The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-06-10
TAX ON IRON ORE
Senator Stone Tells Why many
Democrats Voted For X.
ONLY REVENUE DUTY

ONLY REVENUE DUTY
Was Voted for by the Democrats,
Which Was in Accordance With
All Democratic Prccedence7-The
Tax Rather Hurts Than Helps the
Huge Steel Trust.
In the United States senate, Sen
ator Stone of Missouri, made state
ment in which all Democrats will
be interested. Senator Stone spoke
on the vote, Of, certain Democratic
senators in favr T tariff on iron
ore, and as Senator Tillman has been
accused of being in league with the
! Steel Trust because he voted for the
tariff on iron ore, we present some
| extracts from Senator Stones state
ment so as our readers can see ii
the charge against Senator Tillman
is true or false. Here IS Senator
Stones statement:
Mr.. President, am one of the
eighteen Democrats. who voted to
put dulJ of 25 cents per ton on
iron ore. The eighteen Democrats
| who voted that way are Messrs. Ba-
con, Bailey, Bankhead, Chamberlain,
Clay, Daniel, Fletcher, Foster, Fra
zier, Johnston of Alabama, McEnery
martin, Payter, Simmons, Stone, Tai
iaferro, Taylor and Tillman. Ten
Democrats voted to put iron ore on
| the free list, viz, Messrs. Clarke OF
Arkansas, Culberson, Gore, Hughes
Newlands, Overman, Rayuer, Shively
Smith of Maryland and Smith OF
South Carolina.
Mr.. president, when the question
of putting a duty on iron ore was
etfore the senate, was hesitant AID
somewhat uncertain as to what wis
the right and proper thing to do:
Int N the en1 the best Judgment o:
wn:c1 am capable, not only as a
parry man, but as one desirous o:
promoting the best policy for the
public welfare, l conceived it to be
my duty to vote as I did. / believe
in the doctrine of revenue tariff,
and this whether considered from Lha
standpoint of the constitutional pow
er vested in congress to levy tariffs
or from the standpoint of economic
policy. l believe that tariffs should
be levied with the primary object
OF producing a needed public reve-
nue., and that the duties should be
as widely distributed and laid upon
as many articles as possible. always,
of course, having in view the needs
of the government; and | hold that
the burden should be made lightest
upon articles of common use and
| heaviest upon others.
Under present circumstances !
doubt the wisdom, or | might more
properly say the feasibility, Of an
! extended free list; but at the same
time having in view the needs Of the
/ treasury, ! favor admitting free OF
! duty as many, articles OF common
necessity as possible where the art
| icles are controlled by monopoly.
l do not as general proposition sub
scribe to the notion advocated by
some of free raw materials to those
who manufacture them, and at the
same time allow protective duties
on the manufactured products. Sue
cinctly stated that is my view of the
Democratic position on the tariff
| question.
Now, in applying this view to the
! case of iron ore. The first fact con-
fronting me was that the duty of 25
cents per ton was purely revenue
duty, and il no sense protective
duty. twenty-five cents per ton on
ore is equivalent to about 10 per
| cent ad valorem. That means that
under that rate all ores coming from
| the outside into this country for cor
sumption, except that coming from
Cuba, would pay duty OF approXl-
mately / 0 per cent. Under our reci-
procity agreement with Cuba, ores
from that island would come in un-
der a reduced rate. and would pay
20 per cent less than ores from 9TH
er foreign mines In other words,
placing the rate at 25 cents per ton,
while foreign ores generally would
pay 10 per cent ad ralorem, Cuba
ores would pay per cent. Whether
! in the one case or the other manifest
ly the duty is very low.
Mr.. President. every since We have
had tariff laws. and we have had
them for more than century. there
has been q duty on iron ore. In
all our tariff laws up to this time,
whether made by Democrats, Re
publicanS, or others, q duty has been
laid on these ores. The duty Of %
cents per ton, for which | voted, is
the lowest duty ever imposed upon
iron ore in any tariff bill ever enact
ed by the American congress. Even
the Walker bill, that TiseSt, best ar