The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-07-22
THE QUESTION
OF FREE HIDES.
It Is Proving a Difficult One
For Tariff Makers.
HOW THE SECTIONS LINE UP


Contribution to the Merriment of
the observation-disclosures Wilson Not
Vet Ready to Quit.
Washington, July 19.-[Special. lin
the long tariff discussion In the SEN
ate this session the name OF Senator
Aldrich occurs oftener in the reports
of the proceedings than that Of any
other senator. That is due to the fact
that he is chairman Of the finance
committee, from which the bill was
reported. All the sharp criticisms were
aimed at Mr.. Aldrich. When the dis
cussion commenced 1t was clearly the
intention Of the Republican members
of the finance committee to do very
little talking. That was the practice
followed while the Dingley bill was
being framed in 1897, but the plan did
not work this year, fer the reason that
the insurgent Republicans made such
vigorous attacks upon the leading
schedules that Mr.. Aldrich and his
party associates on the committee were
compelled to answer them. At times
Mr.. AIdrich was on his feet from
twenty to fifty times day, and, al
though none Of his replies or state
ments was very long, the records will
inform the coming generations that he
was mighty busy man while this
memorable tariff struggle was going
on.
A Lively Contest.
The question of free hides is one of
the liveliest contentious before the
conferees engaged In adjusting the diff
| ferences between the senate and house.
AS will be recalled, the house placed
| hides on the free list after a yea and
nay vote had been ordered on the item,
and the senate restored the rate of
duty that was fixed by the Dingley
law-15 per cent. The boot and shoe
manufacturers and the tanning inteB
ests have claimed right along that
President Taft was In favor of their
getting this concession at the hands of
congress, and they have been relying
upon his influence to bring the confer.
ence to terms. Some of the senators
| from the far west declare thai IL the
conferees bring in a report with a pro
| vision for free hides it will be theii
| duty to make trouble for the bill be
fore 1t reaches the White House. This
certainly is one of the hottest matters
with which the conferees have had to
deal. The pressure for free hides has
been heavy from the manufacturing
centers.
Fun In the Senate.
One Of the most laughable and enter
| tanning discussions that has occurred
in the consideration of the tariff bill
| In the senate was when the provision
for the customs court was taken up
Senator Rayner OF Maryland riddled
the proposition, charging that a mar
would be deprived of his constitutional
right of trial by jury Senator Aldrict
Of course endeavored to defend the
provision, whereupon Rayner con
vulsed his auditors both In the cham
Der and in the galleries by charging
| that Aldrich was no lawyer and never
would be one. and he thought his opiH
ion on such subject unworthy of con
sideration Aldrich admitted that b,
was no lawyer and said he was gla6
OF it. He called Senator Flint to hi.
rescue. who at once became satiriea
in the extreme, and Rayner insisted
satire was not the Californian's forte
but that getting the duty on lemon,
increased half cent pound was
4 and that Flint had better stick II
lemons and leave satire and law alone
Preparing For Future Bill.
The annual reports of the engineer
are beginning to arrive at the war de
partment. They tell of the work tina
was done on the rivers and harbors Il
the last fiscal year, mention the amour
of money on hand for each projec
and state with exactness Just hov
much the engineer in charge think
could probably be expended In til,
next fiscal year. The chief OF the bu
reau of engineers has his assistant
and the clerks under them put all thi
information into convenient shape, an,
he formulates a general report to tn
secretary of war. who In turn doe
his utmost to impress upon congress
the great necessity Of making large
appropriations. Next December tn
national rivers and harbors congress
Will meet again in Washington an
pass more resolutions. and it is expect
ed that In the winter session geners
bin win be forthcoming. for that wi
be the year when one is due.
Not Likely to Resign.
Il Farmer Wilson's friends are begin
ming to think that those stories absb
his leaving the cabinet and givin
President Taft an early opportunity t
name a new secretary of agricultur
have little or no basis. Mr.. Wilso
has been directly sounded on the sui
II ject OF late by several friends. an
they do not seem to think that he
hankering to sever his connection wit
the government aud turn his attentio
toSagricuIture on his own farm OF
In Iowa. On the contrary, the talk
that the canny Seotchman shows sign
of holding on. and II there is 4 vacane
n fhe head df hts department II VII
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