Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-04-09
HOUSE PLACES OIL
ON TIE FREE LIST
INSURGENTS JOIN DEMOCRATS AND
GAIN VICTORY OVER THE
ORGANIZATION.
CANNON TRIES TO BLOCK 1T.
Speaker Warns Representatives Against
Furnishing Others When They Would
Chastise Only Standard
COOPER FAVORS AMENDMENT

WASHINGTON. D. c.. April S.-A
decisive defeat of the Republican House
organization practically put oil on the
free list yesterday afternoon. Despite
the imprisoned intercession of Speaker
Cannon himself, the Democrats. aided
by lnsurgent Republicans. trampled on
the ways and means committees coun-
tervailing duty on oil, and then rejected
the 20 per cent. ad valorem duty which
the special rule admitted to a vote. Then
they voted a | per cent. duty. on crude
and refined oil, which is almost equiv
alent to repeating the duty entirely. \
fight will be made to secure the reten-
ton of a % per cent. duty in the Sell
ate.
Insurgents Show Power.
The fight on the oil schedule involved
long series of parliamentary Skin
mlsheS, and 1t was on an appeal from a
ruling of Chairman Olmstead that the
insurgents showed their power. By Il
vote of 1876 to 16S, he failed to secure
the support of the House for his ruling,
and thus the door was opened for gen
eral amendments. Speaker Cannon made
Il speech from the floor in behalf of Il
duty on oil, pleading for the Illinois
fields. which now produce more oil than
all of the states between Illinois and
the Atlantic, but his plea was in vain,
and there was not even a division when
the amendments were put to Il vote.
The lapse from control seemed serious
at the time, but it proved only tenn
pOrary setback and the rest of the aft
ernOOn the House organization had its
way again.
Accept Committee Amendments.
Tea and coffee went on the free list.
and all the amendments brought in by
the committee on ways and means were
accepted
When the oil duty was called up Mr..
Nreeland offered an amendment striking
out the countervailing duty on oil and
fixing % per cent. adj yalorem. Mr.. Nor
ris (NebraskO moved a substitute i'm
posing / per cent. ad yalOrem. After
deciding POINT of order the entire
petroleum schedule was opened to
amendment.
y vigorous appeal was made by Mr..
Campbell (Kan.) for protection for in
dependent oil producers, who, he said
needed protection, while the Standard
company did not.
A bitter attack against the Standard
Oil company was made by Mr.. Cooper
ment. Seeing the wave of sentiment III
favor of the amendment Speaker Can
non took the floor and warned the mem
bers of the dangers ahead. He made q
plea for the American producer OF oil.
Cites Biblical Incident.
The amendment, he declared, was de-
signed to punish the wicked Standard
Oil company, Gentlemen" he said, lis
it not well enough to see when you seek
to punish somebody that you claim is
bad that you do not, like Samson, pull
down the pillars and have the temple
fall upon you The adoption of the
Norris amendment, he said, would let in
practically free refined oil from Mexico,
land still the gentleman from Wisconsin
and others flap their wings and crow and
cruelty the people while they demagogue
in denouncing the wicked Standard OIL
The House adopted the amendment by
Mr.. Norris (Neb.) imposing 1 per cent.
nd valorem on crude petroleum and its
products.
Mr. Fitzgerald q. " denied that the
Standard Oil company controlled his of
fetal actions, saying these vile insinua-
tons were made through dirty and dis
creditable prints"