The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-20

ate on August of this year, in con-
secutive and convenient form, table con-
tanning complete. statement of every yea
and nay vote taken in the Senate pend
ing the consideration of the tariff bill,
from the first vote, May g. 1909, to the final
vote on the question of the passage of
the bill, July 8, 1909. In this statement
no yea and nay vote taken during the
entire time was omitted, whether it was
material or otherwise. In 1t is shown
the vote of every senator of either polit-,
ical party on every question during the
extra session. Senators present and not
voting were paired with absent senators,
as announced and printed in the Congress
sional Record on the dates when the
several yea and nay votes were taken
| SO that, in effect, the vote of each senator
on each question is practically recorded
with his name, whether he was present or
absent. This statement of yea and nay
votes was presented August 2 and was
printed in the Congressional Record of
August 8. 1t is to be found in the Con-
gressional Record of that date, beginning
on page 5O42 Anyone, by an examination
of this statement, can certify or controvert
any assertion herein made relative there
to. Exclusive of the yea and nay votes
relative to the three items of lumber,
hides and iron ore, consideration of which
Is herein temporarily deferred, there were
IN the Senate. from May to July .
inclusive, 50 yea and nay roll calls on
distinctive, clearly defined questions of
whether specific tariff rates should be in
creased or reduced. This number of yea
and nay roll calls does not represent the
full number of yea and nay votes, for
the reason that in the interest of time, 1t
several times occurred that a number
of amendments, each distinct in itself
were, by consent of the Senate, voted
upon en- bloc by one roll call. An ex-
animation shows that in this way there
We're, in fact, yea and nay votes on 40
distinct and separate propositions relative
to higher or lower rates of duty. Thus
on June 8, the finance committee through
Senator Aldrioh, offered amendments IN
creasing duties in the cotton schedule as
found In paragraphs 314 315 315 and 317
BY consent, these four amendments were
voted on together in one roll call. 1t was
the same in effect as If there had bee,s
TOUR roll calls, one on each amendment.
| but only one vote of the four ia included
IN the total of 50 votes, and therefore. in
this calculation, three additional yea and
nay votes should be added. Again, SEN
ator LaFollette, June H. offered 81 sepa
rate amendments to the wooden sched-
ule, each amendment reducing a separate
| rate of duty on different specified articles
Ihey were all by consent voted on in
| one roll call. Therefore, in this case 20
additional yea and nay votes should be
added.
What the Records show
| The writer of this article on .June u
| onered II separate amendments to the
| woollen schedule, each amendment re-
| ducing separate rate of duty on differ
cnt specific articles. They were all nv
consent voted on in one roll call. There
lore, here again IS additional yea-and-
nay votes should be added Still later
Senator Cumnins, June %, offered 10 ser-
arate amendments to the metal schedule
each amendment reducing separate rate
of duty on different specific articles.
They were all by consent voted on IN
one roll call and for this nine additional
yea-and-nay votes should be added
These additional votes aggregate 5S
and when added to the So roll calls give
40 yea-and-nay votes on as many dis
tinct, separate propositions TO increase or
reduce tariff duties
Now, in considering the attitude of
the democratic senators, the overwhem-
ing, incontrcyertible fact shown by these
40 yea-and-nay votes on as many dis
tirct, separate propositions is that IN
every instances in the sc votes The demo-
cratic senators voted in the negative
where the proposition was to increase a
rate of duty. and in the affirmative where
the proposition was to reduce the rate
of duty.
Though it Is not the object of this al
ticle to discuss the attitude Of the re
publican senator's the correlative fact
may here be stated that these recorded
votes show that in each and every one
of the 140 yea-and-nay votes on as many
distinct, clear-cut propositions the repub-
lican senators in a great majority-a ma
jorfty which, leaving out a mere handful
of their own number who favored lower
duties, constituted still a clear majority
of the entire Senate-voted in every in
stance. with possibly two exceptions, III
the affirmative when the proposition was
to increase q rate of duty, and in the
negative when the proposition was to re-
duce rate of duty.
The democratic senators are thus