The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-04-20
DEMOCRATS
FREE LIST BILL
1t Will Cut Revenue by SlO,-
100000 a Year
ITS ADVANTAGES TOLD OF
Report Says 1t Will Mean Great Saw
ing to the People-Bearing on Cost
of Living Reciprocity Not
Enough.
ITS ADVANTAGES TOLD OF

report of the ways and means commit
tee on the so-called farmers free list
/ BILL submitted to the House yester.
day by Chairman Underwood, is a
merger of Democratic political argu.
ment and an analysis Of the proposed
duty exemptions
The report shows that the bill
would reduce the tariff revenue
$l0,0l6495 based on the importations
for the last fiscal year, an amount de-
scribed as "inconsiderable in compari.
son with the great saving and advan.
tages to all Of our people from the
additions to the free list provided for
Quoting President Taft's recent Ca
madam reciprocity speeches, the report
seeks to convey the expression that the
administration is convinced that the
protective tariff rates are too high
Referring to the presidents state
ment that the Republican party had
modified Its tariff policy so as to limit
it for purposes of protection to the
difference in cost Of production here
and abroad with reasonable profit to
the American producer, the committee
report says:
This is confession, as was the
Republican platform Of 1908, that the
theory OF high protective duties, as
put forth by the Republican party, has
broken down, that combinations and
trusts which prey upon the people
have been fostered by the tariff and
that under high tariff protection Amer
lean manufacturers have forced unrea-
sonable profits from the people"
Again the report declares: "The
Canadian reciprocity agreement now
before the House is recognition of
tho injurious effects of the extreme
protective policy which has SO long
been imposed upon the country and Is
an effort to mitigate its effects
"Action on the agreement involves
the necessity of further and immediate
action in removing number of duties
OIL imports from other countries in or
der that Justice may he done to the
great many agricultural producers,
who. in the Canadian agreement, are
to have all the alleged protection re-
moved from their products without a
corresponding or reciprocioal removal Of
the protective duties most burdensome
on the commodities they must purchase
a. necessary to sustain their lives and
industries
The report takes up in detail the
classified list Of articles included in the
free list bill Regarding agricultural
implements it says their manufacture
Is controlled by trusts and combina'
tions that have sold in foreign coun.
tries at lower prices than at home,
building up their foreign trade from
SIS ,s95, 1874 in 1900 to SIS, l24,033 in
1910.
Bagging and baling materials, essen
tial in the transportation Of agricul-
tural products, the report says, cannot
receive benefits OF protection in home
markets and duties on them ''haye an
noyed and burdened the farmers to the
profits OF exacting trusts and combina
tons" Concerning hoops, bands and
ties Of iron and steel, barbed wire for
fencing, etc, the report says the high
duties make the people dependent upon
the giant steel industry which for
years has sold products abroad lower
than to domestic consumers, and de.
clares that placing them on the free
list viii be "a long delayed measure of
equality and justice"
The placing on the free list of all
forms OF leather from cattle hides and
skins, together with boots and shoes,
harness, saddlery, etc, the committee
argues, will be Of advantage in manu-
featuring and necessarily of benefit to
agricultural producers, as well as to
all the people
The "beef trust" is assaled in dis
cussion OF the free listing Of fresh
meats and meat products. Removal Of
duties on these products, it is argued,
will place the farmers in free mar
ket as to foodstufs and food products.
For the reason that the public desires
that no artificial shelter shall DO
to protect abnormally high
prices on food articles in any form,
the bill seeks exemption from duty Of
wheat, -four, rice flour, buckwheat -four,
corn meal and all prepared cereal
foods, biscuits. bread and similar art-
cles not sweetened
In discussing free lumber placed in
the bill, hard wood excepted the report
maintains that the ownership of tim
ber in this country has become practi-
cally a monopoly and has passed for
the most port into the hands of great
and interests which are
specializing on the increasing scarcity.
President Taft is again referred to,