The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-25
FOR CONSUMERS
TREATED WITH SCORN


facturers are very busily engaged in
writing the tariff and that Mr. Aid
rich and other members of Congress
hardly know what they are putting
into it, appears to be borne out by
the following Washington CORES.
pondenee of the Ohio Farmer:
Washington, May 17--As the tarift
debate in the senate proceeds, one of
the most amazing facts developed is
the almost total lack of definite and
expert information concerning tariff
conditions and needs, based on dis
interested testimony. Almost daily
since the debate began, Senator Aid
rich or some other member OF the
Finance Committee, has been forced
to admit that practically the only
information the committee has con-
oerning cost of production and condi-
tions in any industry has been fur
nished by some manufacturer or per-
son interested In hSv.ng duties left
untouched or increased Almost as
amazing has been the disposition to
question the veracity OF any witnesses
whose opinions differed from those OF
the representative of these interests
While the country generally sup
poses Congress is in session for the
purpose of reducing excessive tariff
duties, Senators Aldrich and Lodge
are the spokesmen of a majority of
Senators who frankly admit their
purpose Of revising the whole tariff
upwards. II is interesting, perhaps,
to the average reader, to understand
just the modus operandi by which the
tariff revision is being accomplish
ed. Under the constitution, all bills
for raising revenue. which include ali
tariff measures, must originate in
the House of Representatives When
1t was decided last winter that the
tariff was to be revised at special
session, the Ways and Means Com
mittee of the House began holding
tariff hearings. These hearings were
open to the public, and a large num-
Der of witnesses attended. Most oil
these were manufacturers or lawyers
representing manufacturers and 9TH
ers who profit from the tariff. In
no case did the committee employ
any experts or conduct any inde-
pendent investigation TO find out II
what these interested witnesses ha |
said was true. A very few witness.
es announced that they appeared vol.
unfairly on behalf of the consumers
of the countryside public interests
not directly benefited by tariff. These
witnesses were either treated with
scorn or ridicule by the committee
On the evidence thus secured
most of 1t voluntary testimony by in
terested witnesses-the Ways AMI
Means Committee made up the fig
ures in the Payne bill. Under the
ordinary rules of the House any bill
reported is open to amendment in
any part. There are several thou
sand items and as many differing
rates of duty provided in the tariff
bill. Instead of being considered
under the regular rules, the House
leaders forced the adoption of a spe-
cial rule which permitted three days
| for the consideration of the whole
measure, and allowed separate votes
on only tea, coffee, hides, barley, pc
troleum and lumber. All the several
thousand other duties had to be
voted on as a whole-taken at gulp
or left alone. That was the way the
bill got TO the Senate.
In the Senate the Finance Commit
tee spent about three weeks rewrit-
ing the House bill. Then the meas
ure was reported to the Senate on the
installment plan, a part at a time.
A large number OF manufacturers and
others were invited to appear before
the Senate committee at its sessions,
to testify or give advice. What took
place at these hearings is known to
only nine members OF the commit
tee. The hearings were held be-
hind locked doors. Usually, when a
committee holds hearings on any
bill, the doors are open, the public is
admitted, and a stenographic report
of the proceedings is printed At
the tariff hearings before the Senate
committee no one was admitted but
invited witnesses. No reports of the
meetings have been printed. 1t was
in these secret sessions that the Aid.
rich bill, which proposes a general in
crease in the tariff, was made up.
The Senators who made up this bill
are: Aldrich of Rhode Island, Bur-
rows OF Michigan, Penrose of Penn
sylvania, Hale OF Maine, Cullom of
Illinois Lodge Oh Massachusetts, Nc
Cumber Of North Dakota, Smoot OF
Utah and Flint OF California. At
least one OF these nine men has de-
clared that in his opinion the com
mittee did not have a good reason for
one set of duties proposed, those on
lumber Senator McCumber is against
the lumber schedule, and has said he
does not consider it honestly made
up.