Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-08-07
FIND A : JOKER IN Bill
Nesterners Not Deceived by
Conference Report.
Taft Says That He Was Not ssFooled, 2
But Still the Rates ON Other
Leather Goods Will Have
to Come Down.

Leather foods VIII Have
to Come Down.
iff legislation has been delayed again
by the hide and leather question and
as a result the conferees were again
called together today.
The session was for the purpose of
enticing into the open certain eb-
ony hued person. who was reported
by Western senators to be lurking in
the "woodpile.'' These senators said
the leather schedule as arranged by
the conferees with the approval of the
President, was unfair to the states in
terested. It was agreed today they
must be conciliated il the conference
report is to be adopted
Soon after the Senate met today the
Senate leader and his associates
learned that the charge that there was
a Joker in the compromised hide
and leather schedule had upset the
comfortable majority they had pre-
viously counted for the for the adop
ton Of the conference report.
The difficulty was reported to be 4
lack of understanding between the
conferees, the President and the
Western senators concerning the con-
dition under which the latter consent
ed to hides being placed on the free
list. The Westerners said they had
been lead to believe that all boots and
shoes of leather were to be dutiable at
per cent When the conference re-
port was issued it appeared that the
reductions applied only to articles
manufactured in chief part of the
class of hides which were to be made
free of duty. The reductions would
not apply to shoes, the uppers OF
which were made of calfskin, or 20
harness, the chief value of which was
calfskin.
Finding the Westerners not amen
able to argument, some of the Senate
leaders and some of the dissatisfied
members returned to the White House
They were informed that the Presi
dent had not been fooled. He was re-
ported to have told all of his callers
that he fully understood the charac
ter of the compromise.
1t was declared by the conferees in
defense of their action that the course
pursued was necessary from a parlia-
mentary standpoint. To have reduced
all boots and shoes, they said, would
have compelled the re-submission @:
the question to the House.
Senator Aldrich was among those
soon as he returned to the capitol he
called the conferees together and a
number of senators were given an au
dience before the committee.
Senator A1drich and Representative
Payne said the language employed in
adjusting the hide controversy was
not joker. An effort was made to
reach an understanding with the men
in the hide raising states.
Senators Brown and Borah both
had letters from the President bear
ing upon the alleged Joker" which
w CT . ICG1u IL LuC COALCA COo. L AO l. 90
ident asserted that the leather and
hide schedule as adopted by the con-
ferees was just as he had understood
| it. He said the reduction On leather
goods should be made on manufac
lures of leather goods and not in
clude manufactures of the heretofore
| free hides.
1t was realized by the conferees
| that these senator's, augmented by the
progressive Republicans opposed to
the Payne-Aldrich bill could defeat
the report if they were so inclined.
1t was practically conceded that in
order to secure the passage of the
conference report by safe margin
the low rates on boots and shoes and
harness would have to be applied to
California skin products as well as
leather from class OF hides that are
dutiab1e but which are made free by
the conference report.
No program has been reached posi-
lively as to the course Of procedure
that will be followed.
4