The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-31
Taft Appears To Be Very We'll
 Pleased With Result
DEMOCRATS PLAN FIGHT
Congressman Underwood Says Com pleted Bill Will Show Increase Instead of Decrease in the
 Various Schedules.
BY WATTERsoN sTEALEY.

NaSnlnStOn, July 6.-tSpeclal. )-freSl- dent Taft is reported to be highly pleased over the results accomplished by the con ferees on the tariff bill.
 If the Presidents feelings are accurate ly portrayed it is more than can be said of a very strong minority of his party In Congress. While many of the western senators and representatives will vote for the conference report, they do with bad grace, and are free to admit that the bill will be very hard one to defend on the hustings, and that many a repub lican congressman will fail of reelection next year.
 As for the democrats, they generally denounce the measure as the worst in the countrys tariff history, and they believe 1t will show either an upward revision of rates or something so close to it as to preclude the possibility of its being her aided as a redemption of tariff revision promises.
 The bill is so bad, according to the democrats, that very few of its items stans out over others. They believe 1t is framed almost entirely in the interest of New England and that Senator Aid rich has gained the victory rather than the President.
 Democrats To Meet.
 The Senate democrats will hold a con- ference tomorrow morning to decide what course they will pursue. Not few Of thk n are quite willing to undertake a fly 1ster against the measure. one espe- cis " objectionable item to the lsouthern SC 1tors Is the restoration of the duty off cotton bagging. It is an obvious dis crimination against the south Wheat is protected but the farmer gets binding twine free. Cotton is free. but cotton bagging is taxed. Nothing ever exem- plified better the greed Of senator Ala. rich and his New England coterie, and there is no more indefensible item in the bill
 However, the republican press is pro claiming the bill as a great victory for the President Meanwhile Senator Ald- rich is just chuckling.
 unless the American people possess less intelligence than 1 have always cred ited them with possessing, the republican leaders will not be able to satisfy them that this bill Is even a partial perform ance of the promises made by the repub- lican platform, and by the republican can didate for the presidency
 Senator Bailey of Texas made the above statement tonight.
 'NhiHS of all men," continued the senator ito pretend that the ultimate consumer is to be benefited by reducing the duties which the marPlfacturers pay on their rnW material
 With the duties on many articles of consumption, of necessary use, ranging from 50 per cent to 1SO per cent It Is n mockery to ask public approval of the Presidents contest to repeal the 15 per cent on hides and to reduce the duty on lumber from per cent to per cent.
 Nor will any intelligent man be de- ceiyed by his strenuous insistence upon reducing duty on iron ore from Il per cent to per cent, while an average duty of more than 90 per cent Is left on steel products. The President" added the Tex as senator may hay fooled himself into believing that he has won great vic- tory but think his partisans can hardly persuade the American people to accept that opinion"
 Champ CIark's Views.
 Champ Clark of Missouri, the demo- crratio house leader. says the bill Is not in any sense redemption of the anti eelction republican pledge to revise the tariff downward. Tt is true" says MT. Clark, that they have reduced here and there the rates of the Payne bill and the Aldrich bill, but inasmuch as both were above the Dingley act it is doubtful if they have reduced the average below tho Dingley rates
 Tt will take an extended. minute, arithmetical calculation to discern that. The President has achieved a small vic- tory. The things he has accomplished are exceedingly small. The President did not begin his fight soon enough
 Underwood to the Front.
 Representative Underwood of Alabama. a member of the conference committees and one of the best posted tariff experts in Congress, believes the bill will be an increase over existing law. MT. Under wood said tonight:
 Tn making the report to the House the republican conferees failed to make any statement showing the percentages of in creases and decreases in the various schedules The percentages are being carefully worked out and will be present. ed to the House tomorrow. They will show slight reduction in the chemical schedule, a reduction in the iron and steel schedule, and a reducation in the lumber schedule There are IA schedules in the bill and the other II schedules will all show an increase in the percentage of duties. The average of the entire bill will show a material rise in the rates charged above both the present law and the House bill There will be very con- siderable increase on the necessities of life consumed by the people generally. The heaviest reductions go to the manu- featuring interests and will not ref zee the cost to the consumer For inst ance, the reduction of iron ore from r to 15 cents ton will amount to a saving In taxes of large amount to the furnaces located on the seaboard. but the reduc- ton will not be handed down to the pur- chaser of the finished product
 'It takes two tons of Cuban ore to make one ton of pig iron. The eastern furnace will save 50 cents ton on its ore supply. but if this reduction were carried dowr to the purchaser of D- pound blow 1t would not amount to ono -~---------->-----
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