The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-06-16
TAX ON IRON ORE
Senator Stone Tells Why many
Democrats Voted For II.
ONLY REVENUE DUTY

Was Voted for By the Democrats,
Which Was in Accordance With
All Democratic Precedence-The
Tax Rather Hurts Than Helps the
Huge Steel Trust.
In the United States senate. Sen
ator Stone of Missouri, made a state
ment in which all Democrats will
be interested. Senator Stone spoke
on the vote Of certain Democratic
senator's in favr ( a tariff on iron
ore. and as Senator Tillman has been
accused Of being in league with h
Steel Trust because he voted for the
tariff on iron ore. we present some
extracts from Senator Stones state
ment so as our readers can see II
the charge against Senator Tillman
Is true or false. Here Is Senator
Stones statement:
Mr.. President. I am one OF the
eighteen Democrats who voted to
put a duty OF Is cents per ton on
iron ore. The eighteen Democrats
who voted that way are Messrs. Ba-
con. Bailey. Bankhead. Chamberlain
Clay. Daniel, Fletcher. Foster, Fra
eier. Johnston of Alabama. McEnery'
martin. Payter, Simmons, Stone, Tai
iaferro. Taylor and Tillman. Ten
Democrats voted to put iron ore on
the free list, VIZ. hessrs. Clarke OF
Arkansas. Culberson, Gore, Hughes
Newlands, overman, Rayner, Shively,
Smith Of Maryland and Smith of
South Carolina.
Mr. resident. when the question
Of putting a duty on iron ore was
ttSore the senate, I was hesitant t:Id
somewhat uncertain as to what WAS
the right and proper thing to do;
int N the emf the best judgment Ok
wn!ca ! am capable. not only as a
PARTY man. but a n DESTROYS o.
promoting the best policy for the
| public welfare, / conceived 1t to he
my duty to vote as ! did. / believe
I'm the doctrine OF a revenue tariff,
and this whether considered from the
standpoint Of the constitutional pow
er vested IN congress to levy tariffs
or from the standpoint OF economic
policy. ! believe that tariffs should
be levied with the primary object
of producing a needed public reve-
lue, and that the duties should be
as widely distributed and laid upon
as many articles as possible, always,
of course. having in view the needs
of the government; and I hold that
the burden should be made lightest
upon articles Of common use and
heaviest upon others.
Under present circumstances /
doubt the wisdom, or I might more
properly say the feasibility, Of an
extended free list; but at the same
time, having In view the needs Of the
treasury. ! favor admitting free Of
duty as many articles of common
necessity as possible where the art
icles are controlled BY a monopoly.
! do not as a general proposition sub
scribe to the notion advocated by
some OF free raw materials to those
who manufacture them, and at the
same time allow protective duties
on the manufactured products. Sue
cinctly stated that Is my view Of the
Democratic position on the tariff
question.
Now. in applying this view to the
case Of iron ore. The first fact con-
fronting me was that the duty Of rs
cents per ton vas q purely revenue
duty, and In no sense a protective
duty. twenty-five cents per ton on
ore is equivalent to about 10 per
ceRt ad valorem. That means that
under that rate all ores coming from
the outside into this country for con-
sumption. except that coming from
Cuba, would pay a duty of approx
maiely 10 per cent. Under our reci-
procity agreement with Cuba. ores
from that island would come In un-
der a reduced rate, and would pay
20 per cent less than ores from 9TH
er foreign mines. In other words,
placing the rate at rs cents per ton.
while foreign ores generally would
pay 10 per cent ad valorem. Cuba
ores would pay s per cent. Whether
In the o case or the other manifest
ly the duty is very low.
Mr. President. every since We have
had tariff laws, and We have had
them for more than a century. there
bias been a duty on iron ore. In
all our tariff laws up to this time.
whether made BY Democrats, Re-
publicaps. or others. a duty has been
laid on these ores. The duty Of rs
cents per ton, for which ! voted, is
the lowest duty eve imposed upon
iron ore in any tariff bill eve enact
ed BY the American congress. Even
the Walker bill. that wisest. best ar
ranged. and most celebrated of DEM
ocratic tariff measures, laid a duty
on these ores almost double that pro-
vided in the bill before the senate;
and a duty Of 40 per cent was laid on
those ores In the Wilson bill. And
so, Mr.. President, at the very incep-
ton of my Investigation and consid-
Grafton Of this subject. ! was con-