The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-05-09
Free List Bill
Passes House By
Vote Of 236 To i09
Democrats Vote Solidly for
Measure and Carry Twen-
ty-four Republicans with
Them.

Washington, May 9-The free list
bill passed the House a few minutes
after 10 O'Clock last night after a par
liamentary struggle beginning a little
after noon. The vote was 236 to 109,
all the Democrats voting for the bill
and % Republicans supporting the
measure. Not a single amendment was
allowed, but every chance possible
was given to offer amendments and
to discuss them providing they were
germane to the items carried by the
bill.
The Republicans assaulted the
Democratic position from paragraph
to paragraph all day, and in all up
ward of $50 amendments were offered,
most of them by Mr.. Mann of Illi-
nois, the minority leader Again and
again the amendment against the ap-
plication of the terms of the bill to
the goods of any country that should
discriminate against American mer-
chandise when exported to that coun-
try was offered to be thrust aside
The first test vote Of the day came on
an appeal from the decision of Speak
er Clark that a motion by Mr. Mann
to recomnit the bill with instructions
to Ways and Means to report the bill
back with the retaliatory amendment
added. This vote having been dispos-
ed Of the passage of the bill was only
a matter of form.
The Democratic team work all day
was fine and was not marred by a
single mistake. The only visible dis
sent came from Mr. Rucker of CoIora-
do, who could not sit still and see
the cattle industry of his State vot-
ed away, and he offered an amend
ment to strike out the clause provid-
ing for free meats. He said that this
was probably the most unpopular
amendment that any man could have
the temerity to propose and probably
it would have but one vote on his
side. It was lost with a YELL
The sharpest fight came on a sim
pie amendment by Mr.. Mann to put
glass on the clause in regard to free
agricultural implements Mr.. Ander-
son trusted Missouri friend of Champ
Clark, was in the chair, and he frank
ly stated that he had noticed from
time to time in the debate during the
last fortnight the illusions to free
sugar, free steel and iron and other
articles that members thought should
go on the free list and he had anti
cipated the point Of order Thereupon
he proceeded to read a typewriter
decision in which he held that amend
ments must be germane to the sub
ject matter Gin the bill and not to
the subject matter "of" the bill, the
difference between the proposition
''of' and ''in'' making all the differ
ence imaginable. This proved a wall
of adamant for the majority the rest
of the day.
The Republicans attacked the bill
continually Mr.. Payne and Mr.. Mann
and others making good old fashioned
tariff speeches. Mr.. Payne said that
the bill was full OF Inaccuracies al
though he did not point out any speci-
fic examples and declared that there
were Democrats who would be against
it but for the power of the Democra-
tic caucus. He declared that even
the decision made by Chairman An
derson had been dictated by the eau
Gus and had it's approval according to
some statements by Democratic men,
bers in private conversation.
The Democrats made the least pos
only one noticeable effort came when
Mr.. Mann repeatedly tried to force de-
bate on the omission of rice and flour
from the paragraph on meats and ce-
real foods. He said that rice was left
out simply to favor a few districts
down South. Mr.. Underwood replied
that the Commuters reason for 1eav-
ing rice out of the bill was because
it afforded some revenue and it was
not wise to cut off all revenue bear
ing items. Mr.. Mann retorted that the
amount of revenue from rice flour was
only $324,000 last year, an amount in
significant as a motive for those who
desired to retain revenue bearing arti-
cles of the dutiable list