The Irish standard., 1911-05-13
ATTACKS ON
RECIPROCITY
FARMERS, FISHERMEN AND MAN.
UFAcTURERs POUR FORTH
THEIR PROTESTS.
"C0WARDLY AND UNPATRI0TIC"
Former Gov. Strange Of Wisconsin
BIames "Newspaper Trust"-
Says Publishers Are Be-
hind Bill.

hind Bill.
Washington, May 11.-Vicious as
saults on the Canadian reciprocity bill
marked hearings on that measure by
the senate finance committee. Farm
ers from the border states, fishermen
from Gloucester, Mass, manufacturers
of wire cloth for paper making and
manufacturers of book, wrapping and
news print paper, all poured forth
their protests against the bill.
Probably the greatest outburst
against the bill occurred when form
err Governor John Strange of Wiscon'
sin, introduced as representing the
wrapping paper manufacturers and the
boards of trade of Neenah and Me-
He swerved from criticism of the bill
to attack the American Publishers
association and it's related organiza
tion, the Associated Press" until final
ly Senator Penrose asked him to limit
his remarks to his specific objection
the bill as "cowardly and unpatri.
otto" measure and brought forth at the
tic" measure and brought forth at the
demand of "the greatest trust in the
world" He said that congress would
not be in session considering the bill
"if it had not been for this comb1na'
ton in restraint of trade
when man who occupies an ex'
RI cI1ch demands
for fear of failure of reelection rather
than 10 the welfare of his nation, it is
time to STOP" he exclaimed. why
should the secretary of state be in.
fuenced to become an auxiliary to the
purchasing department of the newspa.
per trust of the country?" he asked.
"To what trust do you refer?' in.
quired Senator Stone.
"The newspaper trust, the most vi.
cious in the world" responded the
witness.
The witness commended that the
purpose of the alleged newspaper
trust was to monopolize news through
the incorporated Associated Press"
Judge Charles F. Moore of New
York, for the book manufacturers:
characterized the measure as "ster.
ilized variety of reciprocity that really
does not reciprocate."
J. 7. Carey. president of the Inter.
national Brotherhood of Paper Work.
ers, and Barnard Benson of Kalama.
zoo, Mich. opposed the bill on behalf
Of paper mill workers. Gov. Cunning.
ham and Thomas Carroll of Glouces.
ter. Mass, filed brief in opposition
The Democratic members of the
house ways and means committee be-
gan in earnest the efforts to solve the
wool tariff question. One of the inter.
esting developments of the day was
the calculations of the report that Will
liam Jennings Bryan, who always has
been favorable to free wool, is now in
duced to agree with those who insist
on wool duty as matter of party
expediency. 1t has been said that Mr..
Bryans insistance upon free wool was
embarrassing the membership Of the
ways and means committee and the
house Democrats as a whole. Mr..
Bryan's followers in the house have
been pretty generally with him on the
wool question.
Speaker Champ Clark and represen-
tative Underwood have taken the pc.
sition that to place wool on the free
list would be both an economic and a
political mistake.
The story circulated is that Mr.. Bry.
an had reached the conclusion that
; he will now be content with SO per
cent reduction of the tariff and a
sliding schedule reduction every two
years thereafter until wood finally
reaches the free list. II Mr.. Bryan's
following in the house is willing to
take his advice it will mean the with.
drawal Of much Of the opposition to a
duty on wool, and Speaker Clark and
Mr. Underwood may win out in the
end.
The free wool Democrats in the
house have based their attitude upon
the fact that nearly all Of the Demo.
cratic platforms on the tariff have
favored taking the duty from this raw
product On the other hand raw wool
now brings in revenue Of 10000, 900
per annum. The conservative mem
bers of the ways and means commit.
tee have been unable to see how this
amount Of revenue can be consistent.
ly Topped off at one swoop. Politics
plays its part because it is declared
that if wool goes on the free list, 1t
means the surrender Of many votes in
the wool growing states upon which
the Democrats have counted for sue
| cess in 1912.