The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-05-14
Gallinger Springs a Surprise
on Western Senators.
PROPOSES REDUCTION OF DUTY
Kentucky Senator Pleads For an
Amendment to Tariff Bill Fa-
voring Home Producers
of Tobacco.

washington, May lo. - " surprise
was sprung into the opening proceed
ings of the senate when Senator Gal
linger Rep., n. H. laid before that
body petition from his constituents
in New Hampshire praying that a re-
duction Of 10 cents Il bushel be made
in the duty ON wheat.
AS the title of the petition was read
Mr.. Gallinger glanced toward the SEN
ators from the wheat growing states,
many of whom have figured promi-
nently in the movement for lower du-
ties on the manufactured products of
New England. Senators Nelson, Bur
kett and McCumber expressed surprise
at the move by the senator from New
Hampshire.
Mr.. Simmons Dem., N. c. offered an
amendment to the window glass sched-
ule of the tariff bill reducing the rates
below those suggested by Senator Cum
Minis
Mr.. Simmons addressed the senate
at some length upon the window glass
industry to demonstrate that the glass
manufacturers could prosper with du-
pending measure.
Pleading for an amendment to the
tariff bill to permit the producer of
tobacco to sell hand twist tobacco
without the payment of a duty of 6
cents per pound, Senator Paynter of
Kentucky laid before the senate his
tory Of the tobacco industry in this
country. He said:
"What the tobacco grower desires Is
the privilege of selling his tobacco in
the natural leaf to the consumers, that
this privilege may be exercised by
selling it to tobacco dealers and they
be permitted to sell it to the consum-
ers without the payment of tax. If
the tobacco growers and their tenants
had been prosperous there would have
been no demand for change in the
law. 1t was the unfortunate condition
in which they found themselves that
caused them to begin to investigate
what had caused the condition which
confronted them, and they demanded IL
change which would enable them to
find markets for the tobacco where
there was Il competition among those
WHo ueSlreu tO purcnuSe.
Mr.. Paynter said that the tobacco
growers believe they are in "the grasp
of constituencies monopoly" and
gave a history of the 80 called tobac-
co trust" He spoke of the tobacco
troubles in Kentucky and expressed
the hope that the enactment of the
proposed law would remove the causes
which have provoked these troubles.
Continuing, he said:
Some manufacturers are contending
that it would not be right to enact the
law which is sought, because it would
be unfair to them. The farmers would
not be permitted to sell manufactured
tobacco. They would not put upon
the market tobacco in the same form
into which the manufacturers convert
it; hence there would be no direct COM
petition with them in the sale of the
tobacco. The manufacturers have no
right to demand, as matter of pro-
lection to them. that the farmer should
not be permitted to sell his tobacco
in the natural leaf to whomsoeyer he
pleases.
This great government of ours. be-
cause OF the loss or paltry sum in
revenues, cannot afford to disregard
the demand of one and half million
people who are dependent upon the
success of tobacco growing for live
lihood.
"lf you compel the people of this
country to contribute large sums to
make an enterprise profitable to those
who engage in it, then is it unreasona-
BILE for million and a half of this
country to demand that the laws be so
made that they might have a fair
chance to carry on successfully an
important industry?
"They do not ask that money be paid
into their pockets as profits, but they
simply ask that grinding corpora.
ton shall not be permitted by reason
of the laws of the land to reduce the
market value of their products below
a reasonable price, thus forcing the
poor tobacco tenants to labor for al
most starvation wages"