The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-13
SEN. MN. JOHNSON
and THE TARIFF
JUNIOR SENATOR DECLARES
THAT PRESIDENT TAFT AND
" t.f SENATE WORKED IN
HARMONY.

Grand Forks, N. D, Aug. 13.-U. S
Sen. M. N. Johnson's view on the
tariff question as expressed by him il
an interview given out yesterday, i:
very interesting. The senator, who ar
rived at his home Monday from the
season Of hard work at Washington
takes UP the question propounded to
him, that of the relation or President
Taft towards the senate AMI also their
work together.
"Did President Taft and the sen
ate work in harmony?" said Senator
Johnson. ss ,.a-.
Let us examine the record. The
senate proposed SAT amendments to
the house bill. In conference thc
house conferees agreed to 422 o.
these amendments. and the senate
conferees receded from 124 of it's
proposed amendments. That left 3O1
to be adjusted. Each side had to give
and take. When these differences of
opinion had by various compromises
been reduced TO seven points the
president in verbal and informal
way took an earnest part in helping
on the final agreement These seven
points were:
Iron ore.
Goal.
3-Petroleum.
4-Hides.
5-Lumber.
"a few styles of kid gloves.
7--Three kinds of cotton hose.
Agreements were reached on the
first four Of these poinls mainly by
the informal, verbal, good influence
of the president as follows: Iron ore
was reduced from 40 cents a ton, the
Dingley rate, to 15 cents. Bimituous
coal was reduced from 81 cents pcr
ton, Dingley rate, to 45 cents per ton.
Petroleum free, as before. except for
the omission of possible counter
vailing duty, of no account Hides.
formerly dutiable ct Is per cent, were
placed on the free list.
Only Three Points.
''That left only three points Of diff
ference TO be adjusted. viz; Lumber,
kid gloves and cotton hose. At this
point the president for the first and
only time-not counting his special
on the corporation tax-of-
fered suggestion in writing. In a
letter to Mr.. Aldrich he named his
which was promptly and
cheerfully accepted by both house and
senate That ultimatum has been
heralded far and wide as a crushing
defeat for the senate. Exactly the
reverse is true. On rough lumber the
house rate was 81 per thousand and
the senate rate was $3.50 per thousand.
Taft's ultimatum was SLIPS. On
dressed lumber. kid gloves and cotton
hose the senate rate was lower than
the house rate and the ultimatum was
that the senate rate must be accepted
1t was accepted. What a famous vic
tory that was over the senate. On
rough lumber. which Is not for sale
In any lumber yard in North Dakota,
we had to split the difference byseach
rs cents, while on dressed
lumber kid gloves assd cotton hose,
the, president insisted rnat rhe lower
rates OF the senate bill must go into
the new law and there 1t Is. II that
was crushing defeat for he senate
It could stand few more jolts
They Were Lowered.
Here is raw covering over 1000
Items. 1898 Of those items were
IDENTICAL or adjusted IN conference be- 1
tween loyal republicans of the two
houses OF congress, without executive
help. Four items were agreed upon
With the friendly, tactful. informal
help OF the president. The last re-
three items were agreed upon
n consequence Of wise, firm, writ
Ten ultimatum In which the president
insisted on the house yielding It's
opinion TO the lower duty insisted on