The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-01
SENATOR SMITH
 ATTACKS TARIFF
South CaroIinian Believes In
 Free Trade Policy
TARIFF IS NOT A BENEFIT
Cotton Growers of the South, Declares the Senator, Do Not Profit By Protective Tariff and Cites
 Proof of Assertion.

Washington May 31.-Denouncng the pending tariff as giving the manufacturer an undue advantage over the American workingman, Senator Smith of South Car olina unequivocally expressed his belief in free trade policy in an extended speech while the cotton schedule was under con- sideration in the Senate today. "The whole tendency of this legislation has been to cheapen the raw material and raise the price of the finished article ' said MT. Smith, thereby giving to the protected manufacturers a great adyan- tage lessening the price of what he has to buy and raising the price of what he has to sell 1 am not pleading for nor shall I vote for protection for raw material. I believe thing is worth what 1t will bring in the open markets of the world What l shall vote against is the inlquitous and indefenslble system of leg islating a profit by artificial methods.
 T believe that American skill and the wonderful mechanical devices, operated by steam, water and electricity, our near ness to the source of supply for the raw material, makes 1t possible for us to con-
 
 Senator Smith said it was absolutely idle to talk about the protective tariff being q benefit to the cotton and grain growers of America. In support of his position MT. Smith quoted, though not by name, a leading manufacturer of the south, who, he said, had told him that he be- lieved that 1t was right and just that the protective feature on cotton goods should be wiped out The protection of the government, asserted MT. Smith, gfv- ing us a margin of profit, has invited and brougth into the cotton manufacturing business "a lot of financial buccaneers and plungers who, by the marvellous profits that could be figured, possibly on paper, put on foot impossible schedules which have resulted disastrously to the milling industry of the country"
 He said that what Is true of the cotton industry is largely true of every other manufacturing industry.
 "The monstrous injustice of this bill is made clear in two particulars" continued Mr. Smith. "This bill declares that it Is for the purpose of encouraging American industries and guaranteeing them a reasonable profit, while on the other hand in sharp contrast with 1t in the bill is incorporated a tax on the very fertilizing element upon which the agricultural laborer is dependent for the enrichment of his soil.
 "This ammonia, or the nitrogenous ele- ment that Is so costly and so essential in the production of this crop must be taxed because a few coke and gas companies who. already protected and making their millions, cannot be denied the privilege of making other millions out of that which the government ought to see that the farmer gets at the very lowest price" :" MT. Smith said 1t Is not only true that the southern cotton farmer has to ray about $6 ton more to produce his cot ton for fertilizer in order to give lit- tie additional profit to an already pro- tected industry, but he must also ray a duty on his bagging and ties in order to build up a bagging industry on American soil where no raw jute material was pro-