Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-14
AMERICAN TARIFF LAWS
THE WILSON-G ORMAN LAW.
Rr FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

The Wilson bill, as it passed the house,
carried with 1t many amendments that
could not successfully negotiate a passage
through the ways and means commit
tee, and ex-Speaker Reed tainted the
Democrats with passing amendments over
the PROSTATE forms of the members OF
that committee. AS the house bill Jared
boldly forth to the senate wing of the
capitol its hackers little dreamed of the
snares and pitfalls that awaited it after
getting inside the senate chamber. VI
course the Republicans were united
/ against it. There were many Democrats
who were outspoken in their opposition,
with others who were not openly against
it, but who sought to emasculate it with
out seeming to oppose the party princi-
pies. David B. Hill said early and often
that he would never support it so long as
the income tax provision remained in 1t.
and he continued of that mind to the
! end. Both Louisiana senators were as
firmly fixed in their opposition TO free
sugar, as was ever Republican in ms
opposition to free wool or free manufac-
lures. German, of Maryland; Brice, OF
Ohio Smith, of New Jersey; and several
others had greater protection leanings
than low tariff inclinations, and before the
/ Wilson bill got past them it showed that
fact plainly.
| As soon as the measure got to the sem
ate it was referred to the finance COM
mittee That body took no immediate az
ton, but the Democratic members placed
it in the hands of Senator Vest and Sem
/ ator Mills for revision before its consid-
Grafton by the full committee. Mr.. Mills
was not a member of the finance commit
/ tee, but was the author Of the Mills Dill
These two men were pairing down the
schedules framed by the house. When the
/ high tariff Democrats got hold Of this
information they PROMPTLY handed out the
ultimatum that If the bill did not give
! higher duties than the house measure, 1t
could not command their support. This
being the case, a Democratic caucus was
called and it was there decided to make
such concessions as would command the
support of forty-three Democrats. That
meant heavy increase in numerous sched-
ules.
| When the finance committee got
through with the house bill it looked as If
it had been drawn through a brush-pile
| backward. Free coal and free iron ore
| had been decapitated. free sugar had CIV
| en- place to a 40 per cent duty, with an
added differential of one-eighth cent per
| pound On the whole, such big gap had
! been cut out of the Wilson bill that one
could drive a coach-and-four through IL,
with room to spare. The concessions that
were made to the advocates of low tarin
were few and far between. The bill was
returned to the senate two months after
! ii had been handed over to the finance
! committee. Then came three weeks
of general debate.
! Outranking every other effort in length
and thoroughness was the speech oil
! Senator Quay, of Pennsylvania. 1t was In
reality three different speeches OF num-
/ Der of chapters each, and altogether they
! embrace 231 pages of the printed record
-four hundred thousand words in all.
F., This probably constitutes the greatest
| speechmaking feat ever accomplished Ia
/ either branch of congress, or in any 9TH
I err legislative body on earth, for that mat
/ ter In the senate there have been nu-
| merous instances of talking against time,
and sometimes such tactics have served
| to defeat the best laid plans of whole
administration, but at no time mas the
Quay record been equalled. Quay coulo
afford TO fight for delay. Very recently
F.! the statement was made by one of the
| lieutenants of Speaker Cannon that every
/ day the insurgents postponed the enact
ment of a new tariff law 1t meanst an
/ extra cost of s1OOO0,OO0 to the nation. IL
! is to be presumed that the changes now
proposed will not be as great as those
+ then contemplated. Quay was confessedly
| for the higher tariff and 100000 day
was worth talking for.
| The Democrats started out with policy
of allowing the Republicans to do all the
! talking. upon the view that they would
! the sooner talk themselves out. But this
policy was not carried out. The old say
ing that 1t takes two to make quarrel
/ was exemplihed. The tariff bill might
! have become law a month or more ear
! lier had the Democrats lived up to their
first resolution. Senator Aldrich has fol-
lowed that course in most debates which
he manages, and did so with great sue
cess when considering the Dingley bill
On the very first day of the actual con-
sideration of the tariff bill line by line,
| Aldrich displayed his supreme, knowledge
! of men and his detective ability. He
knew fully just what sort of trading was
| going on to muster the necessary forty
three votes for the passage of the bill,
| and he told the Democrats point blank
! that it was useless as yet to discuss the
| time the law was to go into effect, since
] the majority themselves did not know
| vet what provisions the bill would con-
| tain. what concessions would have to be
| made. or when a required majority could
! be mustered. He told many Democrats
more than they themselves knew about
what was going on within their own
ranks.
A little later he worked the most monu-
mental game of bluff on the Democrats
that has ever occurred in the senate. He
first stated that there was not a single
70 eli nh could
tell just what his party in the senate
was standing for. Mr.. Lindsay, of Ken
lucky. responded that if the Republicans
would allow the final vote to be taken
that evening they would find out what
| the Marty stnnd for Aldrich announced