The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-10-08
pLuMLEY ON THE TARIFF
Junior Vermont Congressman Tells
of the New Law

ley gave SOille Impressions Vi IL new
member regarding Washington and
congress. He early became conviIc-
ed that any attempt at that time to
defeat Speaker Cannon in the fight
| for reelection as speaker of the house
would result not only in failure but
would also disrupt the Republican
party at the very time when its unity
| was most important at the beginning
| of presidential term and at the open.
ing of the great tariff discussion.
In regard to the tariff measure
Congressman Plumley said in sub
stance that it is TO the House that
credit is due for the passage of the
new tariff, for the lower branch of the
national legislature is the aggregate
representative of the Republican par.
ty of the country which, it is acknow
lodged by all, was directly responsible
for the passage of the act as present
ed to the House. The act was built
on plans suggested in the planks Of
the Republican party platform of 1908
and although the result in all cases
was not what the speaker preferred
still they were as near an interpreta
ton as could be obtained of the wisL
of the party whose ideas of tariff re-
vision met with the approval of the
majority of the voters of the country
as demonstrated at the last election.
Vermont, New England in fact the
entire East did not need to talk in be-
half of the question; they might well
| keep still on the subject. for Vermont
and the East are well taken care OF
by the new tariff measure, and par
ticularly this section of the East.
New England is still the center of
manufacturing industries and the new
law protects the manufacturers. When
the Senate began its work on the re-
vision it started in on the old plan OF
placing a tariff where the special
interest" wanted it. They would have
stiff rate fixed and then trade with
some other section of the country for
favor in this particular commodity. AS
a result there would be an advance
on the tariff against the will OF the
people. President Taft was approach
ed by men of The mountain states and
asked to help raise the tariff on hides.
This was his opportunity and he lost
no time in letting the country and
Congress know his opinion on this
matter and TO make sure that he was
no; misunderstood he had he inter
view sent out by his own secretary
stating that he stood, not for hign-
er tariff on hides than that proposed
in the Senate but for free hides. He
was severely criticized at the time
for not speaking before but he knew
that Congress had resented the meth
cd OF President Roosevelt who spoke
in advance OF legislation efforts and
so he proposed to give Congress in its
initial work a free hand and bided his
time. An opportunity came for our
worthy president, however, when
these members of Congress came to
him and asked him to intervene.
Mr.. Plumley said that every time
he went near the Senate he came
away dissatisfied with the way the bill
was progressing. They had amended
the House bill in many important
schedules according TO the old plan.
which he mentioned above. When
asked how they could say as senators,
that theirs was the administrative
understood TO be acceptable to the
president and if not he was easy and
would surely sign it, The House on
the other hand behind the president
would stand by them.
Mr.. Plumley said: with Congress
man Foster, | went to the White
House a few days later and was met
by Mr. Taft. We asked him If he
would stand by what he had said, not
in that blunt way you understand, and
he said, Yes, gentlemen, | have just
said to Speaker Cannon that although
there is a little jelly on the outside
there is stiff core in the CENTER and
If they thought him easy, they were
mistaken. When the conference re-
port was finally sent to him he kept
it over night and the next day return.
ed 1t disapproved. The House had
been notified to meet at noon and it
took just two and a half minutes FOL
the prayer and the reading of the re-
port.
Republicans of the conference com
mittee then sent away their Demo
cratic brothers saying to them that
they had troubles OF their own. Then
the triumph of the session occurred
when in four hours report was made
such as the president had first reques-
ted that is, it contained the minimum
of concessions and the maximum or
requirements. The House and the
president stood together throughout
and yielded only unwillingly. The
bill of the House was the best that
could be had at this session while
many of the amendments OF the Sen
ate were vicious.
As Mr.. Taft said in a recent speech
at Indianapolis, The tariff bill is the
best that Congress has ever passed"
In closing the speaker said that we do
not pay tariff as a privilege but as a
duty. The last tariff act was passed
along lines of least resistance; along
lines that will least harm the people
and along lines that the people can
endure and under which there will be
a revival of industry and renewed
ntac.1.it..