Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-06-06
Ways and Means Report
BIames Him for Tar
iff Trouble.
SUBMITS ITS REPORT
Executive Scored for Failing to
Back Oenunciation of
Wool Tariff.

critictsing President Taft, the repub-
licans and the tariff board, the re-
port on the Underwood wool bill was
submitted TO the house today by the
democratic members of the ways and
means committee.
Quoting President Taft's addresses
after the Payne-Aldrich bill was
passed in which he declared the
wooIen schedule is indefensibIe and
! propose to say so.' the report says:
Had the president made these
public admissions earlier. while the
tariff Of 1909 was under considera-
tion by congress, his declarations
would have been of real service to
the people, and would have enabled
them to protest against the betrayal
OF the public welfare to private
greed.
CANNOT EVADE 1T.
The presidents silence at that
time and his approval OF the act of
1909 make it impossible for him TO
evade his full share of responsibility
for the failure of revision, which he
now admits"
. The report deals at some length with
the attitude of the administration in
not communicating to congress the
data on the steel trust" and other
industries now being investigated.
and failure Of the tariff board to
communicate data on the wooden in
dustry.
FEARS DELAY.
The report fears there may be
some delay IN. IepaEtiaszIo congress
the statistical Information collected
by the tariff board concerning wool
and wooden goods. as there was in
sending TO congress data of the bu-
reau of corporations concerning the
Investigations of steel and other in
dustries.
The report maintains further de- /
lay in the revision of wool and the
wooden schedule will be objection /
able to the public.
REITERATEs STAND.
Explaining the determination OF 1
the committee not TO put raw wool /
on the free list, but TO reduce the .
present duty the committee insists.
as the democratic caucus did, that /
the duty lis not to be construed as
an abandonment Of any democratic
policy. The present situation Of the
treasury the report states, following
the long course Of unwarranted ex-
travagance by the republican party Il
and appropriations already made by
the 61st congress, which a democrat
ic minority could not limit. require
that the revenue from customs duties h
in the immediate future be maintain
ed at approximately the total Of the 4
fiscal year 1910" II
CUT To ABOUT HALF. II
II is asserted the average ad valor-
en- rate on manufactures Of wool. on
imports and duties as estimated for i
1912. will be 42.55 per cent. com {
pared with 9O.1O per cent under the
schedule of 1910, and that the aver {
age ad valorem equivalent Of the {
duties on raw wool viii be 90 per
cent compared with 44.31 per cent
in 1910. All democratic members
OF the ways and means committee
except Harrison Of New York signed
the report.
MINORITY REPORT CATSTIC.
The minority report IS signed by {
Payne, Dalsell. Needham. and Long {
worth For purely political reasons" 9
Il says. this cold-olooded measure is i
brought forward. II II could become !
law it would slaughter sheep as IL {
S94 and close the mills much mere I
The minority contends, that With
4 duty of 30 per cent on wool the duty
On manufactured cloth is too low to
enable manufacturers to pay the wool
iuty and still compete with imported
,Ioth''
DEFENDS g. q. p. POLICY.
The minority report charges that
he democrats give the need for reve-
lue as the real reason for the into
iuction of the measure. II character
zes the democratic statements with
'egard TO the condition Of the treas =
,ry as absolutely false" and presents a
reasury statements purportiug 10 Te- I