Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-03-24
THINKS DEMOCRATS
SHOULD HAVE CHANCE
Minority Ought to Have Been Con-
suited About the Bill. Though
Their Vote Would
Make No Diff
ference.

Washington. ID. c., March 2i.-De-
claring that the present was no time
Tor an academic discussion of the
tariff. Mr.. Clark of Missouri, said that
he had gone to Mr.. Payne and sug-
gested that insofar as he was con-
cerned he would have gladly waived
general debate on the bill if assur-
ence could be given that there would
be ample opportunity for amendments
and debates, under the five minute
act. of the entire measure. section by
section. 1t was his judgment that
the bill could be amended in many
respects.
Touching the failure of the con-
sumer to appear before the commit
tee Mr.. Clark said that there were
two reasons for this, one that in the
beginning the public looked upon the
hearings as stupendous confidence
game and second, the consumer felt
that the possibility of having his tar
iff burden substantially reduced was
so remote that he did not think 1t
was worth travelling expenses. hotel
bills, neglect of business and loss OF
time. While that applied to the
fairly well to do ultimate consumer.
he said there were millions of ult-
mate consumers who had not the
wherewithai 70 foot ths bills for
trip to Washington and other mil
lions who could scrape together the
expense money could not afford to
use IL in that way.
80 that" he said, "the ultimate
consumer really speaks in these hear
ings only through questions pro-
pounded by members of the commit
tee in an honest endeavor to ascertain
the truth"
Most of the cross firing among
Witnesses" he said, sis where one set
of manufacturers fell afoul OF an
other because the tariff pie was not
evenly distributed and each one want
ed the biggest piece"
To Mr.. Fordney of Michigan, Mr..
Clark extended his assurance of his
"profoundest consideration as a fight
er. He would put a game cock to
| blush in that regard"
If. he said, Mr.. Fordney were given
carte blanche to write a tariff bill.
"lt would be short. If not sweet. and
would be in these words: IF an art
icle can be produced in this country
by any process or at any cost what
soever nothing like II shall be i'm
ported
All through the hearings, he said,
Mr.. Fordney was on hand with first
! aides for the wounded He said that
the rest of the Republicans. first or
last, "came over to our side" on diff
ferent subjects and in various degrees
L.
his cOlors. Neither Leonidas. at the
Pass, nor Horatius at the Bridge, was
marker to him." he said.
Discussing the situation in which
the ways and means committee found
itself, he said, it was unprecedented
because both parties had favored re-
garding the tariff rates of the Ding
ley bill. "Of COURSE" he said, 1.-THE
Republican platform was equivocal."
but he added in that connection most
OF the Republican members of the
committee came at last to construe
IL as revision downward.
The Democrats so construed IL, and
he said. the better part of wisdom
and patriotism would have been for
all the members to have collabor-
ated in the work of preparing the
1 bAI dLAtl Alt hearings tlOStu.
I'VE are all American citizens
! equally interested in the prosperity,
gloriness and happiness of mighty
Leople," he exclaimed. Not one o.
us had the slightest desire TO injure
! in any way or to any extent what
soever any legitimate American indus
| try"
In addition to the peculiar coinci-
! dence Of both parties being under or
! dcrs 10 revise the tariff downward he
said, all were stared in the face by a
| large and increasing deficiency in the
revenues There were. he said, but
| three ways known among men BY
/ which deficiency may be cured, cut
/ down expenses. increase taxes and Is
/ sue bonds. To issue bonds he de-
I clared was no remedy at all II was
simply postponng the day when they
must be paid principal and interest.
! Taxes, he continued, never should be
I increased where possible to avert.
Cutting down appropriations, he
i said whore IL could be done without
7 stlntng the government in any of It's
proper functions, was the most eff