The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-13

/ high tariff men could and testimony 10
support their contentious. The low tarin
men could find testimony 10 support their
views. We did not have any wen dlgested
statement OF facts In reference 70 cost OF
production at home and abroad. We did
nave reasonably accurate statement oil
the comparative cost of labor and of sell.
price ne home and abroad. but that IL very
uncertain and unsatisfactory in fixing tar.
im schedule. What we want Is not con.
nicting testimony but we want the fact on
every schedule ascertained by some com.
petent expert vested with authority to re.
port the facts. This would have been OF
immense value to US In fixing our rates I'm
the last tariff bill. 1t is because Of our
inability 10 get accurate knowledge that
there has arisen the demand for a tariff
commission. When the bill came into the
senate the committee on anance reported
a provision for the appointment Of offic.
ials to secure all facts necessary to ad.
wise the president In ascertaining whether
any other country Is discriminating against
American goods. The provision rs II
pAssed clearly authorized this committee
TO get the facts that we wish. The word.
ing was somewhat modified by the com.
mittee on conference OF the two houses.
/ have looked II over, however, aud think
IL means exactly the same. The presi'
dent so CONSTITUTES 1t and we have In this
tariff bill, therefore, provision for q
commission vested with authority 20 fur
nish US with accurate information which
should guide congress In fixing any future
tariff and which will demonstrate In a
very short time whether any schedule Il
now unreasonably high or unreasonably
Corporation Tax.
This tariff bill contains another impor.
tant provision, the corporation tax pro.
vision, q levy Of 1 per cent tax upon the
net earnings Of each corporation. The
amount paid by each is small In Itself, but
IL opens up q way to throw the light OF
publicity upon the acts OF corporations
50 that the government itself can under
stand what the income Of each corporation
IA, how that income is divided, whether
unreasonable or outrageous salaries are
paid to officers, and thereby meets the re-
quirements and object sought by law for
publicity of corporation acts.
Senatorial Pairs.
Another species of false assertion and
OF the press which Is hired TO subserve
a particular interest is the attempt TO
make political capital out Of the fact that
a senator or representative does not al
impression that he is either negectlng his
duty or does not wish to put himself on
record. They know that one sentence
woud expain away such an impression.
Every democrat In the senate IL paired
with a particular republican. My pair,
for instance, ls the senator from Louis
lana. II that democrat is out OF the sen
ate chamber, is absent on departmental
where It Is known that he would vote one
way and his republican pair the other,
when the vote IL called, mis- republican
pair announces his pair with such demo
cratic senator, often stating how the latter
would vote and how he would vote IL his
pair were present. This makes a record
OF his vote and at the same time leaves
the result OF each vote the same
When It is known that the pair will be
absent for several days, often but one an
nouncement Is made. This pair Is used
much more when a tariff bill is up. be-
cause IL is the one measure on which the
two great parties fundamentally differ.
/ have never yet failed TO vote on any
question unless either my pair was alb
sent when / was bound not to vote, or
when was necessarily absent myself.