The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-07
CUMMlNS SAYS
KEEP PLEDGE"
Makes Earnest Plea For
Downward Revision.
MUST CHECK MONOPOLIES

Declares That People Are Aroused
and viii Demand That Tariff
Schedules Be Lowered In Order
That Favored Few May Not Con.
tlnue to Reap lnordinate Profits.
viii Seek TO Reduce Iron Duties
one.Third Of DlngIey Rates.
Washington, May 7.-But small
progress was made in the considera-
tion OF the tariff bill by the senate,
the lead schedule being under discus.
sion. Senator Bristow made a strong
fight against increases in the rates Of
the schedules over the duties provid.
ed in the house on the ground that
such increases would necessarily in.
crease the cost of paint, which the
farmers use extensively. During the
discussion Senators Beveridge and
Gallinger engaged in a sharp colloquy,
during which MIR. Gallinger accused
the Indiana senator of advertising
his own wares"
Earlier in the day Senator Cummins
addressed the senate in favor of low
er duties, especially in the iron and
steel schedules. He declared that the
people would take matters in their
own hands IL the law did not check
monopolies, and said that in that
event convenient lampposts would be
found.
"The bill now before us, which II
may be assumed presents the views
of the finance committee respecting
the revision Of the tariff" said Mr..
Cummins, will not be accented by
those who have favored a revision OF
the tariff as either fulfllment of the
party pledge or as a settlement oil
the controversy.
who insisted upon tariff revision?
It was not the manufacturer; it was
not the lumberman; II was not the
coal man; 1t was not the iron and
steel man; It was not the glass man.
1t was not the cotton or the wooden
man; 1t was not the oil man. The de-
mand came from those who believed
that the duties upon many articles
and commodities were too high; from
those who believed that they were
paying too much for the things they
had to buy, and that excessive import
duties, coupled with other conditions,
were enabling favored few to reap
inordinate profits; and therefore they
NJ aNfaA nc nf ata
to the remedy which they sought,
substantial reduction Of these duties"
The people, declared Mr.. Cummins,
have seen the forces OF competition
weaken in the larger fields
Of industry through concentration,
agreements and "all the
other modern mechanism which an in.
genious age has discovered" Contin-
uing, he said; "They have seen com.
petition shut out of some OF these
fields by the intervention of excessive
import duties. They have felt the in.
justice of the determinations which
the vast power Of our transportation
systems can infiict. They knew that
those things were wrong, and after
bearing the burden until It became in
tolerable they began to move with
strength along the path.
way OF reform"
''If we fail now TO substantially re-
duce the duties upon the important
schedules" said Mr.. Cummins, we
but postpone the justice due to the
people, justice which, thanks to the
genius of our institutions, they have
the power to enforce, and which In
the fullness of time they will en-.
force"
OF the iron and steel industry, Mr..
Cummins said: IF the United States
Steel corporation needs no protec-
tion, then the independent com.
panies can not need the duties i'm
posed by this bill. They would be
amply cared for IL the proposed du-
ties were divided in twain: but to be
and yet TO hold in mind
the interests of the consumers of
these products, shall, when these
are reached propose
reducing the duties be-
low those shown in the report Of the
finance committee substantially 80 1-3
per cent"