The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-17
JOHNSTON MAKES
TELLING SPEECH
Alabama Senator Holds Up
Tariff to RidicuIe
PROTECTION FOR THE FEW
Revision of Tariff Is Shown Not to Be
According to Campaign Promises
But Just What Is Most
Expedient.
PROTECTION FOR THE FEW

Joseph L. Johnston of Alabama delivered
the following address on the tariff in the
Senate on Saturday:
Having waded through 1872 pages of this
bill. / struck the free list and the thir-
teenth item that appeared on this priv
LEGGED class was "apatite' A little fur
Their on I found that teeth. natural or I'M
manufactured were let In free, I sup
pose to wait upon apatite and do its per
feet work. l thought these were the
cruelest things in the whole bill; that
after putting a duty of per cent
pound on hams and bacon and about 40
per cent on every article necessary to sus-
tain life the trainers of the bill should
turn loose free appetites and free teeth.
DISTRESSING the apparent error in spelling
the word, [ finally consulted the diction-
airy and found that the word 'apatite'
was not the good old-fashioned craving
for something TO eat, which seems to be
constantly increasing under republican
administration, but was "Vitreous, sea-
green, brown, bue-black, white, etc.,
transparent to Opaque, calcium ehloro-
phosphate of fluophosphate Ca FP y,
. 12, usually erystallizing in hexagonal
prisms; used formerly as gem and called
moroxte;" and that this word was de-
rived from the Greek "apate," which
meant deceit This is a good word to put
in this bill i was greatly relieved.
knew how the people must crave for this
deceitful gem and how little use they
had for a good old-fashioned English ap-
petite. They will not have the least use
for either natural or artificial teeth If
this exorbitant protective tariff continues
to increase and the trusts to multiply.
Pursuing my study further, l discov-
cred in this free list cat gut, whip gut
or worm gut. l was not amazed that the
human article was not included, because
We shall be able to diminish the number
we need as the duties increase. But the
people are not left entirely without hope,
for there is included in the free list, man
ma, joss sticks, epicao, nux vomica, drag
on's blood asafoedta and balm of gill
cad" These may be said to be in the ma
ture of counteryailing duties on apatite.
/ don't object to any of them. but there
is one still further on which / shall move
to strike out; that is leeches. l think
there will be a great increase in their pro-
duction under this bill, and that the sup
ply will largely exceed the demand.
Spunk is also put on the free list. 1
am delighted at that for if some of my
friends on the other side of this cham
Der had a little more of it l am satisfied
that the country would have lower taxes
on the necessaries of life.
Raw Silk Free.
Looking further into this admirable free
list, l find raw silk free (the duty on the
manufactured article is 80 per cent,
whilst duty of nearly 155 per cent is laid
on wooden or worsted cloths valued at
not more than 40 per cent per yard, an
article largely in use by a vast number
of the people of this country. So that
when a woman buys 10 yards of cloth for
a worsted dress, worth 81 abroad, she has
to confront protective duty or tax of
1876 per cent and contribute $5O to
benevolent government or protected
making the cloth cost her
So 40; at the same time her more favored
sister gets her 10 yards of silk by paying
duty of only s.. Uncut diamonds come
in free and the cheapest blankets are
taxed 107 per cent. Cut diamonds and
pearls are 20 per cent. Not many of
our people are able to buy the genuine
article and If they adorn themselves WI
limitations they pay heavily for it, Furs,
are admitted free of duty and
brussels carpets taxed at 70 per cent
Rags are wisely put on the free list and
common shawls bear a duty of 92 per
cent. II UluSl D5 IL Sitol COililoll W Jul
people to know that under republican
rule they still may get rags without pay
ing a cent of tribute to the government
or to any trust or manufacturer; the
women of the country will be delighted to
know that whilst frooks are high and
stockings are going UP, rags are coming
down.
Reduction of Taxes.
I want, Mr.. President to call attention
to this pregnant fact that not only has
no substantial change been made in this
bill looking to a reduction of the taxes
upon articles of necessity, but it is OBJ
servable that in many cases the duties
are lower on the finer and more expensive
grades, especially of wooden or worsted
goods, than on the cheaper. 1t will be
perceived that those valued at not over 40
cents per pound bear a duty of 1874 per
cent, whilst those valued at over 70 cents
per pound are taxed at "a per cent So
with blankets those valued at 40 cents
per pound are taxed at 107 per cent,
whilst those valued In excess of 50 cents
per pound are taxed at II per cent The
same thing appears in Paragraph 376 on
dress goods; those valued at not exceed
ing 10 cents per square ward are taxed
at 105 percent, and wnen they are vslaed
at above 20 cents at "a per cent. Oriental
pets NOfcu NltOlS LIZ AOOAiN
graph 1917 bear duty OF 60 per cent,
whilst ingram three-ply carpets are taxed
at Sc per cent. Champagne bears q duty
of 50 per cent and wearing apparsi at
Sc per cent. So with hats and bonnsts,
those costing not over $40 per dozen have
specific tax of rs per cent each and those
over and above $40 per dozen have
specific tax of % per cent each, and both
have 10 per cent ad valorem added The
tax on cutlery is most exorbitant.
Whenever We buy yard of foreign cloth
we periodically pay the duty to the gov
eminent; when we buy the home-ln&de
article we pay the duty all the same TO
the manufacturer, but with less pleasure
and patriotism.
Compliance With Platform.
Whether or not there has been com
plianee with the platform of the repuD-
liean party or the recommendation of tire
President, or the expectations Of the
country, / will undertake to say that Of
the IA schedules of the bill containing
some thousands of articles that in nine
of these the duties have been raised I;
two remain the same as In the Dngley
act and in three only is there an APP
parent reduction, and the honora BILE
chairman of the committee advises us
that .ae changes We propose to make
in the administrative ACT include % new
definitions of dutiable value and new
methods in its proper entertainments; 90
more efficient collections machinery and
go provision for the creation of a GUS
tom court to insure uniformity of de-
cisions in custom cases, Will, in the opin-
ion of the committee, result in the coli
lection of certain percentage more rev
enue In the importation of the same ar
tices than was collected under the AIT
of 1871 and adds that the extent OF
the unGeryslGations practiced unaer lex
listing law is variously estimated at from