The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-08-13
THE LUMBER TAX
senator TiIlman Tells Why BE Voted
Against the big Steal.
1T ROBS THE FARMERS

The Senator Says a Duty on Lumber
Only Helps the Lumber Trust,
Which Has Bought Up All the
Timber Lands in the State, and
Rnncoes the Farmers and Others.
We present below some extracts
from the remarks of Senator Till
man in the United States Senate on
the lumber schedule:
Mr.. President, before the lumber
schedule passes from the attention
of the Senate, want to make
brief statement. When it was In
the Senate before, two or three
weeks ago, I voted for the amend
ment proposed by the Senator from
Alabama to put lumber and all
building materials On the free list.
In the discussion / remarked that l
was in fafor of free lumber.
When the Senator from North
Dakota offered an amendment, which
did not give us free lumber, leaving
the duty on whitawood, sycamore
and basswood at fifty cents thous-
and, I voted against it, because 1t
did not give us free lumber. The
Senate adjourned Immediately after
wards, giving me no opportunity TO
vote for free lumber. There has been
no opportunity to vote for free lum-
her. still think we ought to have
|: free lumber, and I will give my
experience and my reasons for that
belief. I know, of course, we can
not get it.
Twelve years ago, when the Ding
ley bill was on its passage, voted
for 50 tariff on lumber, and re-
marked, very much to the disgust OF
some people and the edification OF
others, If there was to be stealing,
I want my share have found out
that I can not get my share; tha7
the conditions Of the South are sucn
that the articles and products OF
the region which are capable Of be-
ing protected are so few in number
that If we were to throw around
everything down there a high pro-
tective tariff, we would not get any
thing like a IFoporttonate benefit
with the New England and manufac-
turing States of this Union.
In regard to this matter Of lum-
Der I have watched the result OF the
duty. Immediately afterwards our
timber lands, which had previously
been neglected SO there were com
paratiyely small mbering industries
down there, began to be in demand.
Men from Wisconsin and Michigan
and other northern States where
numbering had practically denuded
the forests of timber, or were about
to finish them up, came into tne
State and bought up very large
tracts. of timber at very small
price. They did this all over the
South. Large mills were establish
ed and the lumber industry began
to pick up, showing investment OF
capital and a large export. At the
same time the price began to rise,
little faster, apparently, than The
industry itself.
Now consider for moment that
the people of South Carolina are
in about this shape; the State being
triangle, the upper part cutting OF
like the letter "a" is largely the
white section of the State. Nearly
two thirds of the people, although
it is only one-third of the area, live
there. They are consumers OF lunl-
Der and they have no yellow pine
or very little. They have been i'm
porting that lumber from the low
er half of the counties next to the
sea. In this coast region the lumber
industry has taken root and is now
very extensively carried on.
l notice after three or four years
of this introduction of lumber on
an extensive scale that the price went
steadily up, up, and it very soon
became noised abroad. l do not
know on what foundation that these
lumber men had formed a combina'
ton and they would not sell under
each other to the consumers ID the
upper part Of the State.
Lumber is not luxury. 1t IS
necessity. 1t is one of the neces-
saries of life. When 1 saw that the
farmers. who had to build houses
and fences and barns in the whole
upper country, were being charged
steadily increasing prices for their
lumber, l began to change my opln'
ion as to whether was getting my
share OF the stealing or not. 1t look
ed like somebody not very far away
was getting an unreasonably protlt
ont of cur trees, which had cost
them a very small sum of money rel
atively. So my opinion in regard tc
the benefits of the tariff in our State
changed very radically.
| believe in the greatest good to
the greatest numb ber, and when
saw that the people who use lumber
practically four-ffths Of them, were
paying an increased price, I decided
if l ever got a chance I would take
that tariff off. / do not feel thai