Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-26
Declares Payne Tariff Bill
Better Than Senate Measure

Seventh. Mr.. Roosevelt charges that in
my administration I deserted the pro-
gressives and became 'reactienary.- The
insurgents had not formed, themselves
into faction until after my election,
They began in their opposition to-Mr.
Cannon and the adoption Of the previous
rules Of the House Of Representatives. ]
had been afraid that Mr.. Cannon, with
his we'll known tariff views, might oppose
a revision, and I looked about immedi-
ately after the election to see whether 1t
would be possible to secure votes enough
in the caucus to elect another Speaker /
found that it was not. / communicated
with Mr.. Roosevelt In respect to it, and
he advised me most earnestly to have q
meeting with Mr.. Cannon l visited Wash
ington in December, 1908. At the request
of President Roosevelt, 1 had an inter-
view with Mr.. Cannon, in which he
agreed that If he were elected Speaker
he would help me redeem the promises of
the republican platform. then visited
the republicans Of the ways and means
committee of the new House, who were
then in session. explained my views with
respect to the tariff and the necessity for
revision downward. and secured their
acQuiescence In an agreement by which
Philippine free trade should be- established.
This arrangement with Mr.. Cannon and
with the ways and means committee was
with the knowledge and emphatic ao-
prevail Of Mr.. Roosevelt.
The Payne bill as it passed the House
was a better bill than as 1t passed the
Senate. 1t had more substantial reduc-
lions, though not SO many. In neither
the House nor the Senate, however, was
schedule X substantially changed as it
ought to have been. l signed the bin.
lieved it was the best l could get. and it
was a vastly better bill than the Ding
ley bill. whose place it took. 1t recog-
nized the necessity for a revision down
tunity for the establishment of a tariff
commission. scientifically to ascertain the
facts upon which future reductions might
be based. 1t gave a maximum and mini
mum clause by which we were able to
secure the abolition of trade discrimina-
1t made free trade with the Philippines.
1t introduced a corporation tax in which
by taxing success and not failure, and by
taxing the income of corporations when 1t
ton Of dividends-we are able to realize
SIS. 100000 a year.
The Payne bill was drawn with a view
to increasing the revenue. On the 1st Of
July after my inauguration there was a
deficit Of $50. 100000. If had refused to
sign the Payne bill it would have con-
ttnued that deficit to another year, 1t
would have maintained the Dingley bill
with higher rates than the Payne bill,
and II would have lost all the advantages
which / have recNed 1t would have
broken up the republican party, SO that
could not have called upon the leaders
to help me in subsequent legislation
promised by the party platform, ana
which had to be enacted in the first reg
ular session.
Has Mr.. Roosevelt ever condemned the
Payne bill? Does he say he would not
have signed It II 1t had been presented
to him under conditions that 1 had to
meet? He has never said that as far as
1910. adopted by the convention of which
ne was a part. Endorsed the Payne bill
and approved its passage. Is 1t a square
deal, therefore. for him to charge me
with not being progressive when all
that I did was to deal with the party
as II was in Congress. and to get as much
as could Of the legislation promised out
OF that party, torn as 1t was by fac
ton! Or course conferred with the reg
ular republican leaders in the Senate and
the House, and through them we redeem
ed the promises of the republican plat
form to an extent that no political plat
form had ever been redeemed before.
In addition to the many progressive
features OF the Payne bill just recited, we
have in this administration amended the
interstate commerce act, which Is now
working admirably, and which 1 discuss
at another point OF this speech. We
passed the conservation bill; we passed
the postal savings bank bill: we provided
a commission to recommend action with
respect to railway stocks and bonds.
which has made q most useful report and
the physical valuation OF.
railways. We secured the ratification Of
the japanese treaty, and thereby settled
. most critical question be-
tween the two countries We secured
provision for and appointed commission
on economy and efficiency. We re-enact-
ed the employer liability act which had
been declared unconstitutional because OF
lts jurisdiotjonal scope. 30 that. 1t has
now been held to be valid. We passed a
0umhAr NJ safefv-annllaY,ce acts {ne Ia lar.