The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-10-28
THE PAYNE TARIFF BILL

THE PAYNE IARlFF BILL
First and most important was m,
action on the Payne Tariff Bill. 1t il
probably true, as charged, that this bill
was formulated largely upon the principle
that the delegation from each state would
do its best to protect the products of thai
state. With the single exception of the
blind Senator from Oklahoma, Senator
Gore, who declared again and again that
he would not vote for protective tariff
upon anything, | believe it is true that
my brother Senators fought squarely
outspokenly and vigorously, Democrats
and Republicans alike, for what directly
affected and protected the important
interests of their respective states. The
Democratic Senators from Louisiana,
McEnery and Foster, both unhesitatingly
asserted that if protection on sugar, rice
and lumber was withdrawn the wheels
of prosperity in Louisiana would stand
still. Even Senator Tillman labored loud
and long to secure a protective tariff on
that infant industry of South Carolina
tea.
Our own farming interests required
substantially the same protection as the
interests of the many other agricultural
states and therefore no especial effort on
the part of the Vermont delegation was
necessary to protect the Vermont farmer.
A different condition, however, obtained
with reference to our second most impor-
tant industry, our quarries. The Payne
bill, as it came to the Senate from the
House, practically cut in two the pro-
lection on marble and granite. The
large importers of Italian marble brought
to bear their best efforts to have the doors
of this country opened to the products
of cheap Italian labor and the Vermont
producer of marble was confronted with
one of two alternatives; he must either
abandon no uncomfortable portion of his
business or reduce the price of his labor
to more nearly meet the price of labor in
Italy. The cost of transportation from
the quarries of Carrara, in Italy, to New
York is but a mere trife more than it is
from the quarries at Proctor to that city,
while the cost to Savannah, New Orleans,
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle is
probably less from Italy than from Yer
mont.
Upon ascertaining the fact that the
Payne bill had attacked so vigorously our
granite industry, Senator Dillingham; and
myself promptly communicated with the
Barre, Hardwick and Woodbury. granite
producers and found that in their opinions
such a reduction would be ruinous to the
granite business of this country. We
Immediately took up this matter with the
Finance Committee Of the Senate and
finally succeeded in securing a modih-
cation of the Payne, or House Bill which
left the duty with a reduction of 1890, or
one-sixth, instead of one-half as it origin
ally provided.
To show how important TO Vermont
was this result, il is only necessary to
state the position which Vermont occu-
pies with reference to these two great
industries. We produce more than 500
more marble than all the other states Of
the Union combined, and whereas in
1905 We ranked third in the list Of granite
producing states, in 1906 we rose to the
second place, in 1907 to the first place,
and in 1909 we took from Pennsylvania
the proud rank which she had always
before maintained Of standing first in
the sisterhood Of states, in the total value
Of the products Of the quarries. The
Of the granite and marble
Of Vermont has come TO be 50 vel under
stood that there is good reason for be
lieving that in the next ten years we
shall widen the gap between Vermont
and her competitors until, in the race for
leadership, We shall distance al the states
Of the Union in the output Of our quarries.
The present trend Of public sentiment
seems to demand that the next revision |
Of the tariff be made, one schedule at q
time, and that il be based upon so-caled 1
scientific lines in which the measure Of