The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-07-27
SIMMONS LUMBER VOTE.

SIMMONS LUMBER fOTEs
A good deal has been said the past
eighteen months about the vote OF
Senator. Simmons-and every other
member of the North Carolina dele
cation in congress, except one-on
the lumber schedule of the Payne
Aldrich bill. The democratic plat
form of 1908 contained this deelara-
ton: 1--WE demand the immediate re-
peal of the tariff on wood-pulp, print
paper, lumber, timber, and logs, ard
that those articles be placed upon the
free list" During the delivery of
his reciprocity speech in the senate
two weeks ago Senator Reed REFERRED
to this provision of the Nation",T plat
form and p~ropoun1ei the following
question to Senator Simmons: i
| should like to ask the Senator frou'
North Carolina If he stands on that
declaration when he says that he
favors a tariff on Lambert" To this
senator Simmons; replied:
"Mr. President, when the Demo-
tic convention which made that de-
~claration adjourned and went home,
on account of the fact that lumber is
the largest single interest in my state,
employing tens of thousands of men,
the people of North Carolina rebelled
against that declaration of the Demo
cratic Party to such an extent as to
make it manifest to the Democratic
executive committee of that State
that we were in danger of losing the
control Of the State as the result of
, tfGt declaration. To meet that condi-
ton, the committee issued n cir
culated broadcast over North Carolina
r! circular which, after discussing this
sIatfoTEl pledge, gave an assurance
that no Democratic Senator Oh Rec
resentative from that State WCbii
vote to put lumber on the free list u1
less mill machinery, which enters 50
largely into the cost of manufacturing
hrmber, was also put upon the frec
list.
if had not recognized the author
ity of the executive committee of my
state to bind me in that interpreta-
ton of my duty in this regard, and il
/ L udu ACI cSSCAIOu W ~ oO I'll hO1AN
able man l ought to have said SO when
TIC campaign was On Il when we
we're using that pledge to get the
votes of tee lumber people of M
state. / did not do so, neither die
any other representative fTcE n
, State, so far as I know or ever head
but on the contrary Mr.. President
some Of the candidates for TIE 10l"1
Of Representatives read that circular
: on the hastings in their cam9aisI
speeches to the people and promised
to abide by it if they were elected
Ii that | was following again il
the footsteps of that great Democra-
tic leader, William j. Bryan. Mr.
? Bryan was a candidate for Congress
in the year when tue Democratic n
tional platform pledged our party to
remove the 10 per cent tax on the
issues of State banks. lie was elect
ed, and was a Member of the House
of Representatives when the bill was
brought into that House to carry ont
that pledge and repeal that tax. Nj.
Bryan voted against that bill
t and gave as his reason for vot-
, ing against it, Notwithstanding the
Democratic national platform pledg-
l with regard to it, that the pep
aIe OF his State were aginst it
and he had pledged himself against il
TO them; and carrying out that pledge
$ he voted against that platform de
,c~laration."
, The circular upon which Senate
, Simmons bases his defense for thai
: lumber tariff vote contains this pro
vision:
''The chief difference which lumber.
men may expect from the two par.
: ties on this question Is that the Re
publicans would put lumber on the
free list, as demanded by it's Presi-
dent, but that the lumbermen could
expect little relief at the hands of the
: Republicans from the exactions of the
e trusts of the country, which go tC
: make the manufacture of lumber sc
expensive, while they may rest assur'
ed that the Democrats would not put
lumber on the free list, it being {
S southern product, unless there should
o be coupled with it the placing upoI
the free list of all articles entering
into competition with trust-controlle(
q articles, as their platform demands
and which would tend tt Target!
u cheaper the EXPENSES of the nan
facture of lumber"
"This argument, declared. Senator
Simmons, should appeal with grea