Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-12
Lets Light Through Democratic Trick to |njure the
Payne.A|drich Tariff Bill and Proves Charges So
|||-Timed, I||-Judged and False That the
Whole Affair Will Prove a Boomerang.

Washington, Aug. ii-Senator Nelson
w. Aldrich of Rhode Island. ennumer-
ating the counts under which he was
| indicted by Senator Joseph l.. BriStoW
of Kansas, in recent Congressional
speeches, dealing with the tariff on
rubber in a letter made public tonight,
denies the charges in their entirety. In
cidenta!ly he pays his respects in
caustic language to Senator Bristow
and what he terms a Little group of
men" which entertains opinions similar
to the Kansan.
The letter is addressed to Hon. Will
liam E. Mckinley of Illinois. chairman
OF the Republican Congressional COM
mittee and was sent to the headquar-
tiers or tie committee in this city. The
lexplanation of the rubber duties and
the uenial of the charges made against
/ rim by Senator Bristow are based up
on the fact that Senator Aldrich was
called upon by a Republican candidate
for Congress to furnish the facts con-
nected with the change made in the re
cent tariff act Referring to the charges
|ma1e by Senator Bristow as absurd
| misstater,ents. Senator Aldrich said
| the ID nrSlSlcHl Itilcialioii VI Nh>iii 49,
| n.lled him to make full statement.
| AT the outset of his 1ong letter. the
senator divided the speeches by Mr..
Rristow into i've parts. each 81 WHICH
contained a specific charge lie theu
dealt with them in order.
! In the first place, the senator ne
clared the increase from ~ 70 % PEI
cent. on a small number or ariicies
Of manufactured rubber artlcies W.
for the purpose of making the lai.i
uniform on kindred articles ana 1ac!h-
ating the labors of the customs olllcers'
| In that connection he maze pupilt d
letter to him from General mao >.
Sharretts a member OF the New boaiu
of General Appraisers. asseftihs '''''
| thn cnanCe was advisable ana llau peFi'
agreed to unanimously BY inc @eii"'e
and House committees anc by inc S'''
f,rces on the tariff pill at the cari.es'
solicitation of the tariff experts Oh 'he
treasury department.
| LAYING particular stress upon inns
charge made by Mr.. BristoW, the chair
man of the Senate finance committee
said that "Neither he nor any member
of bis family. has ever had any pecun-
ia,v interest as to whether the rates
on manufactures of rubber We're 80, 80
,r oOC nor cert. or whether crude rub
Der was on the free or dutiable list.
| Dealing then with the charges that
the Intercontinental Rubber Co, Oh
which he is a director, is trust t'ia'
| II advanced the price or crude ruppeI'
and controlled the worlds supply, ana
| that the company had paid enormous
| dividends, Mr. Aldrich treated each
| separately, and at great length.
Without raising any issue concern
| ing the "Progressives' campaign gen
orally, Mr.. Aldrich referred to MI.
Rristow and his immediate associates
as follows:
| IN the tariff discussions of other
DAYS. the advocates of the protective
policy have usually been called to
meet in debate men with convictions
on the Embellishments of charac-
fer whose theories of government diff
| fered completely with those held by
| Republican observation-disclosures VINO
had some regard for the accuracy OF
their statements and some knowledge
of the subjects there discussed.
| Now, attacks upon a Republican
President and Republican measures
| are led by men whose political exls-
tence depends upon their character
and to this there seems to be no limit
for misrepresentation and the lg-
| norance of their adherents. Strangely
enough, this little group OF men-~Very
small in number-has arrogated TO II
| self the leadership of the progresslVes'
and it's members prattle about the
| treatment of the tariff as moral
| question.
| In the letter Senator Aldrich says:
Il have been asked by Republican
| candidate for Congress in an Illinois
| district to furnish him the facts with
reference to changes in the rubber
| duties in the tariff act of 1909.
The persistent reiteraton of the
absurd misstatements of Senator Br1s-
| tow with reference to the tariff OF the
criticisms and the character of certain
| critics of the tariff act OF 1909, that
| il seems to be desirable that ruiz
statement of the facts should be made
in response to this inquiry.
Senator Bristow's statements were
as follows:
81 That the Senate committee on
finance, of which | was chairman, in :
| creased the duty upon certain manu-
features of rubber from 30 to 80 pei
cent
"2-That during the session, or I'M
mediateiy after the adjournment OF
| Congress, I, in connection with others,
had organized a gigantic rubber trust
known as the Inter-Continental Rub
| her 20 which T was a large stock
holder and director in.
"3-That this huge rubber trust i'm
Immediately advanced largely the price