vote on them.
That such a vote might result in placing
| lumber on the free list and that the other
evident during the past few days. 1t was
| therefore decided that the. best way in
| which to bring about the changes desired
was to have the rule that is to be brought
| In Monday restrict amendments to those
which the ways and means committee
will report, and have that committee in
clude the five amendments asked for in
| the petition.
Petition to Chairman Payne.
| Implying that they would vote against
any rule to restrict amendments to the
Payne bill unless the changes they de-
sire are provided for by the ways and
means committee. the republicans in the
meeting decided to send the following
petition to Chairman Payne:
| To the republican members of the ways
| and means committees:
THE undersigned request your commit
| tee to present the following committee
amendments to the Payne tariff bill:
AN amendment providing for a duty
of forty-five cents a ton Of 1000 pounds
on coal and striking out the provision
for reciprocity;
For a duty of TWENTY-FIVE cents a
ton on iron ore;
For a duty of 50 ton on pig iron
and scrap iron;
For a duty of 10 per cent on hides:
THE amendment to the lumber schedule
TO be confined TO the proviso-
"A rule which will provide for the above
Will receive our support
1t was claimed by the leaders of the
| movement that fully fifty signatures of
republican members would. be subscribed
| to the petition by Monday.
Those Who Were Present.
| Besides the three members of the COM
mittee. the following republicans were
among those present at the meeting:
Representatives Hughes. woodward and
nedy, Johnson and Thomas, Ohio; Ellis
and Hawley. Oregon; Loud and Young,
| Michigan; Morehead, Cowles and Grant,
| North Carolina: Focht. Barclay and
Wheeler. Pennsylvania; Rowland, Utah;
Mondell, Wyoming: Langley, Kentucky,
and Humphreys. Washington.
The ways and means committee yes
| terday upon motion of Mr.. Fordney of
| Michigan decided TO report an amend
ment striking out the countervailing
duty provision on lumber. and. in their
| petition. the opposition express the de-
| sire that the rule for considering the
1 tariff bill will limit amendments in the
| lumber schedule to the proviso. This
would make it impossible to have a
vote on the question of free lumber or
to raise the duties to what they are
under the Dingley law.
1t had been the impression that the
| ways and means committee would report
an amendment placing the same duty on
| scrap iron as the bill provides for pig
| iron, it having been contended that no
pig iron would be imported under the
| provisions of the Payne bill. which
places a duty of 30 cents per ton on scrap
4 iron and duty of $40 per ton on pig
i iron. Under the Dinglcy law both ar
( ticIes pay duty Of 81 a ton. The pc
tition seeks to have the duty fixed at So
1 u ton on both.
/ All the republican members except four
[ who were present at the meeting which
4 ri daA hf moi
intention of voting against the rule to be
reported Monday. unless the committee Of
/ fers their amendments.
West Virginians Insistent.
| The West Virginia members are partic-
ularly determined to have the reciprocity
provision permitting the free en-
| try of coal from countries which impose
no duty on coal from the United States
stricken out, and the duty on bituminous
| coal. including cum and slack. fixed at ~
cents per ton of 1000 pounds. The Payne
bill. as reported. makes the duty the saIpe
as in the Dingley law, with the exception
that slack and culm are included under
the same rate. The Dingley law provides
duty of Is cents per ton of twenty eight
bushels on coal slack or culm.
Besides taking off the duty on tea and
tho countervailing clause for coffee the
WAYS and means committee yesterday de-
mcnts reducing the duties in the original
hll. The duty on peas was reduced to
-, cents per bushel, II cents less than
at present. Evergreen seedlings and
| Glove stems were placed on the free list.
| The phraseology of the paragraph deiin-
ing the term cotton CLOTH, and the
met hod Of determining the count of
threads 10 the square inch. which would
have Increased the duty on cotton cloth
700 800 per cent. was amended to
read the in the Dinsley law
/ Finding that section IL of the Payne
bill. which provides that patent issued
by the United States to a citizen sub
ject of. foreign country shall be sub
iect TO the same conditions imposed by
I that country on Il citizen of the United
States. i'm violation of an interna-
tional convention which precludes any
discrimination against foreign citizens i'm
the patent laws. the committee decided to
strike out that section.
Tobacco Section Amended
The section which prescribes that no
packages OF tobacco or cigarettes shall
be permitted to have packed in. attached
to or connected with them any article
other than the manufacturers wrappers
and labels. the internal revenue stamp
and the tobacco or cigarettes, was
amended TO conform with amendment
that was made To the Dingley law The
object of this section n to prevent the