Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-08-09
THE PAYNE Tariff BILL.
History Of the Measure and a
Summary Of Its Principal
PrcYisiOns--- The New
Free List.

After one Of the bittercst and one
OF the most momentous legislative du-
els in the history of the national cap
ital the new tariff measure. the Payne
bill, has been completed.
The progress of the bill through the
legislative mill of both houses was
eventful enough to satisfy the most
pronounced cravers for parliamentary
warfare. The real battle opened when
the bill (house report 143S, was re-
ceived in the senate and referred to
the committee on finance, April TO-
Aldrich Of Rhode Island, the leader Of
the senate as chairman OF the finance
committee, subsequently became chair
man Of the conference committee
which was appointed to adjust the diff
ferenceS arising between senate and
house and between both houses Of
congress and the president.
Taft For Free Hides.
The report of the conference COM
mittee which determined what would
be the provisions of the Payne bill in
Its final form was victory for Pres
ident Taft. He Informed all Of the
conferees that hides must be placed
on the free list. together with petro-
leum. crude and refined. They there
upon decided to cut the Dingley tariff
on hides to 3 per cent The president
heard the news and sent word that
he had meant what he had said about
hi ttny,
lowered to per cent. Now Chairman
Serene f. Payne of the ways and
means committee decided to demon
strate that his original bill, providing
for free hides should no longer be sub
jectet to the emaSculatOry operations
of the majority Of the conferees. He
announced that not even a . per cent
duty on hides would be accepted by
either himself or the house. without
free hides this tariff bill will not pass
the house." he was quoted as saying
The tariff came off hides instanter.
and as quickly was oil put on the un-
taxed schedule. together with gaso-
line, benzine and naphtha. The leather.
rough lumber. print paper, coal and
iron and glove schedules ranked next
in Importance during the closing days
of the controversy.
If hides came in free. the important
New England boot and shoe manufac-
turing interests would consent to re-
duction of the tariff on their products
otherwise they would continue to fight
The solving Of the hides problem left
1t a simple matter to agree to lower
duties on boots and shoes-the Ding
ley rate being % per cent. Saddlery
and harness were cut to 40 per cent
as against the Dingley rate Of 45 per
cent. The president resorted to the
unusual method of sending a written
message to the conference committee
demanding lower rates on lumber and
gloves than the Payne bill provided.
and he secured them.
Wool and Cotton.
The wool schedule underwent no
change Of consequence, but the entire
cotton schedule was reconstructed and
the phraseology greatly changed In the
hope Of preventing reductions through
decisions by the courts such as have
characterized the administration Of the
Dingley law during recent years. In
many instances the rates intended to
be imposed by the Dingley law were
cut by these decisions, the reductions
In some instances being from GO per
cent to 8 per cent ad valorem.
Probably the most marked reduc-
tions are found In the metal schedule
Beginning with a decrease In the rate
of iron ore from 40 to Il cents per ton.
there is Il general reduction throughout
that part of the bill pig iron going
down from 81 to $3.50 per ton and
scrap iron from 81 to ST. The reduc
tion on many Of the items in this
schedule amounts to about 20 per cent
Rough lumber goes down from $1.50
to $l25 per thousand feet. with cor
responding reduction IN the diffcrential
on dressed lumber.
The president was subjected to Sc
verest pressure from both the upward
and downward revisionists throughout.
The upward revisionists told him that
reduction of duty on hides and
leather manufactures would make the
next congress Democratic. in which
event they argued that Taft would not
possibly be rcnominated for the pres
idcncy. The "downwards' told him
that Roosevelt would surely be the
next Republican candidate for presi
dent if the campaign promises for 4
downward revision were not fulfilled
The Corporation Tax.
The president had highly difficult
task also in preserving his scheme for
a corporation tax intact in the Payne
bill. This feature is clearly the most
unpopular one in the entire measure.
so far as members Of the senate and
house were concerned. Many Of the