The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-05-17
PASS FREE LIST
The Republicans Try in Vain to Amend
The New Tariff Bill
ATTEMPT FILIBUSTER
Mann Leads Desperate Nine Hour
Fight to Change Measure, but the
Democrats Vote Down Over One
Hundred Amendments as Each
Proposed and Then Pass the Bill.

Despite genuine harrying flibrs-
ter tactics, used by the Republicans
in their 'last ditch fight in the
House against the Democrats Tree
list the first tariff measure Of the
House majority, passed the House
Monday night, without single
change, by vote OF 236 20 1O9,
the Democrats voting solidiy and
mastering twenty-four Republicans
with them, says the Washington cor
respondent Of The News and Courier.
This came after the Democrats had
voted down or ruled out of order
more than 100 amendments, and had
shown again that the Democratic ma
jority was compact and smoothly
working machine for the enactment
Of legislation.
The Republican fght to amend the
bill began with an attempt to make
the free admission OF merchandise
apply only to imports from countries
that in turn admitted American pro-
ducts free. This was followed by
efforts to have incorporated in the
bill provision that would force 9TH
er countries to give up their discrlm-
ination against American meat, live
cattle and -four and to include plo-
visions in the bill. All of the amend
ments were thrown out by Chairman
Alexander and Chairman Hay, the
two presiding officers of the day, as
not permissible under the rules Of
the House.
The Republican leaders. including
Ex-Speaker Cannon, Mr. Mann and
Representative Payne. former Re
publican leader, roundly denounced
the Democrats for denying freedom
of debate and amendment. Mr..
Cannon declared that never in the
history of Congress had the right OF
representation on the floor been so
limited: and Mr.. Payne asserted that
the Democrats would be d!scredited
before the country for their arbi-
trary exercise Of power.
The Democrats smiled through it
all and on the motion Of Mr.. Under
wood, they continued to turn down
the Republican amendments. They
ruled out amendment covering free
rice, free sugar, free iron ore, free
drugs. glass and a host of other
things. Time ;,fter time Mr.. Mann
appealed from the decisions of the
Chair, oyerruling his amendments,
but in each case the Democratic ma
jority sustained the Chair.
After four or FIVE hours Of at
tempts at amendment, the Republi-
can fight took on the complexity OF
flibuster. Once when denied vote
by the chairman, Mr.. Mann intimat-
ed that the bill would not pass in a
hurry. Following that, the Republi-
cans repeatedly demanded rising
votes, but in the end Mr. Mann made
no attempt to delay the final vote on
the bill.
In all, the Republican leader offer
ed SO amendments. After every
paragraph he renewed the attempt
to have clauses put in so that the
free rates would not apply to coun-
tries charging duties against sini.
lar American goods. The Democrats
steadfastly refused to cut off de-
bate or lay themselves open to the
charge Of having passed the bill un.
der gag rule.
Republicans declared that the
Democrats were giving away Amer.
lean goods. Mr. Hille, Of Connecti-
cut. insisted that the bill ought to
be so amended that it would put G
lever under other nations that are
not dealing fairly with the United
States. To none OF these changes,
however, would the Democrats &C.
cede.
Minority Leader Mann declared
that the Democrats had not put eth
er rice or rice -four on the free list
simply because they were produces
of the South Chairman Underwood
of the ways and means committee
replied that the reason rice had not
been made free was because the
Democrats did not know how mucn
revenue it would cost the Govern
ment.
This does not complete our tar.
if legislation" said Mr.. Underwood
We introduced this bill to give the
plements. WeiBCbilloDem
farmers cheaper agricultural irnple.
ments. We would not go beyond
that without endangering the reven.
ues. We intend to take up all tariff
rates and to adjust all OF them.