The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-23
Minority Members of Committee
Submit a Report.
THEY CALL 1T CRUDE
And Declare That 1t VIII In
crease Cost of Living.
Charge That 1t Is Indefinite,
Sectional and PrOhibitive.

| Washington, March 23-That the
Payne tariff bill will increase the cost
of living; that it is crude. indefinite,
sectional and prohibitive; and that it
| is an open challenge to a trade war
with every other nation on earth are
| some of the criticisms of that measure
made by the Democratic members of
the ways and means committee in the
minority report submitted to the house
by minority leader, Champ Clark. The
report is a severe arraignment of the
revision which the Payne bill proposes
The countervailing duty provisions for
coffee and petroleum, the maximum and
minimum features, the Cuban reciproc-
ity clause, the wooden, glass. agricul-
tural and sugar schedule are bitterly at
tackled.
There are many changes-for the
most part minor changes" says the re-
port, 'of the Dingley rates, some up
and some down. Most of the changes
in a downward direction are theoretical
reductions more than real, the Payne
rates being prohibitive in their re-
suits in many cases as the Dingley
rates. In some of the schedules con-
tanning the most exhorbitant rates, there
are no changes giving any appreciable
relief to the great body of consumers.
Declaring that tariff is a tax paid
by the consumer and that the only func-
ton of tariff law is to raise revenue
to supply the needs of the government
the minority members of the committee
insist that instead of an increase of
taxes or new issue of bonds, the cor
rect remedy for the growing deficiency
in the revenues is the cutting down of
the expenses of running the govern
ment.
What the Report says.
The report declares:
The whole maximum and minimum
tariff scheme as set forth in the Payne |
bill enables foreign countries to force
us to raise the rates of the Payne
schedules twenty per cent which would, |
after making ample allowance for all |
reductions in the Payne bill increase |
our tariff rates on the average much |
above the rates of the Ding1ey law a |
prospect which will bring sorrow and
diSmay to the great body of the peo-
pie. We are in favor of such maxi |
mum and minimum tariff as will en-
able our government to negotiate the |
tariff arrangements by making con-
cessions to other governments by re- |
ducing the rates of our statute when |
such other countries will make equal |
ly valuable concessions to us; the |
maximum rates should be the rates of |
our statutes whatever they are, and the |
minimum a reasonable rate below our |
statutory rates; but as it stands the |
maximum and minimum tariff plan of |
the Payne bill Is an open challenge to
atrade war with every other nation |
on earth. 1t is seeking trade with a
club or meat axe. We are opposed to
such an unwise and unnecessary per-
formance.
THE bill is in many respects crude,
indefinite, sectional, and prohibitive. 1t
seems to US from our examination, |
which was necessarily hasty, that on |
the whole, it increases the cost of liv-
ing. For example, it will increase the
price of hosiery about 80 per cent and
certainly nobody will claim that |
hosiery is a luxury. In numerous in
stances the protection exceeds the en-
tire labor cost of production
The report maintains that the tariff
arrangement with the Philippines
should be considered in a separate |
measure and not in the general tariff
bill.
Claim of SectionaIism.
The claim that the bill is a sectional !
one, made by the Democratic members !
of the committee is based largely on
the cotton schedule. The report con-
tends that the bill does not lift any
burdens from the shoulders of the |
southern farmer. although the manu- |
facturer of cotton goods is protected by
a heavy tax.
THE treatment of the farmer by this |
bill is along the same lines as have |
Republican methods in |
the past" says the report. He gets |
practically no relief and the laborer and |
producer have greater burdens imposed |
upon them. Every article of food the |
vi
is heavily taxed; even the salt on his |
table is not exempt. This schedule (ag-I
ricultural products) was evidently pre- |
pared by the same mind which has i
dominated this bill-a mind certainty |
rot unfair to the great trusts |
The Standard Oil company is as |
cared for in the Payne bill
as in the Dingley bill.'' the report con- |
tinues land by reason of the provis- |
ion in paragraph 637, popularity known
as the Joker" continues to be protect |
ed by a tariff duty of 80 per cent which |
enables it to dominate and exploit the
American market and to levy tribute
upon the public, thereby piling up mill
lions of dollars of illgotten gains"
The report further contends that a
similar Joker" in the paragraph pro-
viding for the free entry of coffee places
4 duty on coffee equal to the export
duty imposed by the country from which
it is imported and that the consumer
must pay both the export duty of the
other country and the import duty of
the United States. The tax on tea is
also attacked, the claim being made
that the $7,0O0.000 which it is proposed |
to raise by imposing a duty on tea. rep
resents the amount by which the cost of
living will be increased by this tax.
The Metal Schedules
Criticism is made of the metal
schedule and it is contended that hides
having been placed on the free list
the duty on leather shoes harness