The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1909-11-19
would certainly oppose the election

would certainly oppose the election
OF Mr. Cannon as speaker of the
house, and would throw my whole
soul i0tO the movement for such a
reformation Of the rules Of the house
as would remoye the despotism Of the
speaker, and make it possible for an
individual member to be more self
respecting, and further, would make
IT pOssible for the constituency Of
every member to actually see how it's
representative stands upon the various
questions.
On the tariff question my position
Is very generally known. ! was un.
firing. as many citizens Of idaho can
testify. In bringing before the COM
mittee onsways and means OF the
house, during the last session OF con.
gress of which l vas member, the
evidence that the committee had
when it considered and prepared the
schedules upon the Idaho products.
during the special session which
Immediately followed. / am 10 favor
OF the duties that were placed upon
these products, and recognize that In
the prosperity Of the producers of our
lead, our lumber, our sugar. our wool
and our live stock, the success Of our
state 10 large part depends. Certain
features Of the tariff bill l do not ap.
prove at all. What excuse can there
be 70 duty upon grain bags? Abso.
lutely nonel What excuse for leather
goods, harness, boots aud shoes being
given protection when protection is
denied the farmer or stock raiser who
has hide to sell? When compared
with the duty that has been given to
protect our wool producers, the duty
upon manufactured woQlens is abso-
lutely unteDable and indefensible,
and the consumer has this to pay.
There are other features that are
equally unreasonable.
am in favor OF the establishment
Of permanent tariff commission, not
one that has name but no RESPONSE
bility, but commission that will be
able to make responsible inquiry into
the cost Of production Of the various
commodities produced abroad, that
are in competition with the COM
modities produced at home, and be
able to make some intelligent report
showing the difference between the
cost Of actual production abroad and
at home, which would he used as u
basis for tariff legislation accordingly.
The producer within the United
! States would have in such tariff
law the protection he could reasonably
ask for, while the consumer would
not be held up and robbed by the
unscrupulous producer who today
takes refuge behind the tariff law In
his extortionate charges. On the
tariff question, the drst great need in
my opinion, Is reasonable and fully
authorized tariff commission.
On the rate question, such regula.
tion Of transportation and all trans.
portation matters pertaining to the
states alone must be handled through
federal legislation. d. not believ.
in federal ownership, but l do believ,
in federal regulation. We have tina
in part. but not sufficiently. W.
have taken long step In the righ
direction, and l am proud that l wa
a member of congress at the time an'
had a part in passing the presen
railroad rate law. We must e
further and one of the drst reform
we must bring about is the division
of the country into zones for rat
charges. A zone should correspond
either to certain geographical an
) natural division or to an arbitrar
division that might be established
r Certainly this fight vii. not be wO
i until Idaho citizens shall not tie dis
eliminated against 10 favor OF coas
e points. The matter Is not settled s
$ long as we must pay the freight frOl
j the east to the coast or the rate Il
n that distance plus the distance bac
q again.
# Not only will direct legislation al
!, Ia the solution Of the great tran
:, portation question, but anoth'
!. powerful aid will come through u
l. improvement Of our waterways.
: am very proud that l had part
: Il i'm hn