Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-04-16
The Tariff Bill.


The passing of the Payne tariff bill by
the House Friday, by vote of PIT to
161 was made possible under the closure
rule which the republican leaders had |
forced through the Monday previous
after making certain concessions and
promises to the dissatisfied interests. By
that rule general debate gave way at
once to discussion under the FIVE minute
rule, separate votes being permitted on
the amendments relating to hides, lum-
Der, oil, barley, barley malt, tea and
coffee. This closure rule was passed by
a vote of 1874 to 17S. Twenty republic
cans standing out against it and four
democrats voting for it. The boiling
democrats were the Louisiana members
who had Joined with certain Florida and
New York men to support Cannon and
the old rules. Clark of Florida con-
tented himself with a bitter attack on
the Bryan brand of democracy and said
he stood for incidental protection and
all he could get for his own district. The
new name in the list of republican bolt
ers was Parsons of New York. This was
taken to mean a protest against the duty
on stockings and gloves.
The rule itself carried the amendment
to replace the countervailing duty on
crude petroleum and its products with
direct duty of 25 per cent ad valorem. In
the brief discussion of the rule Leader
Payne and Dalzell reminded the House
that such a closing of the debate had
characterized other tariff acts and said
that it was important to the business in
terests of the country that there be no
more delay than was necessary in get
ting this one on the statute books Mi
nority Leader Clark was bitter in his de-
nunciation of both the rule and the bill
and predicted dire disaster to the repub-
lican party as a result of the work of the
present session. Prior to this session the
l ways and means committee had decided
to leave the maximum rate to the discre-
ton of the president and had agreed
upon many amendments to meet the
demands of the stand pat element.
In a seven hours session of the House
1 Thursday, more than a hundred amend
ments to the bill were adopted most OF
them dealing with unimportant sections
e and without opposition. There was one
brief furry over the steel wire schedule
when Chairman Payne tried to have a
slight increase adopted on one grade
GO
but this victory was only momentary
owing to the absence of several republi
cans Later the committee amendment
was rejected in toto, leaving the duty
where it was in the first draft of the bill
u A countervailing duty on filler tobacco
was added, and the duty on cocoa wa
lowered from four to three cents pound
By vote of 14l to 12 the House decided
to 80 amend the duty on cotton shirt
and collars as to continue the rates il
the Dingley law.
: On Tuesday by margin of six vote
81 the House in committee of the who'll
= voted against placing lumber on the FREE
list, and by a majority of sixty votes de
. clared in favor of free hides. The onl,
important modification of the bill wa
the adoption of the amendment of Ford
ney of Michigan TO strike out the coun
tervailing duty on lumber. The vote OF
a hides came on an amendment by Scott o
a Kansas, who moved 10 per cent ad va
4 loren duty. This was lost, LOG to l6e
10 Leader Clark of the minority made al
,. unsuccessful attempt to move puttin
>. leather goods on the free list, his amend
4 ment being ruled out of order. On Wed
Is nesday the majority party met with dc
m feat on the oil schedule. Althoug
A Speaker Cannon took the floor himsel
he and appealed for the continued duty o
" the product controlled by the oil trus
o the amendments striking out the couf
tervailing duty on oil and decreasin
from % to / per cent the ad valorer
as duty were adopted. The reduced dut
n came in the form of an amendment
is the committee amendment, and it wa
" offered by Mr.. Norris of Nebraska, an
l when the chair ruled that his amend
DE ihehl was hOl III OrueF uhuoi Vhe oPeSh'
nd rule, the chair was overruled by vol
h. of 1853 to 1873. A number of the republ
IN can insurgents joined with the dem'
10 Gratis in effecting this rebuke to the Cai
g. non machine. Fitzgerald of New Yorl
m who had been charged with a surrend'
ne to oil trust influences, voted with h
ry party.