Evening star., 1911-08-22
To the House of Representatives:

To the House OF Representatives.:
I return. without my approval. H. r
1882, entitled IAN act to reduce the du'
ties on manufactures OF cotton"
Though its title mentions only manu-
factures Of cotton. the bill in fact changes
also all the duties imposed under schedule
A of the Payne act upon chemicals, oils
and paints, and under schedule c upon
metals and manufactures of metals.
Ny objection to the cotton schedule is
that 1t was adopted without any investi-
cation or information Of a satisfactory
character as to the effect which 1t will
have upon an industry of this country in
which the capital invested amounted In
1909 to $S21 100000. the value Of the
product to s629. OO0 600. the number OF
wage earners to $4,000. making. with de-
pendents total Of at least 1000. 600 per-
sons affected, and the wages paid annu-
ally amounted to $146.OOO, 900.
The bill would not go into effect. by
Its terms, until January l next, and be-
fore that time full report to be SUBJ
mitted to. Congress by the tariff board.
based upon the most thorough investiga-
ton, will show the comparative cost OF all
the elements of production in the manu-
facture OF cotton in this and other coun-
tries. The investigation by the commit
tee on ways and means of the House did
not cover the facts showing this COM
parative cost for the reason that the
committee was preparing a bill on tar
iff for revenue basis, and their view of
a proper tariff was avowedly at variance
with the theory Of protection. Pledged
to support q policy OF moderate protec-
ton. l cannot approve measure which
violates its principle.
Coming now to the amendments TO
schedules A and C, have examined the
records of Congress for the purpose OF
informing myself as to the facts ana
arguments which in the opinion Of Con-
gress make these changes In the law ex-
pedient. / find that there was practical
ly no consideration Of either schedule by
any committee Of either house. There
was no report of any committee explain
ing or stating the basis of the proposed
amendments. There were no facts pre-
sented to either house in which I can
find material upon which to form any
Judgment as to the effect OF the amend
ments either upon American industries
or upon the revenues of the government.
The revisions of schedules A and were
the floor Of the Senate. We're never re-
ferred to any committee, and were dis
posed of without any attempt to adjust
the details or to furnish the basis OF fact
for adjusting the details Of the different
paragraphs to the great number or
a view to any degree Of protection what
ever, however moderate.
l cannot make myself party to deal
ing with the industries of the country
in this way
The industries covered by metals and
the manufacture Of metals are the larg
est In the country. and 1t would seem
not only wise, but absolutely essential
to acquire accurate information as to the
effect of changes which may vitally af-
feet these industries before enacting them
into law.
The haste in the preparation of the
bill Is apparent in many of its pages.
Section of the bill reads as follows:
Sec. 3. That on and after the day when
this act 'shalr go into effect all goods,
ported and hereinbefore enumerated, de-
scribed and provided for, for which no
entry has been made, and all such goods,
wares and merchandise previously en-
tered without payment of duty and under
bond for warehousing, transportation or
any other purpose. for which no permit
of delivery to the importer or his agent
has been issued, shall be subjected 10 no
other duty upon the entry or withdrawal
thereof than the duty which would be
imposed IL ssuch goods, wares or mer-
chandise were imported on or after that
date:> Provided. however, That If the
duties above provided to be collected and
paid shall, as to any article or articles,
be greater than that provided to be paid
by the present existing law, less thirty
per cenfum, then In every such. case the
duty or duties which are hereby levied
and which shall be collected and paid on
said article or. articles shall be sum
equal to the duties provided to be levied,
collected and paid by the present exist
ing law less thirty per centun and not
greater.
Fixed Reduction Impossible.
The first part Of section 8, without the
proviso was original section 2 Of the bill
when 1t affected only the cotton schedule.
It is now placed in the bill after the amend
ments to the chemical schedule. The pro-
viso was added in the Senate. The pro-
viso was doubtless intended to make GER
tain that the duties in the preceding cot
ton and chemical schedules were all to be
the present law But this cannot be. The
Iroviso Is SO placed In section 3 that 1t
has no operation except upon the rates
to be charged on articles described in the
first half of section 3-that is, on the
goods already entered or in bond or
transportation and which have not paid
duty. This would give. over all chemicals
now in bond not taken out before the law
goes into effect, the benefit of a greater
reduction by per cent than would be
afforded to chemicals imported after the
passage of the act. The result is an in
evitable construction, and In it's manifest
error Is not out of keeping with some of
the other features of the bill to which
am now about to refer
Even II the proviso effects the pur-
pose evidently intended by the authors
OF limiting the rates of the whole cot
ton and chemical schedules, 1t is legis-
lation Of the crudest character, for two
reasons-it imposes on customs officers
N chni iy1o os
the burden of transmitting the specific
rates of the Payne act to ad valorem
rates under the proposed bill. process
which Is most difficult and liable to
5 per cent less than the duty intended
In the whole Of the preceding chemical
schedule, and furnishes q unique in
stance in tarin legislation of imposing
two different rates of duties on the
same articles in succeeding paragraphs
The empirical and haohazard charac-
ter Of this bill Is shown more clearly
perhaps in the amendment to Schedule
than in any other. The only expla-
nation of II was made when introduced
as an amendment 1t was then said to
be a horizontal reduction Of the ex
listing chemical schedule by one-fourth
or 25 per cent Of the present duties.
1t was said that the specific duties In
the existing law had been transmitted
that the result had been reduced by 25
per cent The method used In reaching
this equivalent was quite Inaccurate.
as Is shown by actual inquiry as to the
real market price OF each article. An
examination made by an expert chem
ist of the tariff board into certain
paragraphs Of the schedule and veri-
fed by customs experts of the Treas
ury Department shows discrepancies in
the alleged 25 per cent reduction of
rates and gives ground for believing G