Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-26


embarrassment. by congratulating him |
upon advent yesterday Of a son.
For Mr.. Payne. the minority leader had !
only words of praise. and his remarks
in that connection ELECTED applause on
both sides.
Mr.. Payne's powers of endurance. he
declared, were a marvel and BIS nine |
hours speech on the tariff bill made
him a great historical person, in com
pany with Henry Clay, Robert ]. Wal
ker. Senator Morrill,, of Vermont; William
Mckinley. william L. Wilson and Nelson
Dingley.
Indeed" said Mr.. Clark. he has
knocked higher than a kite the idiouc
theory Of DIR. Osler."
The speech Of the majority leader he
characterized as a superb vindt;ation OF
his physical and mental strength
Mr. Clark also had a kind word for
every member Of the committee on ways
and means I'VE worked like galley
slaves in trying to ascertain the truth
he said. He denied that the committee
had bully-ragged any witness, as ne SAID
had been charged, and declare that "
any witness had received an upcivil word
in the committee he had provoked 1t by
his own acts.
Mr.. Clark eood-naturedly remarked that
the last session into admitting that there
would be tariff revision. But at the bot
tom Of the movement for tariff revision,
he said, was President Roosevelt.
IT never had any decisions about that
man." he said, amid shouts Of laughter.
He is gone" he said in mock tones or
sorrow. Addressing the Republicans he
said;
some OF you hope he will never come
back But nv regret is that he left at all,
because IL he had stayed here you would
have been in such a row within ninety
days that you would not know whether
you were Republicans or Democrats
Some further observations regarding Mr.
Payne moved the house to storm OF
laughter Mr.. Clark said he sat in the
house yesterday and heard Mr.. Payne say
he had been in the house twenty years
preparing tariff bills. my God!' he ex-
claimed What a set of lies he must
have heard IN that timev' If, he said, Mr..
Payne would make up an Ananias club
from the witnesses he had heard on the
tariff. no building in the United States
would hold 1t.
Reads Comparison
Calling attention to the colloquy yester-
day between Mr.. Payne and Mr.. Carrot,
OF Tennessee, which grew out Of an in
ouiry by the latter whether the Payne
biu was not revision upward, Mr.. Clark
read some comparisons between the Ding
ley and Payne bills prepared by a govern
ment expert In the committee.
These, he said, showed that the arevage
rate of the Dingley bill was AIS per cent,
while under the Payne bill it was $50 per
cent showing 1.56 per cent worse than
the Dingley bill" He declared no man OF
bad temper or buster could conceal that
fact from the American people Many of
the reductions In the bill, he maintained,
Discussing the reduction on refined
sugar Mr. Clark IL was held out as
great boon to the consumer.
when the sugar trust received that
tremendous blow between the eyes," he
said. INSTEAD of seeing stars. 1t saw a
stream OF gold flowing into its Golfers ev-
cry year of the continuance of the Payne
tariff bill"
He declared that a man must eat sugar
at top speed for fifteen months in order
to find a nickel in his pocket at the end
of that time as the result of any benefit
that might accrue TO him from the bill,
and II he missed day he would not get
his nickel.
Criminal Tenderness
He could not understand. he said, why
such tenderness was shown the sugar
trust which he characterized as criminal.
As 70 petroleum, Mr.. Clark said the bill
contains ''the same old joker" While os-
tensibly on the free list, he insisted that
petroleum was given protection of from
$50 20 go per cent. II an opportunity were
given to amend that schedule, he declared,
he would risk his head that the counter
handing duty on petroleum would go out
| IL Mr. Clark added, the Standard Oil
company was not, as he believed, the sole
/ beneficiary under the bill, he would not
object to the crude oil producers getting
a revenue tariff.
Touching the failure OF the consumer
TO appear before the committee. Mr..
Clark said that there were two reasons
for this: one, that in the beginning the
public looked upon the hearings as a stu
pendous confidence game, and second,
4 that the consumer felt that possibility Of
| having his tariff burden substantially re-
/ duced was so remote. that he did not
think II worth travelling expenses,
hotel bills. neglect of business and loss
/ OF time. While that applied to the fairly
I we'll to do ultimate consumer, he said,
/ there were millions of ultimate consumers
/ who had not the wherewithal to foot
the bills for a trip to Washington and
other millions who could scrape togethar
the expense money could not afford to
| use IL in that way.
so that" he said, 1.-THE ultimate con-
sumner really speaks in the hearings only
through questions propounded by MEM
| bers OF the committee in an honest en-
i deavor to ascertain the truth"
Most of the cross-firing among wit
nesses, he said, was where one set Of
manufacturers felt afoul OF another be-
cause the tariff pie was not evenly dis
tributed and each one wanted the biggest
piece"
To Mr.. Fordney. of Michigan, Mr. Clark
extended his assurances Of his pro
foundest consideration as a fighter. He
| would put a game cock to blush in that
regard" II, he said, Mr.. Fordney were
| given carte blanche to write tariff bill,
1T would be short, II not sweet. and
would be in these words: II an article
can be produced in this country, by any
process or at any cost whatsoever, moth
Ing like Il shall be imported
Fordney is Dissected
"All through the hearings" he said,
Mr.. Fordney was on hand with first aid
for the wounded" He said that the rest
of the Republicans, first or last, came
over TO our side" on different subjects
and in various degrees, but that Mr..
Fordney never lowered his colors. 'Nei-
thez Leonidas at the pass nor Horatius
at the bridge was a marker to him." he
said.
Discussing the situation In which the
ways and means committee found itself,