Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1911-05-11


Republican guns were unlimbereC
against the Democratic free list bill
by Mann, the minority leader, more
than a week ago, has the debate in The
house developed such an attack on the
measure as was made today by Hill
of Connecticut, Republican member
of the ways and means committee anc
one of the leading Republican advo.
Gates of the Canadian reciprocity bill.
Hill asserted that the bill devised
by the Democratic leaders, removing
the tariff duties from many food pro
ducts and manufactured articles, was
so crudely drawn and 80 indefinite in
its terms that no estimate could be
made of the revenues it would cut off,
or of the effect it would have on bust
ness and commerce.
He said that, instead of $40, 900, 900
reduction in revenue, as the Demo
Gratis expected, it might be made a re-
duction of $50, 900 and that its
effect on business would be to transfer
many fourishing industries to Europe.
"You intended to hit the trusts, "
said Hill to the Democrats, you will
wake up to find you have, in fact,
helped the trusts; taken away the rev.
enues of the government and put
money into the pockets of the trusts
instead of into the pockets of the peo-
pie whom you claim to be helping"
Hill explained that the international
Harvester company, the large sewing
machine companies and other manu-
facturers would be able, under the
Democratic bill, to manufacture parts
of their machines cheaper abroad, and
bring them into this country to be
assembled by cheap labor here. Me-
chanics and skilled laborers would
suffer loss of employemnt, he said. He
declared that the Democratic bill was
so general in terms as to admit almost
anything free of duty. Woolen goods,
all kinds of wire, all sorts of fabrics,
zinc, lead, pigiron, were among the
things he mentioned.
Hill particularly attacked the bill
for making many manufactured pro-
ducts free of duty against the raw
materials that American manufactur-
ers have to import. He said also
that, in attempting to make free of
duty the bagging used to warp cotton
bales, the Democratic bill would let in
free the bagging used by the fertilizer
trust, by the cement mills of the Uni
ted States and by other monopolies,
which would make no corresponding
reduction in prices to consumers.
Chairman Underwood of the ways
and means committee interjected that,
while Hills whole argument was from
the standpoint of the American manu-
facturer, the real purpose of the bill
was "to reduce prices and cost of
living for the American people.
Mr.. Hill said that the reductions
would in amost every case be taken up
by the big corporations that control
the markets.
The speech was enlivened by many
interruptions and much partisan COM
ment from both sides of the house.
Washington, May 4.-The investi-
eating trend of congress took a wide
range today. Inquiries into the
affairs of the United States Steel cor
poration, the American Sugar Rein
ing company were placed on the pro-
gramme of the Democratic house the
shoe industry was under fire, and a
senate committee on expenses paved
the way for re-investigation of the
charges against Senator Lorimer, of
Resolutions directing committees to
search the records to determine wheth-
er any of the first three named corpor-
ations are operating in violation of
the antitrust, interstate commerce or
Nationla banking laws have been
started on the legislative way. The
steel trust resolution, the creation of
Representative Stanley, of Kentucky,
was approved by the house committee
on rules and will be reported to the
house.
The resolution directs the commit
tee to ascertain whether the steel
has relations or affilia-
tions in violation of the law with any
independent steel company;
to inquire into the relations of the
with the Pennsylvania
company, "or any other rail
road company or coal company, or
with National banking companies,
trust companies or other corporate
or companies"
Representative Hardwick, of Geor-
gia, is the author of the resolution
for the inquiry into the
American Sugar Refining company
and this will be considered by the
rules committee tomorrow. If the
committee has time, it may also con-
'ider a similar resolution by Repre-
sentative Francis of Ohio.
Postal Banks Increased.