Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-08-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 81, 1909.

tariff revision downward. The 'stand
pat" forces of the Senate and the House
have gone down to defeat. The un-
holly alliance between Speaker Car
non and Representative Littauer
has come to naught. The corporations
of the country are to be made to sub
ject their affairs to the clear light of
publicity. Justice is to be done to the
Filipinos. The people will receive
some benefit from a genuine tariff re-
vision and the Republican party,
under it's new leader, William Howard
Taft has demonstrated a capacity to
withstand the influence of evil and
present solid front in opposition to
the powerful pressure exerted by lob
bies of the protected interests. These
are the results of the agreement on the
tariff bill which has finally been reach
ed by the conferrees and which re-
mains only to be confirmed. as it un-
questionably will be, by the Republi-
can maiorities in the two houses of
Congress.
1t required letter from the Presi-
dent to the conferrees, in which, in
simple but straightforward terms he
declared that if the rate on rough lum-
Der was placed above 81 :25 thousand
feet and the rates on women's gloves
were increased above the Dingley law
he would "reject' the bill, to bring the
conferees to their senses and induce
them to provide for that measure of
revision downward which Mr.. Taft
deemed essential. When the tire
came to write the letter, the President
did not hesitate to take the step, how
ever, and the result is one cf which all
Republicans may well feel proud. The
number OF reductions contained in the
completed bill is far greater than is
generally supposed or than The public
has had an opportunity to discover.
Chairman Payne has presented the re-
suits in an effective manner. He shows
that the duties have been lowered on
$4,000, 600 worth of goods used by the
people, while they have been increased
on only $3.50, 900 worth. TO arrive at
this comparison he takes the year 1905
as basis of comparison which is entire
ly consistent with the position he has
taken all along that the figures of 1907
do not present fair basis of compari-
SOP for the reason that that was a de-
cidely exceptional year. Mr.. Payne
shows, moreover, that the increases
fall on $4,000 worth of luxuries,
which constitutes two thirds of all the
increases. In further exemplifcation
of his contention that the bill con-
stitutes genuine revision of the tariff,
Mr.. Payne points out that in number
of instances the duties where SO high
as to be prohibitive, that therefore,
there were no importations and in cal
culating the reductions now and taking
the importations of any year under the
Dingley law as basis it is impossible
to show how much the people will be
benfitted because the reductions made
will greatly increase the importation
of these goods which are necessities,
80 that figures made year hence, for
instance, would show a still larger per-
centage of decrease on goods used by
the people. The reductions in the
metals schedule should benefit every
citizen of the country for everyone
used metal in some form, from a pen
knife to ploy The rate on iron ore
is decreased from 40 cents to Is cents a
ton; on pig iron from S4 to $3.50 a ton,
on scrap iron, which is used to work
over into metal articles which do not
require the highest grade of wrought
iron, from $4 to 81 ton, etc.
There has been considerable disposi-
tion to oppose the adoption of the tariff
report by certain members of the two
houses who feel that the Industries of
their section do not receive sufficient
protection, but the indications are that
this will abate and the bill will be
adopted without any prolonged
struggle. There is 80 much food in the
measure that large majorities of the
Republicans in both houses will be
strongly disposed to promote its enact
ment and as for the disgruntled "stand
patters" the President has made it very
clear to them that if the bill should fail
he would convene Congress in special
session next October and the very com
modities which they are most anxious
to protect, such as iron ore, hides, lum-
Der, etc, would be subjected to mer-
ciless fire which could not but result in
placing them all on the free list. In the
Senate there will doubtless be some
Republican votes against the bill.
For Sale.
A desirable property, on East Fourth
Tx.Nn a. n. /