Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-19
Payne Accuses Democrats
Of Abandoning Principles.
Points al Wool Tariff Revision
Bill and One Man Rule.
Vote Probably Reached Wednesday
Points Made In Debate.

Washington, June 18.-The Demo-
| Gratis were accused of having aban-
doned their free trade principles In
| framing the wool tariff revision bill
and being ruled as much by one man
as they ever charged the Republicans
with having been, by Representative
Serene E. Payne of New York, chair
man of the committee which framed
the Payne Aldrich tariff, who made
the principal speech Saturday in the
| wool bill debate.
With the intention of closing gen
eral debate on the bill the House held
a night session Saturday night and
representatives favoring and opposing
the bill were given a chance to speak.
Chairman Underwood hopes to reach
a vote on the measure Tuesday or
Wednesday.
Payne. who was chairman of the
committee which prepared the Payne
Aldrich tariff measure, referring to
the farmers free list bill. said:
mo such crude measure ever be-
fore WAS brought into this House by
any committee. There is not man
on either side who can tell within
$15. 000,0 900 to $4,000, 600 what difference
1t would make in the revenues"
Payne said that in his opening
speech on the bill Underwood made
an "eggregious blunder.'' This was
a mistake. PAYNE said. of ss5, 900, 900
in his explanation of the treasury
statement, whereby he defended the
partial duty kept on wool in the bill
as due to the necessity of revenue
"Dou YOU ever remember" asked
Mann. "when an opening speech on a
tariff bill has not appeared in the
record within a few days after its de-
livery? Underwood speech has not
yet been printed.
In defence of Underwood Harrison
of New York said that the reason
that the speech had not been print
eel WAS because Undcrwood's duties
were so heavy that he had not had
time to go over it.
Speaker Clark took part in the de-
bate.
did not the shoe manufacturers, he
asked Payne, promise us, when the tar
if bill was in committee two years ago.
that if we took the tariff off hides they
could give us cheap shoes? yet I have
seen no reduction in the price of shoes"
Clark referred to the United Shoe Ma
chinery Co, which he said was in his
opinion as tight trust as there was in
the country"
why has not the attorney general
prosecuted this trust?" he asked did
you refer to him the testimony given he
fore the committee about the trust?"
No" said Payne. II am not prose-
cutting officer.
Payne admitted that in his opinion the
shoe machine manufacturing industry in
this country is controlled by trust
In regard to the wool schedule in
the Payne -Aldrieh law. Payne said: Il
wanted to revise and equalize the wool
schedule and equalize the duties. But
| was not able to carry it through"
He defended the bill as whole.
however
Democrats had not put raw wool on
the free list was because some gem
tlemen at home had said it would
ruin them and their state If there was
no duty on wool"
AS to one-man power. he said 1t
makes no difference whether it is one
man who enforces the rules in the
Speakers chair and who appears In
the open or whether he pulls the wires
that control the caucus. You are about
as free as the white slaves we hear so
much about"
At the night session Martin of
Colorado, a Democratic member from
sheep growing state, said he was
being attacked by the Republican
press in his district for yielding to
the pledge of the Democratic caucus
on the Underwood dill.
Down here in Washington" said
Martin, 1.-The Republicans are ahus-
ing the Democrats for selling out to
| the sheep states and out in the sheep
states the Republicans are abusing
| us because the sell-out was not COM
plete The more | hear the stand pat
protectionist lamenting the betrayal
of Democratic principles involved in
| this placing of a. duty on raw wool
| the more 1 think the proposition is
| not such bad thing for the produce
| ers of raw WOO. :"