Evening journal., 1909-05-26
Wednesday, May 26, 1909
sENATE,s TARIFF Bill.

IT HE Senate at Washington has voted against
= free lumber Senator Root, the latest ad
diton to the leaders of the forces of the special
interests came out the other day in opposition
10 the lowering of duties The vote on this
question again shows who are the real lawmak-
crs of this country These lawmakers arc the
Senators and not the members of the House of
Representatives. The latter body passed the
Payne bill which all things considered was an
acceptable measure, but the work of the Payne
Committee was wholly disregarded when AID
rich and his cohorts started TO make the new
tariff. The Payne bill has been mauled out OF
all semblance by the Senatorial knockers.
The House of Representatives, which is sup
posed TO represent the will of the people, and
which made bill in accordance with the popu-
lar demand, has been practically ignored. OF
course, the bill as modified by the Senate will
be returned to the House for approval and the
conference between the committees of the two
bodies will then begin. 1t is more than proba-
bic, however, that the final conflict will be won
by the Senators. Speaker Cannon, of the House,
is heart and soul with the Senate view of the
matter and nine-tenths of the members of Con-
gress are so much in terror of the speaker that
they fear to call their souls their own. In fact
SO far as practical legislation is concerned, the
"Great American people arc represented in the
lower branch of Congress by Speaker Cannon
and a few dummies of about as much use as
wooden Indians would be-
AS regards free lumber the lumber trust and
the lumber lobby has got in its work with et-
feet The people will pay tribute to the lum-
Der trust How ridiculous it is. We have had
conventions at which governors and other sol
emn and presumably serious and wise persons
have assembled and given their views on the
conservation of our natural resources gov
ernor is supposed to have Vews--learned views
at that-on all sorts of subjects. especially on
those things of which he really knows nothing.
So the governors and others-and if we remem-
Der correctly the late President who is now kill
ing giraffes i'm Africa-delivcred learned disqu-
sitons on natural resources. We were going %
do many things to protect the trees. II would
occur TO many that the natural step to take to
preserve our forests and guard supply OF
lumber would be to draw ON the forests of 9th
er nations and keep our own intact for time.
After all this talk about conserving natural
resources one would think that there would be
a mighty protest against a tariff on lumber
But when the hoggish trusts begin work
all sentiment all thoughts of conserving natural
resources are swept to the winds. What do the
monaires who compose the lumber trust care
about preserving the natural resources or any
other kind of resources SO long as they can line
their own pockets roll up their big fortunes, eX-
plot their workingmen and hold Congress by
the throat to do their bidding? Our ways OF
Legislation are both learned and marvellous we
blow about conserving natural resources, but
when a practical means of preserving them 1;
offered we run away simply because some syn
dicate of rich men tells to run.