The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-04-22
RECIPROCITY BILL
PASSEDTHE HOUSE.
MEASURE WENT THROUGH I'M
NEARLY lDENTICALLY SAME
FORM AS LAST YEAR.
DIVISION IN PARTIES
Handful Of Democrats Opposed Bill
With Majority of Republicans
Chairman Underwood
Made Strong Address.

Washington, April 21.-Presiden
Tafts Canadian reciprocity agreement
supported by all but handful Of
Democrats and opposed by majorit%
OF the Republicans passed the house
of representatives this evening by !;
vote of 2C5 to 80.
With nearly eco Democrats in con
troll ana their action indorsed by
many of the Republicans the bili was
voted in almost identically the form
in which it passed the house last scs
sion
State and party affiliations were re.
pcatedly broken in the concluding
hours Of the fight on the bill. Demo
Gratis denounced ther fellow Demo
Gratis for supporting a Republican pro
tective principle and Republicans
hurled criticism at some of the mem
bers of their own party for marching
with the Democrats toward tie free
trade goal.
IIinoisans Co Over.
Several Illinois congressman from
the southern part of the state wht
supported the reciprocity bill in the
last congress voted against the trad
agreement this time M RodenbcrS
was at the White House this morning
and told the president that the senti.
nent in his district would compel hia
to change his position and vote
against the bill.
Mt Mckinley also voted against the
bill. When the president went to
Springfield on Lincolns birthday. he
was for a part of his trip Mr.. McKin
ley's guest The talk the congress
man had with the president caused
Mr.. Mckinley to support the McC6t
hill but he says so many of his con
stitsenis have informed hi@ of thcl
opposition to Canadian reciprocity
that he must vote against the meas
urc
One Of the strong speeches on the
Democratic side today was by Repre-
sentative Underwood
Mr.. Underwood's Address.
The enactment of the rcciprocit!
bill into law, said Mr. Underwood
would mark the end of the period OF
exclusion" in the economic policy OF
he country in so far as customs lawg
affect industrial conditions.
"For fifty years" he said, "the Re
publican party has maintained tho
policy of excluding, as far as it ha}
been able, competitive products from
ether countries. In the begianins
this was inaugurated with the express
declaration that it was intended tc
develop new industries until they
were strong enough to stand alouI
and face, in the open, the markets
Of the world and the rivalry of on.
frotectice competitors. but the greed
fer gain has driven the advocates OF
this policy far beyond the positio1
they maintained at its inception
There Is today hardly great Amer.
can industry that is not exporting it,
surplus products to the open markets
OF the world and selling them in free
competition with the manufacture
and crops of our foreign competitors
"We would be unriyalod master
Of PRODUCTION and industry in every
land where free competition can ne
obtained, If we would but strike off
the shacklcs that bind us to the dead
and unnecessary economic systew
maintained by the Republican party
that creates false standards and
wasteful conditions at home"
Mr.. Underwood contended that tht
nation should turn from these stand
ards, carefully adjusting the laws tc
meet new conditions without serious
injury to capital or labor, in order II
reduce the cost of living at home aud
be prepared to dispose of surplus pro
ducts to insure stability of prices and
employment to labor
"The Democratic party" he con
tinued, does not intend to abanlur
the custom house. but favors a policy
OF levying duties for revenue purposes
only, at rates that will not destroy
fair and honest competition in the
home market. / say this bill marks
an era in the economic life Of the ma
ton. Why? Not that the immediate
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