The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-09-21
administration OF the tariff act.
Objections To Bill.

Another clause provides for the adj
mission of barbcd-wirc fencing free,
and then all wire and other material
which could be used for fencing, and
Includes wire rods and wire rope. To
let i'm barbed- wire fencing alone would
be unimportant To producers, but the
framing OF the amending clause is
such that If II were to go into law il
would have a serious effect upon the
metal schedule and would utterly
destroy the principle which was fol-
lowed in its framing and would make
free of duty some of the most highly
wrougrt articles under the metal
schedule not used by farmers at all
Then there is "a clause admitting iute
and cotton bagging free, and materials
from which made which would allow
common cotton cloth to come I'm free
for any purpose, although under the
cotton schedule. even as proposed TO
be amended by this Congress. cotton
cloth Is To pay a certain amount of
duty. The bill also puts boots and
shoes of all kinds on the free list II
)dld not put on the free list. except
some kinds of leather. the materials
which went into shoes. In other words,
IL put on the free list the finished
product and continued the tax on raw
materials. This would be such a bur
den on our manufacturers that its in
Justice must appeal to everyone. The
fact is that under the Dingley bin inn
ported shoes were taxed % per cent ad
vulorem. while In the Payne bill the
duty was reduced from % per cent to
10 per cent. the duty on hides was re-
duccd from 10 per cent to nothing,
and the duty on leather was reduced
to per cent. No evidence was taken
as TO what effect this putting of shoes
on the free list would have on the very
highly important shoe industry of tho
country. and as it violated the first
principles OF justice in tariff, namely.
of putting the finished product on the
free list and taxing the materials II
did not and could not commend itself
to one who was pledged To the sup
port of a moderate protective tariff.
!
Finally, the free list has two clauses
affecting meat and flour AS they went
through the House they put meat on
lthe free list and -four on the free list.
In the Senate. however, an amendment
was put on limiting the operation of
these two clauses to imports from
those countries with which we have a
reciprocal relation and which admit
certain agricultural products of ours
free. This limitation made Canada
tie only country which would be al
fccted by the provisions of the clause.
Now. in our negotiations with Cana
da for reciprocity we attempted to Sc
cure free meat and free -four. Canada
would not consent To this, because she
Feared the effect Of our competition
with her meat and flour. This showed
that importations of meat and flour
from Canada without duty would not
have any effect To lower tho price in
this country of either i'm normal times
| But this frcc-list bill was giving e.
| Canada something for nothing This
/ Congress at the close of the act APP
lproving the Canadian reciprocity
agreement directed me to continue ne
gotlatlons and expand its terms, and
yet i'm these provisions it proposed &c
deprive me of using the concessions oI
free meat and free -four to secure con
ccssions from Canada. Thus the bill
was so loosely drawn, il was drawn on
such a wrong principle. and with 81
: little information, and IL purported t'
do so many things which it did not do
that / had no hesitation in vetoing it.
The Cotton Bill.
FINALLY. the cotton bill came TO me
This bill differed from the others II
, being a bill for which the Democrat
alone, and not the insurgent Rcpup
! Leans. were responsible. II had passe'