The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-04-22

called to revise the tariff. The ways
and means committee of the house had
been getting testimony last fall for
two months, and then the republican
members of that committee met together
and framed the bill, which was called
the Payne bill, because Payne is the
name of the chairman of the committee.
After all these promises for revision"
we find that when this bill is reported
it is higher on the average than was
the former law. The Dingley law, which
has been our tariff law now for II years,
carried an average tariff duty of 44.16
per cont, while the Payne bill carried
an average duty of 45.72 per cent; or an
increase in the Payne bill over the
present Diagley bill of 1.56 per cent.
This doesn't look much like reduction,
does it?
was going to say that the democrats
had succeeded in getting some of the
rates reduced, but that would not be
quite fair. What l should say is that
the majority of the democrats in the
house, together with small minority
of the republicans, were enabled to get
some of the duties cut. They were en-
abled to get oil on the free list, tea on
the free list, and lumber with tariff of
81 per thousand instead of 50. All these
had been reported with high tariff.
There is quite a sprinkling of indepen-
dent republicans who will not stand and
take all the medicine of the machine
republicans. | am glad to say that
there are number Of the Iowa boys
who can be placed on this list. These
independent republicans, with the dem
ocrats who were true to the promises
of their platform, were strong enough,
united, so that the above items were
changed in the bill after it had been
reported.
1t is easy enough to sit around the
stove at home and tell about being in
dependent up here and all that, or it
is easy enough to be democrat in the
minority up here and talk about being
independent, but tell you that l have
good deal of admiration for those re-
publicans who stood true to the test in
the house here the last few days, and
voted for the lower duties on those
things which their people at home
wanted, in spite of the coaxing and the
sure-to follow Furnishing by the powers
that be in case of violation of orders.
All members up here want to get good
committee assignments; good committee
assignments mean power and privilege;
committee assignments are made by the
speaker; the speaker rules with an iron
hand, rewarding his friends and punish
ing those who oppose him. So you can
see that the boys here who refuse to do
as he wants them to stand a mighty
good chance of being punished and so
lose out of a part of their natural rights
as members of congress. So say l
have good deal Of regard for the
bravery of those boys here who went
even as far as they did. l am right
glad always to say good word for the
fellow who does the right thing, no
matter whether he belongs to my party
or not, or even to my church.
The democrats Of the whole country
havera right to heave sigh of regret
that not all of their number here did
not stand up square to the four winds.
Had they done this at the very Begin
ing Of the session, there were enough in
dependent republicans to have Joined
with the democrats to have proposed
and adopted rules at the next session
that would have taken a great deal Of
this power out of the hands of the
speaker. The natural result OF this
would have been more wholesome lesis-
lation for the people who do not want
any special privileges, those who want
only the square deal. But there are a
a lot of other democrats here who are
square, and the party has right to be
proud of them. One of them is Champ
Clark, the great big, big hearted, big
Drained, honest leader Of the denocrats
of the house. He has lot of special
interest fellows in his district, and they
came up and labored with him and all
that, but it did no good-he stood out
earnestly and all the time for low taxes
for the things the common people have
to buy, and for an honest reduction in
the tariff. would like to see him the
next nominee for president on the demo-
cratic ticket. would wager that he
would be square.
like Washington, and am getting on
nicely here. In fact / would like first
rate to hold this job. One thing don't
like about it here, and that is l am
turned around in the directions. But /
won't kick on that SO much as long as I
don't get turned around on how ought
to vote.