The Washington herald., 1909-04-11
Congressional.


a bin which contemplates certain changes
in the existing tariff law. the initiating
of such measures being required Of The
popular branch Of Congress by the con
stitUtion. the august Senate will proceed
10 determine substantially the character
Of the proposed revision. What titanic
forces Of party advantage, public need
and special privilege. even now. have be-
gun 10 be let loose in the Senate Finance
Committee room. and which. later. will
electrify the atmosphere of the Senate as
a whole ii is not easy for the laymau
10 comprehend in their entirety Vast
business operations await the outcome
of this politico-economic struggle. and
millions Of human lives will BE affected
for gocd or for III. by the turn of a sen
tence or the change Of a figure in the
intricate maze of schedules touching
nearly every industry in this country,
and. Indirectly. in other lands.
over in the White House. a Republican
Executive awaits the finished tariff prod
uct Of the Republican Congress. and
the legislative leaders have been told
by him, within the past week. that the
general result must he downward revl-
sion to meet his approval and 10 fulfill
the party pledge.
a good Illustration Of the complexity
OF the problem. and the conflict of inter
ests. is presented just now IN the recep-
ton OF the hosiery and glove provisions
or the Payne bill The feminine branch
OF the consuming public has set UP a
shrill protest against the proposed in
crease, as bearing hard on the cost of
living. On the other hand. thousands of
the women employed in the hosiery mills
about Philadelphia. in the belief that an
Increased duty Is the only thing that viii
enable the mill owners 10 operate at a
profit in competition with foreign mills.
are planning a great human demonsTa-
ton at Washington. TO impress the law
makers. IN the meanwhile. the manu-
factuTeTs loudly assert, In interviews and
advertisements. that the workers are
right. and say that the retail price OF
stockings and gloves will not be increased
a fraction.
The passing Of the Payne tariff bin by
the House on Friday was made possible
under the cl0ture rule which the Republi-
can leaders had forced through last Mon
day after making certain concessions and
promises 20 the dissatisfied interests. BY
that rule general debate gave way at once
10 discussion under the five-minute rule.
separate votes being permitted on the
amendments relating TO hides. lumber. oil,
barley. barley malt. tea. and coffee. This
clOture rule was passed by a vote OF 19i
TO l7S. twenty boiling Republicans stand
ing out against it and four Democrats
voting for it. The boiling Democrats were
the Louisiana members, who had Joined
with certain Florida and New York men
10 support Cannon and the old rules.
Clark. OF Florida, cOntented himself with
y bitter attack on the Bryan brand OF
Democracy. and said lie stood for Incl
sental protection and all he could get
: r his awn district The new name in
:he list Of Republican bClters was Par
cons. Of New York. This was taken 70
mean a protest against the duty on stock
ings and gloves
The rule itself carried the amendment 10
replace the countervailing duty on crude
petroleum and its products. with a direct
duty Of 25 per cent ad valorem. In the
brief discussion Of the rule Leader Payne
and Mr. DdlZeli reminded the House that
such a closing OF the debate had charac-
terized other tariff acts. and said that it
was important TO the business interests
OF the country that there be no more
delay than was necessary in getting this
one on the statute books. Minority Leader
Clark was bitter in his denunciatiOn OF
both the rule and the bill and predicted
dire disaster 70 the Republican party as
a result OF the work OF the present ses-
sion. Prior 10 this session the Ways and
Means Committee had decided 10 leave
the maximum rate 10 the discretion of
the president. and had agreed upon many
m he L. - u,
stand-pat element.
On Tuesday, by a margin Of six votes.
the House in Committee Of the Whole
voted against placing lumber on the free
list. and by a majority OF sixty votes de-
clared in favor OF free hides. The only
important modification Of the bill was the
adoption Of the amendment Of Fordney.
Of Michigan. to strike out the counter
vailing duty on lumber The vote on hides
came on an amendment by Scott, Of Kan
sas, who moved a 10 per cent ad valorem
duty. This was lost loo 10 166- Leader
Clark Of the minority, made an unsuc-
cessful attempt 10 move putting leather
goods on the free list. his amendment be-
ing ruled out Of order. On Wednesday
the majority party met with a defeat on
the oil schedule. although Speaker Cannon
himself took the floor and appealed for
the continued duty on the product con-
trolled by the oil trust. the amendments
striking out the cOuntervailing duty on
oil, and decreasing rom . to ] per cent
the ad valorem duty. were adopted The
reduced duty came in the form OF an
amendment 10 the committee amendment,
and il was offered by Norris. OF Ne
braska; and when the Chair ruled that
his amendment was not in order under
the special rule. the Chair was overruled
hr- Of 4 - -,
Republican insurgents joined with the
Democrats in effecting this rebuke to the
Cannon machine. Fitzgerald. Of New
York. who had been charged with a sur
render TO oil trust influences. voted with
his party.
a bill introduced by Representative Muir
dock. Of Kansas. calls upon twenty-sIx
States to refund loans made to them by
the government in 1886 for internal I'M
prOvements. His avowed object is to re-
heve the national Treasury, and he holds
that the States accepted the money with
the understanding that they would have
10 refund the same When three INSTALL
ments had been paid. in 1899, a repeal act
was passed by Congress. providing that
the rest Of the money remain with the
States until otherwise directed by Con
gress'' Some States have lost all record
OF the funds thus loaned. while others
have always kept theirs segregated and
at interest But the national Treasury
has kept records Of all the sums thus
loaned and cIassed as available funds"
With several important changes. and A
large number OF minor amendments
charged 10 the account Of the majority
organization. the Payne bin passed the
House Friday. on party lines. by a vote
OF 2l7 60 16l. under the closure rule adopt
ed last Monday.
In seven hours session OF the House
Thursday, more than 100 amendments to
the bill were adopted. most Of them
dealing with unimportant sections. and
without ODDoeifiOu There nae oy,, b~s.s