Evening star., 1909-06-05
/ intend to present the
are here or not.
truth anyhow"
AIdrici1, at Night Session,
Explains Cotton Schedules

Explains Cotton Schedules
Senator Aldrich. chairman of The
finance committee. made his long-ex-
pected explanation of the cotton sched-
ule of the pending tariff bill to the
Senate last night. A large crowd 81
spectators filled the galleries. antici-
pating a repetition of the interesting
time of Wednesday night.
There was also a good attendance of
senators. The closest attention was
paid to Mr.. Aldrich's speech.
Explained in Detail.
Each amendment was explained in
detail by Mr.. Aldrich
The amendments which have been
suggested apply but to a very small
portion of the cotton schedules,
said Mr.. AIdrich. IF one would have
listened to the debate one would sup
pose the amendments applied to the
whole cotton schedule and that three
fourths of rates of the Dingley law
would have been increased by these
amendments"
But only 10 per cent of cotton sched
ule was affected by the amendments,
he added. while 90 per cent was un-
affected. with the exception of few
classes of carded yarns.
Mr.. Aldrich said that in no tariff act
have there been fixed rates so low A.;
the schedule pertaining to cotton cloth
and cotton manufactures generally
Cloths valued at from cents to .il
cents now pay specific rates, and these
have not been changed by the Senate
bill.
These cloths cover 81 per cent of
all the cloths imported and 81 or rs
per cent of all the cloths manufactured
in the United States added Mr.. Al
drich.
Great Refund Of Duties.
Reviewing the various court decisions
in reference to the cotton schedule Mr.
Aldrich declared that the government has
paid out as much as 5000 600 year as
refunds OF duties on account OF decisions
resulting from ambiguity in the Dingle.
law.
Speaking of the trial Of such cases in
the courts Mr.. Aldrich said the govern
ment has been placed at a serious dis
advantage through the fact that the same
attorneys could not be had to look after
and higher courts. He declared that
nearly every man who showed great abil-
ity in the service Of the government had
been taken into the service of importers
to prosecute cases against the govern
ment.
The existing cotton schedule does not
remedy the method of meeting such con-
ditions. said Mr.. Aldrich. He added that
the committee in another paragraph
would attempt to deal with the subject.
tended to prevent undervaluations, which
the Senate has not yet taken up.
Protests Only for Importers.
Contending that the great consuming
public which buys cotton In cloths has
not protested against the Senate bill rates
as too high. Mr.. Aldrich declared that
nobody but the importers have been heard
from In protest.
He read a letter from an appraiser in
the New York custom house stating that
goods affected by the decision placing
certain cotton cloths under the para
graphs for cloths assessed according to
the count of threads amounted to 10 to
II per cent Of the importations. The
letter from which he read stated that the
goods. which were assessed at 45 per
cent ad valorem were now assessed at
from - TO 40 per cent as result OF the
court decision.
Declaring that the menace TO the cotton
goods industry of the United States will
be the manufa cture of those goods by
Japan Mr.. Aldrich said that Japan today
has four large cotton manufactures in
operation, and said that 1t would be hard
to say what would be the result IL in the
next ten years Japan should 60 extern
sively into the manufacture of cotton. He
called attention to the 6-cents-a-day labor
in the land of the rising sun and to the
ability of its people In decorative work.
He predicted. on the other hand, that
the United States would become the
greatest producer and manufacturer Of
cotton goods nthe world il its interests
were properly protected.
South's Interest Involved.
states In the manufacture of cotton
goods. declaring that South Carolina has
become second only to Massachusetts, in
the manufacture of cotton goods, that
North Carolina is third and Georgia
fourth.
1T is not for me to say how the sena-
tors from. the south shall vote on this
cotton schedule" said Mr.. Aldrich.
Il say to those senator's on the other
side of the chamber that the stake of the
south is greater than that of the north,
predict that when another bill IS
drafted the south will have three-fourths
of the cotton mills"
Insisting that no man could point to an
act or word of his to indicate that he
was not as vitality interested In the pros
perity of the south as he is In the prog
1883 VI niS u"H Scc.'oh' 1Ni' Aiuii iSh ~
pealed directly to the representatives of
southern states to meet the question
fairly.
Il appeal to you directly-not to vote
for this bill, for / know that this you
will not do while I am in the Senate
but to look at this question as affecting
the prosperity of your section" said the
Rhode Island senator. THE time will
come when the south will be found
standing shoulder to shoulder with the
north In an effort to perpetuate this great
industry in the United States
New England Friend Of South.
Looking straight across the aisle into
the faces Of the democratic senator's who
were giving the most respectful attention
to his speech. Mr.. Aldrieh said that the
time is near when the cotton manufacture
ing industry would be far more importan,
to the south than 1t is to the north. He
declared that the New England senators
had proved themselves to be the south s
best friends.
Mr. AIdrich read a letter signed by four
of the general appraisers. including VIII
liam H. Parkhill. whose figures were
quoted by Senators Dolliver and La Fol-
lette. in which these experts declared that
the committees amendment to the para
graphs on cotton cloth imposed rates
which we're no greater than those origi-
nally provided by the Dingley act.
Mr. Aldrich addressed the southern
members Of the Senate, telling them that
he thought their obligations to their con-
stituencies demanded that they support
the Senate bills. cotton schedule. and
also argued that the republicans should