The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-15
REAL INTEREST IN
SENATE SESSION
Debate on Various Phases Of
Tariff is Animated and at
Times Bitter.
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
IS ONCE MORE UPHELD
Beyeridge Hands Out Some Red
Hot Criticism of Tobacco
Trusts Robbery"

" LAW lo-N, again JliS
committee on finance was upheld when
the senate today by a vote Of 50 to 10
voted down an amendment by Senator
Cummins to lower the duty on round
iron and upheld the house rate which
was recommended by the senate com
mlttcc
Almost the entire session was given
up TO n debate on the profit of the
United States Steel corporation, and
toward the end Of the day personalities
were freely INDUCED in. This occurred
after Senator Root had spoken in de-
fensc Of the finance committee and in
criticism of senators who had COM
planned Of the failure of that commit
tee TO provide more ample information
concerning various schedules. Mr.
| Money resented what lie characterized
| as lecture to the senate and said that
| If the senator from New York desired
| less speaking she should do less Of it
! himsclf.''
Senator Beveridgc proposed an amend
, mcnt TO the tariff bill increasing the
J tax on tobacco and its products and
| charged that by continuing the short
weight packages of the Spanish war pc
| Rod the tobacco trust was rcaplng n
| harvest OF So 100000 a year.
'Less Talk, More Work"
Asking that an interview with j. j.
| Hill be read to the senate Immediately
i after that body convened today, Sena-
tor Scott iudorscd its advice 10 con-
gress that oratory be suspended and
that congress promptly pass the tariff
bill,
F'This.'' Mr.. Scott said, sis in line
with letters ] am daily receiving beg
ging and praying that these gentlemen
| (waviug his hand over the senate cham
ber) get through with their windjam-
ming aud let the country go ahead with
| its business,
Senator Bcveridgc spoke In support
| of an amendment offered by HIM rela-
| tive to the internal revenue tax on to-
| bacco apd is products. Contending that
! the government has lost SlS4: :000.Uu0 IN
| the last eight years through tue repeal
| of the war time tax of 1898, Mr.. Beve-
| increase the present rate Of internal
| taxes on tobacco. snuff, cigarettes and
| cigars worth moro than 10 cents. Mr.
Bcveridge declared that the tobacco
trust. which, he said, was the Ameri.
eau Tobacco company, had derived
great benefit from the loss of revenue,
which, he said, was due to the law re-
pcaling the increased rates of 1898.
| The law providing for the high rates
of 1898 permitted the manufacturer to
reduce the size of the packages in
which the tobacco is sold to the people.
according to Mr.. Bcverldge. "In 1901
this increased tobacco tax was re-
moved. - said he, ''but the short weight
packages of tobacco were continued by
the very law that removed the tax.
The manufacturer still collects the war
time tax from the people, but instead of
paying it TO the government, he keeps
it for blmself. y
Would Not Hurt Labor.
Mr., Beveridge declared that his
amendments would not affect the cigar
makers of the country, because, he said,
it does not enhance the tax on any CT
CARS except those which sell for 10
cents or more.
Claiming that his amendment would
increase the revenues 10 the extent of
over S2l 100000, Mr.. Bcvcridge as
serted that the tobacco trust is now
rcapinC a vast benefit through failure
to enact such legislation as he pro
posed.
Mr. Bevcridgc coutroycrtcd the idea
that the continuation by law of the
short weight war time packages after
the war tax had been removed did not
affect the plug tobacco business. 1.-The
law" he said, docs not fix The size
of thc cut that is sold hut the maui
facturer of plug tobacco got the war
tax on this article out Of the people |
by selling smaller cut than the plug !
and this practice still continues. When |
Il box of plug tobacco is sold by the |
trust 10 the retail dealer. there is
marked upon each plug n place for the
cut. By decreasing the size of these !
cuts very slightly the tobacco trust.
through the retailer, gets the war time
price for a cut from plug Of tobacco
by marking the cut a little smalcr.'
Iron and Steel Sections.
Upon taking up the iron and steel
sections of the tariff bill Mr.. Aldrich
asked that the senate pass over the
paragraph relating to pig iron, as the
committee on finance wished TO con
slider an amendment affecting the duty
on cast scrap iron,
An extended debate took place on
an amendment offered by Mr.. Cummins
reducing the duty on round iron from
s;X-tcnthS to GYc-tcnths of ono cent II
pound. and on IRON III slabs, etc. from
four -tonths to ihrcctenths of one cent
pound Mr.. Aldrich objected that these
duties as reported 70 fhc senate were
lower than current duties in the Ding
ley bill Mr., Oliver pointed out that
thcse iron products were made by in
dependent concerns, Mr. Cummins in
sisted that the iron and steel industry
needs no protection.
Mr.. La Toilette declared that '>he
had not a dollar in this business, =
the steel and iron industry
.'Neilher have |, - responded Mr.
Oliver, "not a dollar
- am glad to hear it, said Mr. La
Toilette, who added that he was only
interested in getting at The facts as to (
the relative cost of making iron bars :
in this country and abroad.
Mr.. La Toilette complained that he ]
had difficulty in obtaining information
from the committee on finance. This J
Continued on Page Two. IL