Evening star., 1909-04-22
ALDR|CH EXPLAINS
Gives His View Of Party's
Tariff Promises.
QUESTIONED IN SENATE
Wants to Know When Downward
Revision Was Pledged.
NELSON STARTS CONTROVERSY
Mix-Up Stirred Up Over the Discus
sion Of an Apparently Great
Increase in Duty.
NELSON STARTS CONTROVERSY

''Where did the republican party make
the statement that it would revise the
tariff downward" demanded Mr.. Aldrich.
In the course Of lively discussion of the
tariff bill in the Senate today.
Senator Bailey replied that the republic
an party had promised revision q change
from the Dingley law. and that the people
OF the country who voted the republican
ticket last fall expected revision down.
ward. Mr.. Aldrich declared that the only
pledge Of the republican party was to
make the taFin equal to the difference in
the cost OF production at home and
abroad. with reasonable allowance for
profit.
The duty proposed by the Senate finance
committee on gas retorts' was under
consideration when the republican and
democratic leaders got into Q pretty mix
up over the question Of whether or not
the republican party was carrying out
it's tariR revision pledge. The democrats.
who were represented In. the skirmish by
Senator Bailey. had the assistance OF
some Of the insurgent republicans in their
efforts to put Senator Aldrich. republican
leader In a corner.
The finance committee proposed IN in
crease In the duty on gas reforts from s.
was admitted to be three times the Ding
ley law a. applied during the last year.
Nelson Starts tho Controversy.
1t happened to be Senator Nelson OF
Minnesota who started the lively con-
troversy. He called attention to the fact
that this duty Of 81 had practically pro-
hibited the importation Of this article
last year. and demanded Of Mr. Aldrich
to know why 1t was proposed to increase
rs that the proper way to revise the
tarin" asked Mr.. Nelson. 'Ys that the
kind OF revision the republican party
And" put in Mr.. Bailey. rs that the
kind Of provision the republican party
promised the country?"
Here Senator Penrose Of Pennsylvania
defended the increase, saying that 1t
was only apparent and not real.
Referring to Mr.. Aldrichs declaration,
Mr.. Bailey asked what right had any
party to promise any man profit on his
"The republican party stands for pro-
tection." stated Mr.. Aldrioh, emphaticai-
~. mo matter where it strikes"
Mr.. La Toilette. one Of the insurgents
Mr.. Aldrich with smile Just what part
OF the proposed duty on gas retorts rep
resented the profit to be given to Ameri-
can manufacturers.
Mr.. Aidrich couldn't say. but promised
to explain later.
It was then insisted by Mr.. Bailey that
the people who voted the republican ticket
In the last election had an impression
that the present tariff was too high. He
declared that practically all Of the re-
Pubi,eans put lea. IN the west were protecuonists.
Senator Root Of New York at this point
took occasion to speak in favor Of the
committee amendment. He took the posi-
ton that unless some senator had some
facts to prove that the proposed duty was
unreasonable the subject ought to be
dropped.
In the meantime Senator Bailey had
sent for copy Of President Taft's inau-
gurAl address.
President Is euetsd.
When Mr.. Root finished Mr. Bailey pro-
ceeded to read from 1t where the Presi-
dent gave It - his opinion that the pledge
OF the republican party was for very little
advance in rates. II any. and rather for q
revision toward the bottom. a. Mr., Bailey
expressed 1t.
Il was = protectionist before the last
republican platform was adopted" re-
torted Mr.. Aldrich. ''and ! expect to re-
main one as long as l live
ways voted the republican ticket since
1861, when he entered the Union army.
although his ancestors had been demo
Gratis.
MIR. Bailey suggested that the service
In the Union army did not mean that q
man had been republican.
TT did north of the Mason and Dixon
liae." declared Mr.. Aldfich.
Such statement, In the opinion of Mr..
Bailey, was an anront to many demo-
Gratis who served In the Union army and
without whom there would have been a
different story to tell Of those times.
Mr. Aldrich said the democrats who
entered the Union army all became re-
publicans Mr.. Bailey said they didn't
remain republicans.
Mr.. Aldrich replied that they did.
Says Conditiens Are Changed.
1t was then stated by Mr.. Aldrich that
he agreed with what Mr.. Taft had said
In his inaugural address about the ad-
vances being few. but that conditions had
changed. He insisted that the Senate
committees bill fulhlled the republicans
pledge as q whole.
Occasion was then taken by Mr.. Bailey
to decPy what he called Mr.. Aldrich' s
appeal to the prejudice Of the north in
favor Of his bill. He deHied that such
an appeal would be effective. Further
more he denied that the adH1inist ration
would be successful In attempting to
break the solid south.
he wastes his breath, to give heed to
the men who tell him he can disrupt
the SOUTH" assented Mr.. Bailey.
He added that republican party mieht
be built up in the south by an appeal to
convictions, but 1t never would b built