Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-18
Agreement Reached with Ease Sur
prising to Them All.
FREE LUMBER, COAL, OIL, IRON
These Are Some Of Provisions fc
Which They Will Stand.
TAX ON HIDES IMPORTANT PART
Free Tea and Coffee, DinRley
Rate on Lemons, Hosiery
and Gloves Also Are
Agreed TO-
lFrnm a staff correspondent.l )


WASHINGTON, April 17.--(Special Tele-
gram)-An offensive and defensive alliance
was effected today or at least 1t has that
appearance to a rank outsider.
At Senator Burkett's call there met in
his room today a dozen or more senators
with one object in view, to get together on
schedules in which the great Missouri val
ley is Interested in the pending tariff bill.
JJp to this time a sort OF hit and miss
effort has been made by individual SEN
ators to take care of particular schedules
in the tariff bill in which their states were
most interested and as a result OF this In
dividual scouting for preferential advantage
little or nothing has been accomplished. II
seemed therefore, of highest Importance
to interests of the west that the g 1T
should not get all the plums in the tariff
bill to the exclusion of the west and In
consequence of this condition Senator
Burkett called a meeting in his committee
room today, which was attended by Sen
ator Brown of Nebraska and in addition
Senators Cummins of Iowa, Senators Gam
BILE and Crawford of South Dakota, Sen
ators Bristow and Curtis Of Kansas.
Senator Burxett explained why the meet
| ing had been called, expressing the hope
| that some concerted action might be agreed
upon TO bring about not theoretical but
practical reductions in a number of sched-
ules For one he stood for revision down
ward in keeping with the platform of the
republican party.
| The conference lasted long into the aft
| ernoon, every member in attendance ex-
pressing himself as heartily in favor of
unity of action looking to western interests.
Result of Conference.
| AS a result of the Glove feast" for II
\ cannot be called by any other name, II
| was decided to stand for free coal, free
lumber. free iron. free petroleum, free tea
and coffee the Dingley rate on lemons
hosiery and gloves and for tax on hides,
unless manufacturers OF boots and shoes
would agree to free entrance OF the fin
| ished product OF hides into the United
states, in which event these senators might
be induced to be for free hides.
The conference developed unanimity
rather surprising in view of the complexity
of the tariff. II was stated at the meet
ing that at least twenty senators would
be found making common cause In the In
terest of the schedules above named, and II
was decided to begin a sy stematic canvass
of the senate to bring about the program
outlined today. Senator Curtis of Kansas
In conjunction with Senator Burkett, will
begin Monday a canvass of the senate In
favor of substantial reductions in many
of the schedules in the Payne-Aldrich bill
and 1t would not be surprising If, unless
generous concessions are made to these so
| called insurgents, they will tie up the sen
ate until September, which hardly Seems
likely.
Omaha's Interest in Scrap Iron.
A well known dealer In iron, of Omaha
has written Senator Burkett protesting
against the proposed reduction of duty pr
scrap iron. The present rate Of duty is s
per ton; the Payne bill reduced 1t to .
cents per ton. The senate split the differ
ence and made the duty on scrap iron $3.50
Commenting on the tariff situation as re
vealed to him through his correspondence
Senator Burkett said today: ut is a har'
matter TO ascertain just what is the righ
thing There are 1900 schedules. AS al
example I have been thinking that irol
ore and its products certainly should b
reduced. When the house in its bill pu
scrap iron down to 50 cents a ton, vel
coined the reduction, thought II all right
Today. however, l received a letter from
dealer in scrap iron in Omaha which over
turns my former theory to iron junk
My correspondent states that above every
4 thing, dealers In scrap iron should hav
] protection. Everybody sells scrap iron. I
the plant of my correspondent. Farmer
= sell It, in old machinery: railroads sell
] in old car wheels or other material use
D in the conduct of a railroad, and, it
(Continued on Second PaRel