Evening star., 1909-06-24
BAILEY MAKES REPLY
Senator From Texas Answers
Adverse Criticism.
LUMBER, IRON ORE, HIDES
Democratic Doctrine as It Applies to
Tariff on Raw Goods.
DELvEs INTO PARTY HISTORY
Speaker Explains How He Could
Have Avoided All Controversy.
Keeps the Faith.
DELvES INTO PARTY HISTORY

Senator Bailey of Texas replied today
to the adverse criticisms that have been
heaped upon him and a number OF his
associates in the Senate for their votes
in favor of tariff duties on lumber iron
ore and hides. In an exhaustive speech
he discussed the democratic doctrine as
1t applies to the tariff on raw materials,
utterly repudiating the theory that his
party stands for free raw materials.
What he said about hides is sample of
his expressions concerning other raw ma
terials.
If he said, IT were invested with the
power to repeal any duty l would not re-
peal the duty on hides until 1 could also
repeal the duty on shoes and leather
goods. 1 would not repeal either until
could repeal both, and / would either
have free trade in everything made out Of
hides, or / would lay a revenue tariff on
hides"
He wanted to know how any democrat
could think he was relieving the consumer
from the exactions and expressions of the
manufacturers by voting to take the duty
off what the manufacturers buy from the
people and still leaving a duty on what
the people buy from the manufacturers.
Free Trader in Spots.
THAT kind of man. he declared, "may
be free trader, but he is a free trader
in spots; and the misery of it all is that
he selects the factories of this country
as the spots where he applies his free
trade doctrine. l have sometimes doubt
ed the sincerity of the men who denounce
the greed of the American manufacturers
and then crafty that greed by exempting
those manufacturers from the taxes which
everybody else is required to pay. IL
they really believe that one class is rob-
bing all other classes they ought to pun
ish the robbers, not the victims"
He conceded that the democrats VINO
advocated free hides desired as earnestly
as he did to reduce the price of shoes and
leather goods generally, but he would not
concede that they knew as well as he how
to accomplish the result.
"They seem to think" he said, that
the proper method is first to reduce the
manufacturers cost of production and
then reduce the duty on the finished prod
uct. That will undoubtedly reduce the
price of the finished product to the ulti-
mate consumer, but there is another and
much iuster way to accomplish that end"
He proposed as his plan that both the
manufacturers and the producer of the
raw matedial should be compelled to
share the reduction in behalf of the con-
sumer.
History of His Party.
Delving into the history of his party,
Mr. Bailey undertook to prove that the
doctrine of free raw material was not
democratic, but had been adopted by the
party for brief period and discarded be-
cause it was found to be unjust.
Mr.. Bailey declared that he could not
answer to his judgment and his con-
science as a democrat for voting to put
lumber on the free list while glass, hard
ware cement paint and every other nee
essary material are subject to a duty OF
more than 30 per cent.
Saying that he had been told that free
iron ore would stimulate the independent
steel companies, Mr.. Bailey declared that
"there is only a semblance of competi-
tion between the steel trust and these So
called independent companies" His in
formation was that the price list of the
Independent companies read like copies
of those of the trust, a fact which, he
said, had led to open charge that there
is an agreement between them He HIM
self did not make that charge, but mere
ly referred to it, but he contended that
whether true or not, competition would
not be obtained by the removal of the
duty on iron ore.
Mr.. Bailey again declared that the Of
fenses of the trusts could not be reached
through the tariff and by exemptions
from duty of raw material. On this
cratic demand that trust-controlled arti-
ces shall be placed on the free list as
requiring us to exempt raw materials
from duty is to make our party ridiculous
in the eyes of all intelligent men,"
Doctrine of Free Raw Material.
II knew, when we entered upon the
consideration of this BILL he explained
at the outset, that many distinguished
democrats and sincere tariff reformers
have never been entirely satisfied with
the action of our party in renouncing the
doctrine of free raw material: but / did
not suppose that any well informed and
candid man in this republic would deny
that we had expressly and deliberately
renounced it. AS this debate has pro-
greSsed, however, ii has become apparent
that many men of great ability and OF
high. standing believe that 1t is now, and
that it has always been, the policy of our
party to exempt the manufacturers raw
material from all tariff charges; and
some Of them, under that impression. are
condemning me, and those with whom l
have voted as recreant to our democratic
duty. l understand, of course, that many
of those who are assailing us have seized
upon this matter as mere preteXt Tor
the attacks which they desire, for other
reasons, to make on the democratic party,
but some of the criticisms are so evident
ly sincere that they require respectful
answer 1 therefore feel that l owe 1t to
my associates, as well as to myself, to
lay before the Senate and before the
country a brief statement on the quSs-
ton.
More than one Of those who have writ
ten or spoken on the subject have not only
assumed, as a matter beyond all dispute.
that the doctrine of free raw material is
the traditional policy of the democratic
party, but they have even reported me as
admitting such to be the case. L have
here an editorial which recently appeared
in a reputable newspaper, whose editor,
am sure. would not Intentionally mis-
represent any man, and to illustrate how
widely my view has been misunderstood
| will read this extract from 1t: When
the Cleveland democracy lost control OF
the party in 1896 the doctrine of free raw
materials was put upon the shelf. Mr.
Bailey says that he drew the tariff plank
of the 1896 platform with the distinct pur-
pose of renunciating the free raw materi-
ais idea. But up to that time Mr.. Bailey
admits the democratic party did advocate
the doctrine of free raw materials, though
many members of the party disliked it,
Denounced as Radical Departure.
'While the gentleman who wrote that
editorial may not have SO intended, /
think the inference which even the most
Intelligent and attentive reader would