Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-22
10 CHANGE MADE BY MEMBERS
Goes Through in Same Form as
Reported from Committee.
IDENTICAL WITH FORMER BILL
Practically Same as Submitted at
Last Session.
LEADERS MAKE FINAL PLEAS
Chairman Underwood, Majority
Leader, Says Act VIII Mark
step to Honest Compet-
tive Policy.

]
! WASHINGTON, April e1.-The Canadian
reciprocity bill was passed by the house
( late today. 26l to 50. after six DAYS de-
bate. The measure went through in the
form in which it was reported from the
committee.
/ The bill which has President Taft's entire
/ approval. practically is identical with that
ST omitted at the last session.
| An amendment offered by Representative
Martin of South Dakota to put fresh meats
on the free list was defeated overwhelm-
lngly. Only ten minutes debate was allowed
on the amendment
Six days of debate on the bill came to
a mend this afternoon with the speeches
OF the three leaders in the fight -Represen-
tatives Underwood of Alabama, Mccall OF
Massachusetts and Dalzell OF Pennsylvania
Mrs. Taft occupied a seat in the execu-
! tive gallery
Mr.. Mccall urged the republican members
! from the northwestern border states to
support the reciprocity agreement. Any at
tempt to tack a new free list onto the reci-
procity bill as an amendment he continued
would completely upset the whole reci-
procity agreement.
In final attack on the bill Mr. Dalzell
! Of Pennsylvania declared the agreement
!
Mr.. Dalzell called the agreement a
'bnngling piece of statemanship."
He characterized 1t as an open, avowed.
free trade measure" and said It's passage
would threaten the whole policy of protec-
tion to American industry.
| Address of MIR. Underwood.
Mr.. Underwood then began the closing.
address of the long debate
The enactment Of the reciprocity bill into
law he said, would mark the end of the
period of exclusion" in the economic policy
! OF the country in so far as customs laws
affect Industrial conditions
For fifty years. ne said. THE repub-
lican party has maintained the policy OF
excluding. so far as It has been able. COM
petItve products from other countries In
! the beginning this was inaugurated with
J the express declaration that 1t was in
tended TO develop new Industries until thev
were strong enough to stand alone and
j face. in the open, the markets Of the world
and the rivalry of our protective competi-
tors but the greed for gain has driven the
advocates of this theory far beyond the
position they maintained at its inception.
There is today hardly a great American in
dustry that is not exporting its surplus
products to the open markets of the world
and selling them in free competition with
the manufactures and crops Of our foreign
competitors.
Would Strike OFF ShackIes.
We would be unrivaled masters Of pro-
duction and Industry in every land where
free competition can be obtained II we
would but strike off the shackles that bind
us to the dead and unnecessary economic
system maintained by the republican party.
that creates false standards and wasteful
conditions at home"
Mr.. Underwood coDtended that the ma
ton should turn from these standards,
carefully adjusting the laws to meet new
conditions without serious injury to capital
or labor. in order to reduce the cost of
living at home and be prepared to dispose
of surplus products to insure stability of
prices and employment to labor.
Position of Democrats.
THE democratic party" he continued,
docs not intend to abandon the custom
houses, but favors a policy of levying Gus
tom duties for revenue purposes only at
. rates that will not destroy fair and honest
competition in the home market 1 say
this bill marks an era in the economic life
! Of the nation. Why? Not that the i'm
mediate results will be far reaching, but
because it takes one step in the right di-
rection; a step away from the exclusive
protective policy, a step toward an honest
competitive policy"
In reviewing recent tariff legislation Mr.
Underwood said "our stand-pat repub-
lioan friends" were responsible for having
the reciprocity agreement nov before the
congress. The Payne-Aldrich bill he char
acterized as a gold brick that glittered
without. and was false metal within"
When It came to applying the tariff
to Canada. he said, that the president
? dared not impose the maximum rate or
= Canadian products" a condition which led
up TO Albany tariff conference with the
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