The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-09-28
Our Washington Letter.

(By Clyde H. Tavenner, special
Washington correspondent of The
Reporter.)
Washington, Sept. 29.-On his
swing around the circle President
Taft will tell the people it was nee
essary for him to prevent reduction
of the cost of living, by vetoing the
tariff bills because the tariff board
hadn't reported.
Here is some tariff board history
that the President will probably not
refer to:
The tariff board was created Sept.
90, 1909. On June Z, 1911, Fl
months later, Congress called for
whatever data the board had collect
ed on the cost of manufacturing wool,
and was informed the board had
nothing to report. What was the
tariff board doing during these Il
months?
Soon after the appointment of the
board, it's chairman, Henry c. EN-
erv. established headquarters in the
| private residence of Frederick Hale,
son of ex-senator Eugene Hale OF
Maine, who has been known for years
as one of the most powerful defenders
of ultra protection.
In October, 1910, it was announced
that 1.-THE work Of the tariff board
was to be "boOmed' at a series OF
banouets. Then for three months
the banuueting campaign occupied
the time and attention of the board.
The two most important banquets at
which the members of the board
we're wined and dined were given by
the Arkwright club, the leading asso-
citation Of high protection manutac->
turers of the country, and the Nation
al Association Of Wool Manufacture
ers, the wards of Schedule X. The
plan adopted for estimating costs is
the plan which, at the dinner given
by the benefciaries of the wool sched-
ule, Emery was advised to adopt.
That plan practically amounts to
this: the tariff board will supply the
wooden manufacturers with a sample
of the wooden cloth and card, and
the manufacturers will periodically
lot down their version as to the cost
of manufacture, in the U. S.
It was year after the board was
created before it started to investi-
gate the manufacturing end OF the
wool tariff And this is the board for
whose report all tariff revision must
be held up.
| Government by Stealth.
The Taft administration is even un-
popular with the army OF government
employees in Washington. While
they are not saying anything publicly,
the government clerks are bitter be-
cause of the many rules inaugurated
under Mr.. Taft which interfere with
their personal liberty and deprive
them of rights guaranteed to all cit
zens by the constitution ITSELF 1t the
clerks should protest against their
conditions, even to Congress, they
would lay themselves liable to dis
charge. The object of the admins
tration in resorting to these harsh
gag rule methods is to prevent g.
leakage of informationsi njur10y s TO;
the republican party such ~ Deft
in the Ballinger cas4. Ia \. ssso
The following ofdctai order signed
by George Otis Smith, director of the
geological survey, gives an idea OF
Russian-like censorship attempted in
one department.: Rule 2. That no
interview shall be granted without
securing from the person soliciting
the same a promise that he will, be-
fore submitting the material to his
publication office, present copy OF
his manuscript to the director for
approval" So far as is known
among newspaper men in Washing
ton, nothing so drastic as this in the
way of press censorship was ever at
| hoforo in mQric9
Taft's Offending.
Senator Cummins of Iowa has
formulated a bill of particulars
wherein President Taft has offended.
Some of the Presidents Offenses cited
are: His position on the Payne-Ald-
rich tariff law, his position on the bill
for the further regulation of inter-
state common carriers, his position on
the change made in the postal saw
ings law, his attitude on the control
aud disposition of our public domain,
his position on the proposed income
tax law, his position on the Canadian
reciprocity bill, his work for the
peace treaties, his vetoes of the WOOL
en- schedule, the free list bill and the
resolution admitting New Mexico and
Arizona as states. This list embraces
nearly everything in which the Presi-
dent took a hand.
Philippine Independence.
Philippine independence in nine
years! This is the definite promise
contained in a joint resolution faith
cred by Judge Cyrus Cline of Indiana,
which resolution Speaker Champ
Clark declares will in all probability
be passed by the House this winter.
Judge Cline's plan provides that the
Filipinos shall be permitted to elect
the upper branch of the Philippine
legislature in 1915, adopt in 1917 a
constitution to be approved by the
United States, and then comes the
definite promise that by July-nine
years hence-the United States shall
withdraw sovereignty over the Philip
pines and permit the Filipino people
to establish an independent repre-
|SentatiYe government.