Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-04
House Passes Democratic
Cotton Revision Bill.
Cuts Average Tariff from 48 10
II Per Cent. Ad VaIOrem.
Both Sides Claim Balance Of Power
! On The Wool Bill.

iff bill, the third of the big tariff re-
vision measures brought forward by
the Democratic House of Representa-
tives, passed that body early this eve
ming by POP to 81. The bill cuts the aver
age tariff on cotton manufactured
goods from 48 to % per cent. ad valo-
rem, a p per cent. reduction in duty,
that the Democratic leaders estimate
to reduce revenues about $4,000 00
Not an amendment was offered to the
BILL although the Republicans at
tackled il vigorously on account of al
legged increases in certain items over
the rates of the Payne Aldrich tariff
law.
Scarcely had the cheers that greeted
the massage of the cotton revision bill
subsidized. when Democratic Leader I'm
derwood. calling up the free list bill
as IL passed the Senate few days
ago, accomplished strategic move
which surprised the Republicans.
He asked for conference on all the
amendments to the free list bill ex-
cept that of Senator Gronna of North
Dakota, putting cement on the Tree
list. He urged that the House accept
that amendment. adding to 1t lemons.
Pacific coast Republicans made 1nei-
fectuaI attempts to stop this sudden
and unexpected putting of lemons on
the free list. but the amendment car
ried. The change gave the House Dem
ocrats what they claimed to be an add
ed advantage in dealing with the Sen
ate in the conference committee.
Tonight the Republican leaders IT
both houses of Congress called in alb
sent members from all parts of the
country for a threatened attempt of
the Democrats to pass the wool tariff
bill over President Taft's veto. The
Democratic leaders in the House have
asserted within the last "a hours that
they have the necessary two thirds
majority TO pass the wool bill over the
Presidents veto and have been doing
effective missionary work in the SEN
ate today The Republican managers
in tn House insist tonight that they
have enough votes to prevent the two
thirds majority in supper of the wool
bill.
The wool conference will start at 10
O'Clock tomorrow morning, when the
committees of the House and Senate
will meet in the effort to effect COM
promise 1t is possible that the COM
premise can he secured at one sitting
of the COMMITTEES in which case the
bill will come back to the two houses
tomorrow or Saturday. Speaker Clark
tonight appointed as a conference com
mittee on the free list bill the same
conferees who will act on the wool bill,
Underwood, Randall, Tex. and Harri-
son, N Y, Denis; Payne and palzell.
Rep.
The Progressive Republicans who
voted for the cotton bill today were
Akin, N. Y; Anderson, Davis, Linde-
bergh, Miller, STEVENSON and Volsted,
Mimi: Esch, kopp, Lenroot, Morse
and Nelson, Wis; French, Idaho;
Hanna and Halgeson. n. D.. Haughen
Hubbard, Woods. Iowa; Jackson, Mad
ison, Rees and Young, Kansas; Laf-
ferty, Ore; Kent and Stephens, Calf:
Kinkaid. Norris. Sloan. Neb.; La Fol-
lette and Warburton, Wash.
Bitter attacks on Democratic eau
cuses methods by Rep. Payne, N. Y.
and other Republican leaders and a
charge by Rep. Prouty. Iowa, Rep. In
surgent, supported by Rep. Mccall,
Mass, and Hill, Conn, that the I'm
derwood bill made enormous increases
in tee tariff on certain cotton cloth
manufactured in Southern mills mark
ed the closing hours of debate on the
cotton bill
Former Republican Speaker Cannon
upheld the Democratic caucus policy,
declaring that this is a government
of party organization" while Rep.
Lenroot, Republican Insurgent, earn
estly defended the cotton measure and
denounced the attempts of his fellow
Republicans to make 1t appear that
the bill revised any schedule upward.
Rep. Prouty said that until today
he had intended to support the cot
ton bill. but figuring with his pencil"
he found that the ad valorem rates on
cotton cloth valued at between and
IL cents, type of cloth manufactured
almost entirely in Southern mills, had
actually been increased as high as $50
per cent. above the Payne rates.
Democratic Leader Underwood re-
piled that ad valorem tariff schedules
had to be fixed on an average basis.
placing certain rates between two
lines. top and bottom, and that Mr..
Prouty had picked out the single
schedule under which there was an
apparent increase. He said that under
this schedule, last year just s1040 Of
the 100000 900 worth of cotton goods
consumed In this country was import
ed ia He claimed that Mr. Prouty'.
charge was too trivial to be treated
seriously.
Harrison. n. Y. a member of the
ways and means committee calling
the charge "Picayunish and contempt
able said: Il am not a Southern
man. but absolutely repudiate the in
situation that any sectionalism or ia
vor has been shown in this BILL
Rep. Payne moved that the bill b.
recommitted to be held in COMMITTEES
until the Tariff Board reports at tn,
regular session in December. The mo
ton was lost without roll call. Ther
the bill was adopted without abend