The sun., 1910-05-13
PAYNE PRAISES TARIFF LAW
THE BEST TEE COUNTRY EVER
MAD, SAYS he.

Serene Payne, Republican iioor laader.
made a two hour speech In the House
to-day. After quoting the Repubh-
can platform declaration with respect
TO revision. reviewing the work Of
the Ways and Means Committee. %
which he is chairman. and declaring
that in the conference committee the
House gained its contentious far more
than in any other tariff bill ever passed.
Mr.. Payne spike at length 1t the con
slant Misrepresentation 20 which the
law bad been subjected
This Misrepresentation he said.
Started from tho tradeaman who was
anxious 10 increase the price Of bic goods
and who gave a. a reason the new tariff
law. In ninety-nine cases out OF one
hundred the assertion was falsely mads
that the tariff increased the duty upon
the particular goods he vas selling. al
though in fact the tariff had reduced
these duties. Before the conference re-
port was adopted and the bill passed the
retailers of Woollsn goods started the
story that large increase In the rates had
actually made a large increase in the
price Of their goods.
Hardly vet IL the country aware that
not q single increase was made in a single
rate OF duty in tho whole WoOllen schedule.
IL was only weed ago that a retail shoe
dealer in Washington gave a. q reason
for an advance on q bill for childrens
shoes that the tariff had raised the rate
Of duty. Upon being confronted with
the fact that upon this particular itsm
the law had reduced the rate Of duty %
per cent. he was driven 10 an acknOWl-
edgment Of his error
The majority leader insisted that the
first requisite of a good tariff Law was that
It should raise sufficient revenue to meet
the expenditures Of the Government
In this respect, he said. -the present
Law has accomplished all that was pre-
dicted for Il. For months the amount of |
daily receipts from the day the bill be- |
came Law. on August last. has shown |
for the whole period q surplus over the
daily expenditures. We expect alAo 70 |
realize 81. go 900 recsipts from the cor
poration tar. unless the supreme Court /
shall declare the tar unconstitutional
II vas frankly admitted by MIR. Payne |
that there were some increases made in 4
the Payne Aldrich Law
We make no apologies he said. for /
the increase on wines and liquors and 1
other Injuries No fair minded citizen l
will criticise one Of them. Thers were 1
also some increases in the cotton schedule /
made necessary by the protection of the /
industry in AccoFdance with the prin- /
ciples of che Republican platform.
But the great bulk of the changes was /
IN the way Of reduction Of duties, and /
from whatever standpoint you look az IL |
the Law shows , reduction In rates
According TO Mr. Payne the most per-
aistent SANDER against the law h on the /
question of downward revision The
minority leader, he said. -indulRes Ia it
when he says that the rates arc ? per
cent. higher than the Dingley rates
He takes no account of the millions Of
dollars worth of articles transferred 20
the free list. But the free list IL a part 4
of the imports of the country. and a ted
that does not take into account the free
list IL no criterion
Mr.. Payne thsn gave figures 10 show
that on an ad valOreTn hasis the new law
bad reduced rates ~ per cent. while on
a dutiable and free basis the rates had 1
been reduced i7.8 per cent.
The duties have been reduced. he said,
on articles of necessary cunaumptionl
Of which more than q. OOO. 600 900 were
CONSUMED The increases were on SSTp,-
O0.Oo0 Of articles consumed. the bulk
u which were luzuries such a. wines and
liquors; but on articles of voluntary use
only S2sO OO0,OOO of this amount were
consumed. This statement. which have
previously made. has been denounced.
but no one has dared 20 declare that Il
is false in any particular Il stands a. an
unanswered argument 70 show that this
was a downward revision II the taFin
The sugar schedules IN the bill were
discussed at some length Ivy Mr. Pavne
sugar Ia recognized IN all tariffs a. a
great revenue producer he said we
put it on the free list In the Mckinley
aW 20 get rid of the revenue. of which
We had 4 great surplus We needed the
rrvenue from sugar IN this law and We
cut down no part n the duty except on
sugar coming from the Philippine Islands.
Shich We made free and the redners'
duty /,
Declaring that the prices ol Oommodi-
lies have been increasing yearly for ten
years all over the world. Mr.. Payne in I
sistei that Il was foolish 70 blame such I
increases a. have occurred since the
Of the new tariff law Last Au-
The opponents Of this law are ready
- jump At the conclusion. he said. that I
he increases have been on account Of the
aw. and they have blamed II for all ad-
gances IN prices A little reflection h =
showing them the error of their Wavs
Jne reason for the advance in the prices I
almost universally conceded. IA not only
he increase In the production of cold but n
he cheaper methods Of its produotion. '
The supply 10 even greater than the de- {
'nand and this supply IL obtained with less d
,ost A. il IL the measure Il ali values tbe I a
are higher on account II its
decrease In value. llthis accounts in nart n
Tor the general increaae In prices the world
over and especially in those countries
ln a gold basis When We come 10 looh u
II the tariff for this increase We find the q
Increases In prices are upon articles ON 9
which tho duties have been lowered in Il
he present law or where they remain {
sxhctiy al the same figure a. In the Ding
ey law, Al kinds Of farm produce.
meats. butter. eRGa, poultry. all food
products. hides. lsather. shosa and raw
cotton show reductions in duties and IN .
,Tease in price. Ia
Discussing the lumber. iron and stael / 4
,chedules. Mr. Payne called attention b
o the fact that articles under this olnsaI- | o
ioation suffered no reduction in prios.
although the duties were almost uniformly
Owered.
1T IL hardly possible . he said. TO take =,
single item included in the present
arin schedules and show a direct in .,
'rease resulting from an increased duty.
into food prices con- =
'lusively show this The onlv wav In .
which the tariff has affected prices haa Al
,een that II resulted In universal employ e
nent az increased wages and universal
apacity In our people 20 buv until The
lemand had outrun the supply. Ths IN Z,