Evening star., 1909-06-11
HAD HOPED TO VOTE AND
FIGHT FOR PENDING BILL
Marvels at Finance Committees
Blindness to Reason and Justice.
OBJECTS TO WOOL SCHEDULE
Threatens Motion to Recommit if
Reduction and Readjustment Are
Voted Down by the
Senate.

Senate.
Boldly and without reservation, Senator
Cummins of Iowa, one of the leading re-
publican ''progressives,'' on the floor of
the Senate today asserted that the Aldrich
high tariff policy was "subjecting the re-
publican party to unmeasured ridicule,
unlimited criticism and eventually to in
evitable defeat"
When this debate started" he de-
clared, Il expected that the light of rea-
would be turned on the schedules of
this bill and that the Senate could not
help but vote for more reasonable ad-
Justment of the rates. l expected to be
able TO vote for the bill and to go back
TO the public forum in my state and de-
fend it in the next campaign"
Marvels at Tariff Trainers.
Turning to Senators Smoot of Utah and
McCumber of North Dakota, both menu
bers of the finance committee, he contin-
ued, solemnly:
How can you expect a republican,
brought up in the faith. TO vote for such
schedule as this?''
He referred to the wool schedule which
he had been discussing for over an hour.
and which he claimed was dntiauated and
wholly unjust and discriminating in its
provisions.
Il marvel al you," he went on for
your blindness. / marvel at your will
;ngness TO commit the republican party
to this sort of tariff revision. For, while
admitting the justice of the principle, l
know that here is the most radical mis-
application OF it that you could con-
Ceive.
How can You, in view of the facts
that have been presented here, refuse TO
recommit this schedule and insist that II
be readjlsted according to the fair and
just teachings of protection?
Il want TO vote for this bill. l want to
defend it before the people. But how
can vote for such a schedule as this?
And how can I defend it,
What Was Objected To.
Mr.. Cummins was complaining partica-
larry of the provision of the Dingley law,
which 1t is proposed TO re-enact in the
Payne-Aldrich bill. granting 'compensa-
tory duties 10 American wooden manu-
facturers because of the higher price they
have to pay for their raw material owing
to the tariff
This compensatory duty he asserted
could only reasonably be assessed on the
wool content of cloth. Yet the bill pro-
vided for assessing it upon the entire
cloth, no matter whether il contained
much or little wool, she objected.
Senator Cummins trained his guns on
the Aldrich wool schedule at the begin
ming of the session today. At the outset
he told the finance committee that if the
La Toilette amendment To reduce and re-
adjust the duties OF this schedule were
voted down, he would at once move to
send the entire schedule back 10 the COM
mttee.
Reading the motion he proposed to
offer, he announced that he would
deavor to have the Senate instruct the
committee to leave the duties un-
manufactured wool unchanged; to fix
compensatory duties on manufactured
wooens which will represent the differ
ence between the cost of the wool TO
American and foreign manufacturers, and
also to fix additional duties on manufac
tured woolenS equal to the difference in
the cost of production at home and
abroad, allowing a fair profit to the do
mestic manufacturer, but less the COM
pensatory duties.
Sheep Raisers Need Protection.
The present duties on raw wool, said
Mr.. Cummins. are necessary to protect
the sheep raisers of the country. The
other duties, both direct and compen-
satory, he held, to have been ad-
justed without reference to the differ
ence in cost of production at home and
abroad and the difference in the cost of
the raw material
He denied that at present the wool
growers of the United States get the
full measure of the tariff fixed by the
Dingley act on raw wool. 1t was the
same with wool. he declared. as with
the great mass OF agricultural products
OF this country.
Senator Hepburn of Idaho demanded
that he state what agricultural products
were not protected under the present law.
Mr. Cummins replied that he did not be-
Iieve the millions of bushels of corn
raised here each year received any di-
rect benefit from protection; nor did the
hogs or any OF the other products Of the
farm.
He called attention TO the fact that
every year the United States exports over
SSt0US,ao worth Of agricultural pi oductS.
rs there any enthusiast. he asked.
who really believes that -he value OF one
1.-THE of this amount is directly enhanced
by the tariff?
Cummins Refuses Correction.
Mr. Cummins few minutes later re
marked that the finance committee was
evidently not satisfied" with the amend
ments offered by Senators Dollver and
La Toilette.
The senator had better amend his
statement and say the Senate Is not sat
isfied," smiled Mr.. Aldrich-
Perhaps" retorted Mr.. Cummins. But
/ was right when l said the committee
was not satisfied, and the senator should
not correct me until am in error.
Mr. cummins added that he proposed Ia
convince the committee that the facts
made 1t imperative that the wool sched-
uIe be revised. unless the members OF
the committee already had made up their
minds.
Mr. Aldrich turned around in his chair
and smiled knowingly at Senators Smoo'
and Warren.
Mr. Cummins then charged that the
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