The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1909-07-28
SATISFACTORY
TARIFF SYSTEM
Senator Penrose Makes Predic-
ton Concerning Final Out
come Of Special Session
pENROSE ALWAYS ON GUARD

Senior Senator on in Search Of
Recreation In Western WlIds-Tarlrf
Teachings That Should Not Be Lost
Sight Of.
Advices from Washington are to the
effect that Senator Boies Penrose pre-
diets that the new tariff law when
finally framed, adopted by both
branches of Congress and signed by
the President, will provide the most
satisfactory tariff system ever es-
tablished In this country. Senator
Penrose Is In a position to know what
he is talking about. AS a member of
the Senate Finance committee and a
conferee. he has been able to prevent
the adoption Of severe reductions In
the iron and steel, chemical and other
schedules with which Pennsylvania
tremendous industrial interests are
concerned. That his great work in
this direction is appreciated, is amply
shown by the strong statements of
commentator that have been re-
ceived by him from members of the
Pennsylvania delegation in Congress
and from representatives of labor and
capital in the Keystone State.
Owing to the complexity OF Penn
sylvania's industries the revision of
the tariff schedules brought an i'm
mense volume of work to members of
the Pennsylvania delegation. As SEN
ator Penrose recently remarked. there
is hardly a page of the Payne bill that
does not contain a rate in which this
Commonwealth is directly interested.
The Pennsylvania Congressman have
been in receipt Of thousands of letters,
briefs and other communications on
both sides of the tariff question. The
duties of Senator Penrose were
peculiarly exacting. AS a member Of
the Finance committee the appeals
for assistance that reached him came
not only from Pennsylvania but from
the representatives of every industry
in the United States.
In a large room adjoining Senator
Penrose's Office are long rows of cases
which contain, classified and indexed,
the communications he received rela-
tive to the revision of the tariff rates.
The mails brought him valuable com
pilations Of facts relative to the in
dustrial interests of this State. Mr..
Penrose received the tariff argument
of every manufacturer in the Key
stone State with a detailed statement
of the duty desired. Letters from
Pennsylvania farmers urging him to
vote for the retention of the Dingley
duty of Is per cent ad valorem on
hides were filed with the printed
briefs of the tanners and shoe and
leather manufacturers presenting
arguments in support of their demand
for free hides. Every scrap of paper
bearing upon the tariff bill was filed.
The arguments thus presented were
briefed and submitted to the Finance
committee and in some instances to
the Senate, in which body considera'
ton of the measure required the
almost constant attendance of Sena-
tors Penrose and Oliver as hardly a
day passed during the time the bill
was being discussed in the Upper
House that q schedule affecting a
Pennsylvania industry was not taken
up.
AS the situation now presents itself,
petroleum, hides and iron ore are
likely to be found on the free list,
while coal will be protected by a duty
per thousand, this figure being a
quarter lower than the rate fixed by
the Senate and a quarter higher than
the House rate.
At the dinner given by President
Taft to the Republican members OF
the Conference committee and some
of his Cabinet advisers, Chairman
Serene f. Payne, of the Ways and
Means committee, advanced the claim
that Pennsylvania interests were
being too well protected, but Senator
Penrose showed the President con-
clusively that the State was not being
given a 1.-THE more protection than
was needed to preserve its industries.
For a time at that dinner this States
industries became the pivot of all the
discussion and the defense put up by
Senator Penrose and Representative
John Dalzell was a warm one. The
result appears to be that Pennsylvania
came out practically unscathed.
Despite the vital interest of Penn
sylvania in tariff legislation Senator
Penrose is the only senator from the
Keystone State within this generation
who has served as a member of a
Conference committee in charge of "a
Tariff bill. When the Mckinley bill
was enacted this Commonwealth was
represented in the Senate by J. Don.
aid Cameron and Mathew Stanley
Quay, neither of whom was a men,
Der of the Finance committee, and
who, therefore, were not in line for
appointment as conferees. Quay and
Penrose were the Pennsylvania sena-
tors at the time of the passage of the
Dingley bill and both had other com
mittee appointments. Owing to his
familiarity with tariff legislation and
the industrial conditions in this State,
Senator Penrose during his second
term was appointed a member of the
Finance committee and now ranks