Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1909-08-06
he P',aynIle ar'' | i Bill B
istory Of the Measure and Summary Of its PrinCi
pal Provisions The New Free List. What the
People will Pay Less and More For---P Pres
ident Taft's Fight For Downward
S= Revision. ]. NH. sS

= After one Of the bitterest ana one
OF the most momentous legislative du.
els In the history of the national cap
atal the new tariff measure, the Payne
bill, has been completed" ~ I, r. =.
The progress Of the bill through the
legislative mill Of both houses was
eventfui enough to satisfy the most
pronounced cravers for parliamentary
I warfare. The real battle opened when
the bill (house report 1881 was re-
ceived in the senate and referred to
the committee on finance, April 10.
Aldrich Of Rhode Island, the leader Of
the senate as chairman Of the finance
committee, subsequently, became chair
man of the conference committee,
which was appointed to adjust the diff
ferences arising between senate and
house and between both houses Of
congress and the president p,
- Taft For Free Hides.
The report Of the conference com
mittee which determined what would
be the provisions of the Payne bill in
ITS final form was victory for Pres
ldent Taft. He Informed all Of the
conferees that hides must be placed
on the free list. together with petro-
leum, crlide and refined. They there
upon decided to cut the Dingley tariff
on hides to 8 per cent The president
heard the news and sent word that
he had meant what he had said about
free hides. The figures were then
lowered to 7 per cent. Now Chairman
Serene E. Payne Of the ways, and
means committee decided to demon
strate that his original bill, providing
for free hides should no longer be sub
1ected to the emasculatory operations
Of the majority of the conferees. He
announced that not even s per cent
duty on hides would be accepted by
either himself or the house. without
free hides this tariff bill will not pass
the house." he was quoted as saying
The tariff came off hides instanter.
and as quickly was oil put on the un-
taxed schedule: together with gaso-
line. benzine and naphtha. The leather,
rough lumber. print paper, coal and
: iron and glove schedules ranked next
!. in Importance during the closing days
of the controversy. @9 ( :. l. -
4 If hides came in free. the important
New England boot aud shoe ulanifay-
turing interests wuuld consent to a re-
duction Of the tariff on their products.
otherwise they would continue to fight
The solving IF the hides problem left
1t simple NATTER TO agree to lower
duties on boots and shoes-the Ding
ley rate being rs per cent. Saddlery
and harness were cut to 40 per cent.
as against the Dingley rate of As per
cent. The president resorted to the
unusual method Of sending a written
message to the conference committee
demanding lower rates on lumber and
gloves than the Payne. bill provided.
and he secured them. T:t.
S.% 5 Wool, and Cotton.
The wool schedule underwent no
change of consequence. but the entire
cotton schedule was reconstructed and
the phraseology greatly changed in the
hope of*preventing reductions through
decisions by the courts such as have
characterized the administration Of the
Dingleg law during recent years In
many instances the: rates intended to
be imposed by the Dingley law were
cut by these decisions, the reductions
In; some Instances being from so per
cent to 3 per cent ad valorem.
Probab bly, the, most marked reduc-
tions are found in the metal schedule.
Beginning with a decrease In the rate
of iron ore from 40 to Is cents per ton.
there is a general reduction throughout
that part of the bill. pig iron going
down from 81 to $3.50 per- ton and
+ scrap iron from So to 81. The reduc-
#5$sfs,n on many Of the items In this
S eduie amounts to about 50 per cent,
Roug b lumber goes down from 1850
555S 81. 25 per thousand feet. with q cor.
bonding reduct ton In the diferential
dressed lumber. B. 35 q &
The president was subj ected to. Sc
4 srest pressure from both the upward
and downward revisionists throughout.
so he upward revisionists told him that
reduction OF duty on hides and
saather manufactures would make the
sstayt congress Democrat lie, Id which
vent they argued that Tai would NOT
POSSIBLY be reno Intnated Tor the pres
4dency The z ownwards' told him
that Roosevelt would surely be the
= "a X w