The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1911-05-13
ON
THE FREE LIST
Congressman Hamlin of This District Exposes Some of
The Republican Clap-trap Directed at the Free List
"A Very Able Presentation of a Great Question
That Will Be Read With Interest.


condition Of the poor farmer,
when, IN fact, there is not a farm
IN 100 miles Of Pittsburg, his
home. OF course l would not
intimate that the gentlemen who
opposed that bill were not entire
ly sincere IN their solicitude for
the farmers of the country, but |
could not help but notice that
each one of them who we're here
IN the last Congress, except some
OF our lnsurgent friends, voted
against free lumber when the
Payne-Aldrich bill was before the
house, and the Canadian reciproc-
lty bill puts lumber on the free
list. Being human, | could not
help but wonder If the fact that
lumber was put on the free list
had anything to do with their OPP
position to that bill. l presume
not, or else they would have been
frank enough to have said So. If
it did, however, l would suggest
that if they had bottled up all the
hriny tears they shed in sympathy
for the poor farmer they could
have run their sawmi!ls by water
power, in which event l am sure
they could com pete with Canada
without the aid of a tariff on
lumber.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, l want to
discuss this pending bill in its
relation to the farmer, and it
does Immediately and directly
concern him.
This bill places upon the free
list the following articles: Agri-
cultural implements cotton bag
glng and ties; boots, shoes, har-
ness, saddlery, and other leather
products; fencing wire; lumber
sewing machines salt and SO
forth.
Every one of these articles are
prime necessities of life-things
which the farmers of this country
must buy.
congratulate the democrats OF
the Ways and Means Committee
in bringing out this bill, for it
gogs far toward redeeming the
promises which my party made to
the people.
And, Mr.. Chairman, while /
am congratulating, let me con-
graduate my party on the splen-
did energy, determination, speed,
and unanimity which it is pro-
ceeding to make good every
promise it made to the country.
True to the promise which we
made to the people, we promptly
took from the Speaker the power
to appoint the standing commit
tees of the House and placed that
power where it belongs, in the
membership of the House, max
ing the Speaker what the Consti-
tuition intended he should be, a
presiding officer and not a car.
And, without the aid of the OBJ
jectionable special rule or limit
ing debate or shutting-off amend
ments, we have in less than three
weeks passed through the House
the following important bills, to.
, wit:
First. A joint and concurrent
resolution providing for the cleo.
ton of United States Senators by
a direct vote of the people.
Second. A drastic publicity
law, known as the Rucker bill
requiring all political parties
not more than Is days nor less
than 10 days prior to any cleo.
ton, to publish a detailed state
ment of all contributions made
above sic, giving name of con
tributer, also how discussed, anC
to file a like supplemental state
ment every three days thereafteI
down to the day of election, in
tending thereby to prevent cor
ruption at the ballot box by tn
use Of large sums of money.
Third. Canadian reciprocity
And now we are considering, anC
will in a day or two pass, this free