Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-09-16
TAWNEY FOE TO
STANDPATTERS
CONGRESSMAN sTEENERsoN, OF
NINTH DISTRICT SPEAKS FOR
HIS COLLEAGUE.
"sTRoNG FRIEND OF REVISION
Credit for Share In Tariff Commission
Law Claimed BY Represent.
alive from Crooks
ton.

CrOOkSLOu, Sept. l1.-I1dlNOT 0lcoH
erson, of Crookston, congressman OF
the Ninth district, member of the Min.
nesota delegation that voted against
the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill, claims
part of the credit for the tariff com
mission and places Congressman Jas.
A. Tawney, at the head of the forces
for revision that fought the standpat.
tiers to standstill in congress for fur.
Their tariff revision.
Congressman Stevenson says he In.
augurated the fight for the tariff com.
mission and appealed to Congressman
Tawney for help, because Mr.. Tawney
was recognized as strong friend OF
revision and opposed to the standpat'
ters."
Mr.. Stevenson recites some legisla.
tive history which puts new light on
the generally accepted attitude of Mr..
Tawney in congress.
Its History Reviewed.
1.-THE first bill introduced on this sub.
feet was in the second session of the
Fifty-ninth congress, when on JAN %,
1907, / introduced H. r. 25047. which
was referred to the committee on ways
and means. That congress expired on
March 4, 1907, without action on the
part of the committee, and on the first
day of the next congress, Dec. 2, 1907,
/ again introduced this bill which be.
came H. r. 1852, first session, Sixtietb
congress, and this was also referred to
the committee on ways and means.
The committee failing to take action, ]
appealed to Mr.. Tawney to help secure
favorable action before the next SEES.
sion. did this because Tawney was
recognized as strong friend of revi.
sion and opposed to the stand patters.
"Mr. Tawney and myself then went
to the speaker and urged him to use
his influence with the committee to get
some kind of a tariff investigation au.
thorized, in order that the proposed
work of revision might be intelligently
done.
"The speaker explained that the
committee, and especially Mr.. Payne.
was opposed to any outside help and
insisted that the committee would do
its own work. However, the speaker
promised to talk it over with Mr..
Payne with view to obtaining COM
promise between a tariff commission
idea and the do.nothing idea.
Speaker Does Not Delay.
A little later the speaker informed
Mr.. Tawney and myself that Mr.. Payne
would be willing to introduce a resolu-
tion authorizing special investigation
by the committee during the recess,
and during the remaining days of the
Sixtieth congress, which expired Mar.
4, 1909.
1T should be remembered that re-
vision had then been agreed upon at
an extra session of the Sixty-first con-
gress, to be called in March, 1909. As
result of these efforts on the part Of
Tawney and myself, Mr.. Payne offered,
and the house passed, a resolution pro-
viding for the now famous tariff hear
ings which were printed in ten vol
umes and constituted the only access
ible information available for the mem
bers in the work of tariff revision.
THE provision for tariff board in
the Payne bill was recognition Of the
necessity for such a body as a tariff
commission, and Mr.. Tawney's work in
putting life into this board by extend
ing its power and granting increased
appropriation for its work is the chief
work in the direction of tariff reform
and the carrying out of the party
pledges in that regard that has been
accomplished at the last session.
Il claim some of the credit for hav-
ing taken the initiative and to Mr..
Tawney is due the credit for influential
and effective work in behalf of geIu.
inc and righteous tariff revision"