El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-14
HE year 1913 was remarkable

for producing the largest crop
of tariff makers of any year in
| our history. William Mckinley was
born in January. 1S43 William L. Will
son was born in May, and Serene E.
| Payne was born III June of the same
| year. When Maj Mckinley gave his
name to a tariff bill he was AZ years
old, Mr.. Wilson was 81, and Mr. Payne
was Sc. Not only was Mr. Payne
| older in years, but he also was older
in congressional experience than Nc
k1nley or Wilson or Dingley.
| When the Mckinley bill was passed
I Its author was serving his sixth term
in the house. Mr.. Wilson also was in
| his sixth term when he introduced his
Inflated tariff bill, Mr.. Dingley was
! in his eighth term. while Mr.. Payne
| was in his 18th biennial term of Of
/ flee All of the other tariff makers
| since the civil war introduced the bills
to which they gave their names in
their first term as chairman of the
| ways and means committee Mr. Payne
had been chairman of that important
| committee for nearly 10 years before
it became necessary for him to under
! take the task of revising the tariff
Long Service Counts.
Experience and long service no
! where count for more than in con-
! gress. 1t would be strange indeed, if
| Mr.. Payne's abundant experience had
| not given him a peculiar equipment for
/ dealing with tariff matters. 1t is an
| unkind trick of fate that he should
be compelled to share what honor
| there may be in having his name at
tached to a tariff bill with senator
Aldrich, when, as a matter of fact
Aldrich had no whit more to do with
shaping the Payne bill in it's final
form than he had to do with the Nc
Kinley bill, the DingIey bill, or, in
directly, the Wilson bill
The facts are that Mr. Payne show
ed greater disposition to resist the
amendment Of his bill by AIdrich than
did either Mckinley OF Di1eleJ But
when the time came to appoint joint
conference committee of the two
houses speaker Cannon deliberately
disregarded Mr.. Payne's protests and
entreaties, and so constituted the
house membership Of the conference
committee that Paynes hands were
tied and he was unable to carry on the
fight except at the price Of revolution.
He did not revolt, of course.
Payne Has the Details.
Members of congress know that Mr.
Payne possesses a truly marvellous
knowledge Of the intricate, dry as dust
details of the tariff 1t is certain that
the new Democratic. ma 5ority in con-
gress in taking up the task of an
other revision Of the tariff is more
fearful of Payne's knowledge than
they are of the more brilliant forensic
abilities Of some other Republicans in
the house. The chairman of the ways
and means committee usually has been
the floor leader of the majority party
In the house of representatives He
also has had charge of tariff and 9TH
er revenue legislation But there have
been exceptions to both of these rules
Immediately before. and during. the
civil war, the craftsmanship of the
ways and means committee was given
first to John Sherman, and later to
Thaddeus Stevens. solely because these
two men were the political leaders of
the Republican party in the house
dominating even the speaker and exer-
ciSing a much greater influence than
the speaker. During this period the
craftsmanship of the ways and means
committee was a purely political 20
'sition, and the revenue work of the
committee was delegated to one Of its
members-Justin S. Morrill,
When, in the 18th congress Mr.
Morrill, was promoted to the chair
manship, the position became more
that of tariff expert and less that
Of a parliamentary leader. 1t retained
this character when Pig Iron" Kelley
was chairman of the ways and means
committee in Republican houses and
when William L. Wilson was its chair
man in the Democratic house. How
ever, Morrison and Springer in Demo
cratic houses. and Mckinley and Ding
ley in Republican houses. were po-
ntical captains as well as tariff
makers.
When Mr.. Payne came to the chair
manship 1t was endowed with the ira
dition Of party leadership, but the
overwhelming personal strength of
speaker Cannon soon deprived Payne
of even the slightest modicum of par
liamentary power. It was not long un-
til his sole remaining attribute of
party leadership was his daily priv
ilege of moving to adjourn.
1t probably was on account of this |
dimunition of his parliamentary pres |
tige that Mr.. Payne did not receive in /
the public mind his due proportion of |
credit for his erudition and ability in 1
matters involving tariff legislation.
Bill Causes Party Defeat.
The Payne-Aldrich tariff. like the
Mckinley bill and the Wilson bill. re- |,
suited in the defeat of the Republican /
party at the first election after it was |
passed The bill was passed in an
extra session of the 61st congress !
called by president Taft 1t was ,
signed on August 3. 1909. more than /
year before the elections of 1910
which resulted so disastrously to the !
Republican party.
The legislative history of the bill /
was exceedingly interesting AL
though it went through the house
without particular trouble, it had a
stormy passage through the senate
The feature of the legislative battle
was that the most persistent OPPOSE
ton to the measure and its provisions
came not from the Democrats. who
for the most part contented them
selves with general denunciation but |
from faction Of the Republicans in
both houses These insurgents" as
they then called themselves. attacked
the bill in detail. and by voting with
the main body of the Democrats they !
were, at times. powerful enough to en- |
danger its success.
Aldrich Finally Wins
But, in the end, the victory was with
senator Aldrich. The bill as it was
passed was a bitter disappointment
to the Democrats and insurgent Re-
Du h1icaDS who had bODad for Y,a+a-