The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-08-03
bin the Republican. in signing

not Join the Republicans, In signing
the report.
"The senator said he guessed not"
continued Mr.. Aldrich. "Of course we
all knew the Democrats on the COM
mtttee would not join us In assuming
responsibility for this legislation"
Mr.. Aldrich said he had no idea that
any member had expected there would
be another meeting Of the committee.
He said emphatically that he never
promised that the Democratic confer
ees should have day with the COM
mittee. On the other hand, Mr.. Daniel
was sure TT such an agreement had
been made.
sf"ator Bailey interrupted the COL
loq' 70 said while he had never
col Stah right to sit with the
aspae1 tss ss4eeme.. he did d,I} selitSs eve
democrats should g.. tunity
to vote against the cofife. report.
Mr.. Bailey referred to the n,e items
on which the conferees had not been
able to agree as those about which
the president had written to the chair
man In an extra constitutional man.
ner." Before long will demonstrate
how much there has been to do about
absolutely nothing" said Mr.. Bailey,
referring to the influence exercised by
the president in lowering tariff duties.
Il think l can make it manifest that
the people of the United States have
been entertained with some mock he
roics and that this battle which has
been raging here for days and weeks
was nothing more or less than sham
battle"
Recalling incidents of the last ma
ttonal campaign in which he had TAX
en- part, Senator Bristow declared that
President Taft in Kansas had favor
ed a revision of the tariff downward
and he (Bristow) had been elected to
the senate on that issue.
1T was then said that the cost of
production had been reduced and that
the rate of duty should be reduced
proportionately," he explained, land
have endeavored to keep that
pledge"
The fact was, he said, that practi-
ed.
"The tax" said Mr.. Bristow, "has
been taken off of hides and it has been
added to the sole leather suit case
that the American citizen buys. And
yet it had been advertised that a re-
duction has been made on the leather
schedule for the benefit of the Ameri-
can citizen.
Apparently" continued Mr.. Bris-
tow, "the only thing considered in for
mulating the cotton schedule has been
the greed of the cotton manufacturer
of New England"
Taking up one after another of the
schedules. he undertook to demon
strate in detail that the Payne bill had
effected no material reduction in the
duties by which the consumers would
be benefited. Explaining that nu-
merically, the bill contained more in
creases than decreases, he declared
that the decreases were generally un-
important.
"As a Republican SENATOR" said Mr..
Bristow in conclusion, II will not be
party to placing Mr.. Taft in the most
embarrassing position in which it is
possible for president to be plac-
ed; that is, to require him either to
sign a bill that is not what is prom
ised the people, or to compel him to
repudiate the action of Il majority of
his party in both branches of congress
by veto. He has, in substance, ap-
pea1ed to this congress to keep faith
with the people, but in effect it is
bill to ignore that appeal. I love the
president. He has honored me with
his friendship. l am devoted to the
welfare of his administration and for
one, will never vote to send him a
bill for approval that is a violation
of his party's pldeges, and which is
also In my judgment fundamentally
wrong and in many of its details in
iquitous.
II set up no standard for other
senator's. Every man should vote as
his conscience and judgment dictate.
But l feel that had | supported this
bill would be recreant to my duty as
a senator and unfaithful to the peo-
pie who sent me here to represent
them, and I cannot do it."
Saying he believed the passage of
the tariff bill would only be the begin
ming of popular discussion of the
tariff, Senator Bacon expressed him
self as extremely anxious that there
should be no question as to the respon-
sibility Of senator's for the framing of
that measure. He had prepared col
lection of every yea and nay vote TAX
en- on the many amendments to the
bill, together with Il explanation of
the method of voting in the senate,
which he asked to have printed in the
record. This request was granted.
The table, he said, showed the attitude
of the members of the two parties to
all the questions presented. He ex-
planned that it showed that there had
been 137 yea and nay votes on which
the Democrats had voted for lower
and the Republicans for higher duties,
except that in two instances, the Re-
publicans had voted for lower duties.
rurnrTT ilan