The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-05-13
TAFT QUOTED
ON LOWERING
TARIFF RATES
Crawford Quoted From the
Candidates Speeches in
South Dakota
FOUR NATURAL PRODUCTIONS
ADVOCATED FOR THE FREE LIST
The Coal, Lumber, Oil and Iron Ore
Schedules Will be Storm Center of
Debate During the Next Few Days
In the Senate.

III the Senates
relating to iron ore was before the
senate when it met today and gave
rise to- speeches favoring the placing
of the four great natural products,
iron ore, lumber, Oil and coal on the
| free list. So far as possible, Senator
Aldrich, in charge of the tariff bill
for the committee on finance, endeav-
ored to have the senate agree to the
paragraphs passed over on the pre-
vious reading Of the bill, so that the
schedules still under consideration
may be reduced to the lowest possi-
BILE number.
Some of the features discussed yes
terday crept into the debate today,
notably that on the retailers trust.
Senator Gore, in his speech, referred
to this question.
This senate;" declared Mr.. Gore,
in dramatic tones, "has turned itself
into a grand jury and is here ready
to return a verdict against the retail
dealers for the high prices of articles
used by the American people, and the
senator from Maine has constituted
himself foreman of this jury. The
manufacturers and trusts are UNDER
taking to hold up the middlemen and
retailers as shield to protect them
selves against the outraged consum-
ers.
Il stand here to enter plea Of not
guilty for the retailers of this coun-
try"
Mr.. Gore named shoes, hats, shirts,
clothing and other articles of par
ticular manufactures as being sold to
retailers under contract that they
should be sold at an agreed price.
Mr.. Hale said he agreed with what
the senator from Oklahoma was de-
claring. Trade conditions fixed the
retail price, he said, and he did not
charge the retailer with any extor-
tion.
Il am not arraigning the retailer"
said Mr.. Hale. II am only saying
that such is our habit of trade that
a price entirely disproportionate to
the manufacturers price Is asked"
Mr.. Gore said that some woolen
and cotton manufacturers of New
England are declaring dividends of
sixty-six per cent, which was greater
than the profit of retailers.
Mr.. Aldricl contended that the duty
on glass had no relation to the price
at which glass is sold in this coun-
try.
During a discussion of the profits
of window glass manufacturers by
Mr.. Newlands, Mr.. Oliver objected that
there is not a window glass manu-
facturer in the United States today
who is making anything like fair
profit because of competition which
keeps the price of glassware down.
II speak with feeling" said Mr.. Oil
ver. because within four years l
have invested no small amount of
money in the manufacture of window
glass and tell you 1t disappeared as
rapidly as though had put 1t upon
the wrong number at Monte Carlo"
On motion of Mr.. Aldrich the Sec
ton relating to window glass was
passed over temporarily and the SEN
ate proceeded to consider other Sec
tions of the bill, agreeing to several
paragraphs that had previously been
passed over and which related to
marble and stone manufactures were
agreed to, as were those on articles
manufactured from marble, breccia,
onyx, alabaster and jet into monu-
ments, benches, vases, etc.
Crawford Quotes Taft
When the section relating to iron
ore, on which the committee had
recommended a duty of twenty-five
cents ton, was reached, Mr.. Craw-
ford opposed placing a duty on natu-
raj products of the country such as
lumber, oil, iron ore and COAL
Mr.. Rayner gave notice that he
would move to place iron ore ON the
free list.
Mr.. Crawford declared that so far
as the cost of labor in Canada and the
United States was concerned. there
was no difference in the lumber in.
dustry and that none Of the argu-
ments used to justify the protective
tariff could be applied to it.
Referring to the oil industry, Mr..
Crawford declared that the Standard
Oil company had been shown by the
bureau of corporations to have pros
pered by "gross unfairness, and the
violation of every principle of hon
esty and decency."
Reviewing the history of the United
States Steel corporation in respect to
its attitude toward the independent"
steel producing concerns, Mr.. Craw-
ford said:
"One of the pathetic things that
have come under my observation here
is the pathetic. desperate appeals
made to members of this senate by
men of small means struggling along
with small factories imagining that
they are really independent concerns.
They are as helpless as little mouse
that attempts to play on the carpet in
front OF feline that can crush it
with its paw. When we think we are
simply strengthening the big corpora