The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-07-26
FREE HIDES Will
RESULT IN BIG
TARIFF FIGHT
Northwestern Legislators Are
Organizing For a Vigorous
Campaign
FREE SHOES AND OTHER
LEATHER GOODS NAY COME
This Club Will BE Used As. Last Re.
sort to Force the Representatives Of
Manufacturing Interests to Accede
to Duty ON Hides.

Washington, July 26-In both the
senate and the house the anti-free hide
element is making active preparations
IT the most vigorous resistance to any
report from the tariff conference
committee looking to taking off the
duty from hides. The northwestern
senators an dmembers of the house
were at the capitol early today and
from the moment of their arrival, all
OF them were busily engaged in con-
ferences among themselves.
The insurrection members of the
house. as the anti-free raw material
fighters are coming to be called, de-
cided upon holding meeting which
was called for II o'clock. The sena>
tors who are also making fight
along the same line. concluded to per-
feet their plans by means of individ-
ual conferences. The most active
among the workers on the senate side
were Senators Clark and Warren of
Wyoming. Carter of Montana, Borah
|of Idaho and Smoot of Utah.
In case the conferees brought in a
free hide report. the opposition will
resort to the adopting of resolution
OF authorization to the conference
committee to place all kinds of leath-
er and all leather goods on the free
list. This plan will not be resorted
to because it is preferred to make
these articles free, but because sue
cess is regarded as more probable
if this polio Wis followed than if an
attempt should be made to instruct
the committee TO place duty on hides
BY the former course the opposition
count on obtaining all but one of the
Democratic votes in the senate and
all but four of the Democratic votes
in the house. While the Democrats
would not directly help the free hide
hides, the Democrats would be will
/! The free hide men think that rath-
/ err than accept free leather and free
shoes, the manufacturers and those
conferees who represent the manu-
facturers' views. would be willing to
concede the duty on hides. The fight
j ing will be close in both houses. In
the senate there are sixty-one Repub
licans and thirty-one Democrats. Sen
ator McEnery of the Democratic COL
umi will vote with the Republicans
for protection. The other thirty
Democrats are counted upon as ia
vorable to free leather. With these
thirty votes as Il started it would
be necessary to get seventeen Re-
publican votes.
There is some doutb as to whether
this result could be accomplished. The
contestants were engaged during the
forenoon in making a careful canvass
of the senate. Their scouts were busy
from early morning making the
rounds of the committee rooms and
interviewing all the senators who for
any reason have indicated any oppo-
sition to the bill. There are about
ten senator's who will go to any neces-
sary extent to prevent the taking of
the duty off of hides. They hope to
pick up six or seven votes from
among the so-called progressive SEN
ators who voted against the bill as
it passed the senate. They have the
sympathy of the senators representing
the states producing other raw ma
terials than hides and they hope for
some votes from them.
At the White House.
With the tariff conferees at logger
heads over hides and leather, the
white house today became the center
of interest in the tariff fight. 1t was
expected that the advocates of pro-
tected hides would devote large part
of the day to beseeching the president
to stand firmly for material reductions
on boats and shoes and other leather
goods if hides are to be duty free.
AurICNT [[IIn