The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-09-21

= tofy-of the movement FOR a tarin
beard Ia order 20 show how fully COM
mitted / am 10 the proposition that We
ought not TO have any revision OF a
schedule OF the tarin without Acourate
Information as 70 the operation ana
shsF o. h ms pr1p1ssc eh ha x,sw ana hsye
bad In the past the hearty support not
only OF the regular Republicans, but
also. and even with more emphasis.
those who call themselves Progressive
Second, also wish TO point out that
all Republicans OF whatever shade are
committed 10 the maintenance OF our
protected industries 20 the point % re-
which shall equal the differences In the
cost OF production at home and abroad.
Third, Except for the extra session
i p.li Ih iSs 70 ar pass s,m neo ths n the
second congress could consider AMI
pass upon tarin schedules would be In
December, and NJ that time ITS pre-
had IKEA az tho 'proper time " al which
full report as 20 the most objection
able schedule ought 20 be reported.
With the money granted me by CON
gress had provided q board, nQn-pAr :
tisan, and with the same pere0nnel as
the statutory board would have had,
TO make a report not only upon wool
but also upon cotton. -
Although many Of the Democrats had
assisted In the support Of the statu-
tory tariff board bill and had advo-
Gated such means OF securing accur-
cite information In respect OF the prob
able operation OF the proposed revision.
the house at onen began 20 make a
record for political purposes by passing
three tarifr bills, the wool bill. the free
list bill and the cotton bill. They gave
no public hearings OF any kind on
no satisfactory Information upon which
the effect OF any or them upon the In
dustries involved could BIO judged.
Their Investigations may have been
sufficient 90 satisfy the conscience OF a
tariff -for-revenue man who believes In
any reduction, however great. OF exist
ing duties. but for one pledged as am
10 maintain a tariff high enough 10 on
able existing industries to live the case
Ia different.
The wool bill proposed a revenue
duty OF 20 per cent upon raw wool In
stead of IL cents a pound. a reduction
OF the present duty. and an average
duty or so per cent on wooden cloth
and manufactures. This was avowedly
tariff for revenue and was not drawn
dustries. IL passed the house and went
TO the senate, where an insurgent RE-
publican senator proposed substi-
tute in which the duty on wool or the
OF n second class, or carpet woods, at
10 per cent, and the average percent
age on the wooden manufactures was
made so per cent ad valorem. IL was
claimed by it's author 10 be a protec-
tior bill IL was never submitted 10
committee, no evidence was ever taken
in regard to IT, and II was evolved from
the Independent investigation OF
single senator: majority of the In
surgents and the Democrats In the sem
ate compromised on q bill which made
the tax on raw wool, first class, 80 per
cent; second class, 10 per cent; and the
average duty on woolens, So per cent.
The bill. against the vote OF nearly all
OF the regular Republicans and some
insurgent Republicans, passed the, SEN
ate and was sent to conferences. where
bill was agreed upon In which the
duty vas 30 per cent on raw wool. and
This bill had the effect of raising the
duty on carpet woods. as fixed In the
senate, 10 per cent. and as hxed In the
house, 8. per. cent Here was the first
ing In the record In either the house
or senate from which I could obtain
any information as 10 the efect OF this
bill upon the wool and wooden indus
try Of this country I submit that the
history OF its making shows no prin-
ciple whatever In the bill except
compromise between two opposing
principles for the purpose OF passing
it's effect on the industry TO which IL
applies.
This bill reduced the duty on wool
ems to an average OF ~ per cent. with
duty on the raw-material wool OF ~
per cent The Wilson bill. passed In
1894. had reduced the duty to so per
cent. with no duty on the raw wool at
all. much more favorable arrange
nent &c the manufacturers than in the
Wilson bill were years of disaster to
the wooden manufacturers. II may be
that ohter causes than the tariff con-
tributed to the failure Of wooden mills
I'm the time OF the Wilson bill. and II
may well DO that conditions In the
wooden business have chaged 90 that
IL does not need as much protection as
then; but had no adequate fnforma-
ton. and had been furnished more,
presented TO me was In accord with tho
Republican platform OF protection upon
which I was elected, and 10 which Il
am in honor bound to square my off,
such adequate information, and with
the prospect OF securing II in three
months, II became my bounden DUTY 70
withhold my approval OF the bill.
haste in passing the bill at an extra
session called for another purposef
The bill as IL passed the house pro-
vided Il should no into effect Jan. l.
contained a similar provision. When
the bill went into conference, i atm In
formed that the suggestion was made
that the date OF Jan. 1, 1919, for Its
taking effect would furnish a strong
argument for delaying It's passage un-
I'll after Dec. !, when the tariff board
could report The date OF taking effect
was thereupon changed to Oct IL. 1911.
Such care was not taken with the free
list bill or the cotton bill. both OF which
were made to take effect Jan. !, 1912.
Schedule X had been In force so long
and Its percentages were so high I'm
many respects that 7 had not hesitated
In times past 10 say that n ought TO be
reduced. and to explain how IL came
not to be reduced In the Payne bill az
IL ought 90 have been. But II Is one
thing to know that a schedule OF this
sort Is too high, and II Is a very diff
ferent thing In such complicated
schedule TO know upon what items the
reductions should be made and how
great tho reductions ought TO be. il the
to which the party In comnitted In the
strong terms OF the resolutions. which
have quoted above, was to be OBJ
served as a policy at all, here was the
occasion for following II. III I had al
lowed the wool bill to become a law,
the progress made In public opinion to-
ward better method of. revising the
tariff would have been entirely lost
and the policy cast to the winds.
Some defense IL made Of the bill on
the ground that the committee on Ways
and Means had considered Il carefully
In committee for a month or more but
the point Is that the bill they prepared
is not this bill. II II changed In all OF
Its rates and materially changed to
meet by compromise a bill that was
never I'm committee nj all. and the