Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-01
Closing Discussion of Bill
By Its Enemies and Friends

Chairman Payne concluded his explana-
ton of the bill with an exhortation to the
dissenting republicans to sink their OBJ
jections and stand by the conference re-
port.
Vote against this report" he said, land
YOU will get nothing but agitation; indus
tries will stand still and you will curse
the day when you failed to stand to-
sether in the hour of your country's need
and your party's need.
Let us start up the industries of the
country and bring Joy to the homes of the
workmen."
Mr. Payne was given a rousing round
of applause when he concluded.
Minority Leader Attacks Bill.
Mr. Clark of Missouri, the minority
leader, followed and was given an en-
thusiastic ovation by his democratic col
leagues In characteristic style Mr.. Clark
started off by relating story from which
he attempted to draw the moral that
President Taft had been made to believe
the tariff bill provides revision downward.
while in Mr.. Clark's contention 1t does
not.
This conference report on the tariff
BILL" said Mr.. Clark, rs heralded and
headlined In the public press as a tre-
mendous victory for President Taft over
the forces of evil, represented by Sena-
tor Aldrich and sundry other more or
less eminent statesmen We are told
that congratulations are pouring in upon
him from every side.
He has been grossly misled as to the
nature of this report.
Those downward revisionists who are
congratulating the President uproariously
are most assuredly thankful for small
fa1 u-f
glory justly his due, but when he reflect
upon the fact that, even according to
his most enthusiastic eulogists, he in
sisted on lowering the rates on only
half a dozen items, or Whereabouts, when
the rates should have been lowered on
hundreds of items, and that the con-
ference report still reekS with largesS for
the few and extortions OF the many, his
glory Will experience greater diminu-
ton than have the rates of the Dingley
law.
That the Presidents respect for the
square deal and his jealousy of his own
fame impelled him to honestly desire
a tariff law which would at least meas
urably redeem his own and his party's
ante-election promises for a downward
revision of the tariff will be readily con-
coded by every candid person. That
he has been made to believe by tariff
experts and near-experts that he has
achieved his hearts desire in that re-
gard is not to be disputed. But that
he has been deceived as to this con-
ference report being a downward re-
vision in any reasonable sense OF the
term can, I think, be fundamentally
demonstrated.
Taft Started Too Late.
That he was the potent factor in re-
dueipg the rates on few articles there
is abundant evidence, which leads to
the conclusion that il in week he could
perform that service to the people, had
he begun sooner he could have accom-
plished far more. All the world knows
that 1t is much easier to influence a
mans opinion upon any subject before
he has publicly asserted it than after,
for ordinary human pride makes 1t diff
ficulr for any man TO retreat from a DO
sition once taken in the open.
so. in this case, by delaying too long
to exercise his influence, the President
wrought small measure Of reform by
great exertion, when he might have ac-
complished more had he taken time by
the forelock
Certainly Mr.. Chairman Payne's state
| ment Is one of the most deceptive docu-
| ments ever submitted to the gaze of
men. ! do not charge him with inten-
tional deception. But he, too, has been
deceived by sleight-of-hand performers in
| arithmetic.
Clearly the statement is intended to
convey the impression that the decreases
| in the report when compared with the
increases are as 4.97S, 122, 124 to $50 $50. 525
Indeed, 1t requires a most careful reading
of the first page OF the statement to con-
| clude that 1t Is not intended to convey
the impression that the annual tarif