The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-09-28

put littl on lIe !Iet l4-l ana n0uf on
the free list. In the Senate however.
an amendment was put on limiting
the operation OF these two clauses TO
imports from those countries with
which We have a reciprocal relation
and which admit certain agricultural
products OF ours free. This limitation
made Canada the only country which
would be affected by the provisions
of the clause. Now. in cur negotia-
tons with Canada for reciprocity VIC
attempted to c free meat and
free flour. Canada would net con-
sent 10 this. because she feared the
effect of our competition with her
meat and -four, This showed that
importations of meat and tlou. from
Canada without duty would not have
any effect to lower the p.icc in this
country OF either in normal times
But this free-list bill was giving TO
Canada something for nothing. This
Congress at the close of the act ap-
| l'io' ~ thS - SdIIddluli ietIiJ! Ot!lN
agreement directed me to continue
negotiations and expand Tvs terms.
and Yet in these provisions ii prc-
posed to deprive me OF using the con.
| cessions of free meat and Gree -four to
secure concessions from Canada.
Thus the bill was so loosely drawn. il
1 NCDs n no AN, an c,1nh n uEyo,r ,,,;,r;nl&
and with so little information, and il
purnorted to do so many things
which it did not do. that | had no
hesitation in vetoing ii.
"Finally, the cotton bill came to
me, This bill differed from the 9TH
ers in being a bill for which the
Democrats alone, ind not the insur-
gent Republicans, We're responsible
IT had passed the House on the report
of the Ways and Means Committee
made without the taking of any cvi-
dence Of persons interested in tho
! manufacture or anyone else: it had
q, completely changed the method o..
classifying cottons, Classifying them
according TO the threads in the yard
instead of by the threads of the piece
and the specific duty upon the square
yard. as in the present bill. This was
n most important change, ana it had
been adopted after an informal COM
munication in writing with the Blu
reau of Standards and after and ad-
verse report by the Treasury experts.
The bill was adopted avowedly as "a
free-trade bill by the House. 1t came
to the Senate and was passed in the
form in which it passed the House.
except that certain amendments We're
added. One "a an Amendment cut
ting down the metal schedule by "A
sweeping reduction of so per cent.
and the other was an amendment of
the chemical schedule with n purpor1-
ed reduction ad valorem OF - per
cent.
{ The chemical schedule is the first
schedule in the list. 1t has 50 items.
and of these G6 have specific duties.
1t affect many millions OF imports.
Nevertheless, the bin Wen through,
and it went back 10 the House and
was submitte5 TO two DAYS examine
ton by the Ways and Means Commit
tee of hat body.
Finds Confusion.
Then il passed the House under a
rule that permitted no amendments
whatever. ! had the bill examined by
experts, especially with respect to the
chemical schedule. and even in The
very short time | had. | found the
greatest confusion produced by the
amendment. Upon a number OF tho
articles the reduction was greatly
more than the proposed % per cent
reaching in some cases % ana 100
per cent, End on other articles. in
stead of being a decrease, there WAS
an increase all the way from ) to 100
! per cen The bill was supposed to
be a concession TO the North Carolina
cotton interests. and to be intended
to cheaper the bleaching, dyeing, and
coloring materials NEEDED in that bust
ness. The very comical effect of the
bin as amended was that instead of
reducing the duty on bleaching pow
der % per cent, it increased it 40 per
cent. But eve a more serious defect
in the bill was in these changes af-
fecting the alcoholic compounds con-
tanned in four or five items. in respect
to which in the Payne bill and in all
previous tariff bills, in order TO pre-
vent the use of these items to import
alcohol at a small duty, compensa-
tory duties had been imposed of
about 40 cent a pound, or $A60 a
gallon. Under the provisions of tho
new bill, these alcoholic compounds
and articles containing alcohol would
come in at Il duty. making the tax on
the alcohol from s to 10 cents a gal