Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1909-05-16
Senators from States Where it is
Made Do Not Oppose Change.
GORE GETS AFTER RETAILERS
Blind Senator Wants to Know if They
Charge Too Much.
ALDR1cH FEARS FOR STEEL
Rhode Island senator Cautions Col
leagues that They Have Cut
Duty Almost In Two ON
This Schedule.
lrrom a staff correspondent.l

(From a staff Correspondent)
WASHINGTON, May l6-(special Tele-
gram)-A sharp reduction was made ii
the schedule on barbed wire today, wnen
in reading of the bill paragraph l2s was
reached. Senator Burkett had an amend
ment pending with reference to this, which
asked that the present rate Of $40 per
100 pounds be reduced to 81 per hundred.
He called up his amendment and asked
that the duty be further lowered to 20
cents per 100 pounds. Senator Aldrich rose
prepared to fight this encroachment but
Senator Burkett had already prepared the
way having secured an agreement with
senators from these states where barbed
wire is manufactured tha tthe 75-ccnt rate
would not be opposed by them. Senator
Aldrch soon discovered this fact and with
drew the fight he intended to make. with
the result that the schedule was passed
at the lowered rate Senator Aldrich pro-
posed to make the duty S1.7O per 100 pounds,
and had moved to place 1t at that figure,
but Senator Burkett,s amendment to sena-
tor Aldrichs motion was carried by
decisive vote.
The reduced duty makes the barbed wire
tariff practically mere inspection tax and
is a sweeping change from any former
tariffs ever carried by this schedule sena-
tor Burkett proposes to watch this amend
ment closely and will make every effort
to see that 1t is not lost in conference.
Resolution by Mr.. Gore.
AS soon as a quorum was announced in
the senate today Mr.. Gore, the blind sena-
tor from Oklahoma, precipitated a lively
=, t,a,,,adiata natd tiOD
of a resolution instructing the COMMITTEES
on finance to obtain by investigation the
import prices of various articles of general
and ordinary consumption and also the
wholesale and retail prices of such articles
when used in this country. The object OF
! the resolution is to determine whether the
retailers of the country are practicing ex-
| tortion.
In moving the resolution be referred TO
the committee on finance, Mr.. Hale said II
conferred no new authority upon that COM
mittee and could only embarrass 1t.
The senator declared that the retail deal
ers had been held up before the country as
practicing extortion and he wanted to
know the facts to determine whether that
was true
! IF the retailers are robbers" he said.
they should be held up to the wrath and
execration OF their countrymen."
| Mr.. Gore said he had investigated and
found that the pitchers referred to by Sena-
tor Scott as selling at wholesale at 90 cents
dozen, retailed at 10 cents and sometimes
10 cents each instead OF rs cents as stated.
Consideration of the resolution was post
poned until Monday.
AIabaman Gets Funny.
Mr.. Johnston OF Alabama treated the
tariff humorously. He congratulated the
majority that 1t had placed "spunk" ON
the free list, and said IL there waa more
| of that article the republicans would would
make a better tariff bill.
so far as l have observed" said Mr..
Johnston, mot a single democrat has ad-
vocated protection for a single article. and
In no case, so far have observed. has
a proposal been made TO impose a revenue
duty greater than 20 per cent, whilst tlfe
average rate under this bill is nearly 45 pcr
cent. Reductions have been made in this
| bill in only three schedules and IL 10 noticas
able that two of these include articles
largely produced in the south. and in the
other the reduction is less than per cent.
Protection has enough sins to answer for
without adding to them unfairly discrimi-
native"
When the steel schedule was taken up
Mr.. Aldrich withdrew the amendment of
the committee on finance increasing the
duty on structural steel from $ to 4 of
cent a pound. and the house provision OF
8 of cent per pound was adopted.
AIdrich Fears for Steel.
! Referring to an amendment to this par
sgraph not permitting structural steel to
be assembled when imported, Mr. Aldrieh
said:
"The rates of duty in this industry have
hell I K,
place on record the great apprehension
that we may be committing a grave In
justice to this great industry"
He said the manufacturers OF Belgium
and Germany may be able under these
rates to send in their structural iron and
steel when they have a surplus or the con-
ditions warrant such action.
Senator's Cummins. Newlands and Smith
OF South Carolina, contended that even
with the reduced rate the duty was too
high.
Reading from the Testimony OF Mr.. Car
negie before the WAYS and means commit
tee concerning Profits in the steel Industry,
Mr.. TiIlman declared Mr.. Carnegie had
made a vast amount OF money by favorIt-
ism in legislation.
Il will not say by dishonesty" said Mr..
Tnlman, because he has only taken ad-
vantage OF the laws We pass. b tube has
made more money than the entire bunch OF
US here put together and there are some
rich men In this senate. He has given
away more than all the democrats Of this
body possession times as much l expect
Mr.. Bacon in a colloauy with Mr.. Aldrich
concerning the effect OF the protective tar
ff on prices, insisted that the United
States Steel corporation needed no tariff to
protect H.