The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-06
TARIFF BILL Is NOW LAW AND
THE RATES ARE STILL HIGHER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ~


cent for the latter. In the House this
resolution was adopted by viva vooe
vote, and was also unanimous.
The McCumber resolution relative to
the drawback on oil cake and fiaxseed
was passed by the Senate. but in the
House this separate resolution went to
the ways and means committee by refer
ence. and will never get out.
Tart Arrives.
President Taft arrived at the capitol
his secretary; also by Attorney General
Wickersham, Secretaries Wilson, Maggie
and McVeagh and Postmaster General
Hitchcock, and Capt Archibald Butt, the
Presidents military aide. They were
ushered into the Presidents room ifN the
Senate wing and while awaiting the ar
rival of the bill the President exchanged
compliments with the senators and rep
resentatives calling to pay their respects
number of minor acts were signed
at o'clock. The committee represent
ing the two houses. composed of Sen
ators Aldrich and Bailey and Represen-
tative Payne. Fordney and Clark of Mis-
souri,, all of whom were confereas, arrived
with instructions to inquire whether the
President had any further communica-
tons to make.
Payne Carries Document.
The chairman of the ways and means
committee which originated the bill, Mr..
Payne of New York, carried the bulky
parchment under his arm. The President
received the bill. 1t was opened out to
the last page, which had already been
signed by Speaker Cannon and Vice Pres
ident Sherman. and with the crowded
occupants of the room standing around
the large rectangular mahogany desk the
President attached his signature to the
measure. He used the fountain pen of
Chairman Payne for the purpose, but
during the writing used pen furnished
by Representative Langley of Kentucky
to cross the ''T' in his name. There was
a sigh of relief all around when the
President handed the signed bill to the
Secretary of State, who is the official
custodian OF all laws and joint resolu-
tons. with the following words inscribed
in the Presidents handwriting:
civilian H. Taft.
"Signed minutes after O'Clock.
august 5, 1909. w. II. T."
Immediately thereafter the President
signed the Philippine tariff bill using
for that purpose pen which he had
brought along from the White House. 1t
was a pen made of Philippine mother-of.
pearl and gold, of elaborate workman
ship, sent on from the Philippine islands
and which the President will send back
to the officials there with a letter of good
will. While the bill was being signed
lightning flashed outsice the opened win
dow through which a strong breeze was
blowing from a severe thunderstorm. So
severe was this storm that the President
i 80. rtYp a
ed by his cabinet Senate and House
leaders and about a dozen newspaper
men, who were admitted on special re-
quest of senator's. While the measure
was signed a few minutes after . O'Clock,
it was not until 5;45 that the President
departed from the capitol In his big black
automobile for the White House
Taft's Statement.
At $50 o'clock the President sent for
Messrs Aldrich and Payne and when
they arrived stepped away from the as
sembled notables and went over into one
of the two window alcoves of the room.
The storm was raging without, but neither
of these three men, the central figures
in the tariff struggle, paid any attention
to the weather The President pulled
from his pocket a statement which he
intended issuing to the public and asked
Aldrich and Payne to read it, also to
make suggestions. Then the President
stepped back to the desk and chatted
with senator's and newspaper men
and left Aldrich and Payne in the alcove
the statement. While waiting
for them to finish that task the Presi-
dent signed about 20 senatorial auto
graph albums brought to him by the
pages of the Senate.
In about 10 minutes Aldrich stepped out
Of the alcove and asked the Presidents
attention. The Senate leader suggested
the elimination of two phrases from the
statement. The President returned to
his desk, studied the statement about
two minutes and then with the nearest
pen eliminated the parts of two SEN