The Washington herald., 1912-01-30
Underwood Tariff Revision
Adopted in House by a
Vote of 210 to 1O9.
THREE-DAY FIGHT ENDS
Minority Leader Mann and Repre-.
sentative Payne Fail in Attempts
to Amend Measure.

BY a vote Of 30 to 100 the House late
yesterday afternoon passed the Demo
cratic bill revising the iron and steel
schedules. On the final passage Of the
bill, which came after Representative
Payne had made an Intellectual attempt
10 recommit it to the Committee on
along party lines.
Payne Fights to Last Ditch.
Before the bill was put on final pas
sage Representative Payne, a RepubIi-
can member OF the Ways and Means
Committee, moved to recommit the bill
to the committee. The Payne motion
provided that the Ways and Means Com
nittee should hold the steel bill pending
the receipt of a report from the tariff
board. A roll call was then begun on
Payne's motion to recommit, the voting
as it proceeded indicating that il would
be defeated.
Except for Unimportant amendments as
to, phraseology, the EiH passed the House
exactly as IT came from the Ways and
Means Committee. The final vote was
taken after several parliamentary skir-
mishes and continued stormy debate. Re
publicans, following the tactics pursued
Saturday, made dozens of attempts 10
amend the Democratic measure, but the
majority, under the leadership Of Rep
resentative- Underwood. rejected every
amendment proposed and stood squarely
behind the steel bill as it came from the
committee.
The bill as passed reduces existing du-
ties from 90 to 30 per cent, and places
iron ore, band and hoop iron, fence wire,
nails, horseshoes, cash registers, typeset-
ting machines. and various small stea
articles on the free list.
Democrats Sure of Senate.
Democrats in both branches of Con-
gress last night asserted their confidence
that the Senate will pass the Underwood
bill revising the steel schedule. As the
Democrats of the Upper House are ex-
pected to be unanimous for it, the votes
of only five progressive Republicans will
be required to put ii through that body.
While there are nine or ten and perhaps
dozen Republicans of this class who
will vote for il.
They include Cummins, La Toilette.
Poindexter. CIapp. Works. Bristow,
Brown, Gronna, Crawford, and possibly
cne or two others. II is not unlikely that
there will be some changes in the meas
ure, but the progressives regard it as
being In conformity with the steel re-
vision amendment which Senator Cum
Minis offered in the extra session, that
they are willing in the main TO support II.
The regulars, having control Of the
Finance Committee, to which the meas
IRE will be referred when it reaches the
Senate, intend TO have prolonged hear
irgs upon IT, according 10 the present
plan, in the hope of preventing action.
Should they delay it beyond a reason
able time, there is likely to be some such
movement as happened last year when
port the wool and the cotton bills within
r definite period. Present indications are
that there will be a coalition between
the Democrats and insurgents on the
steel bill as there was last session on the
other revision measures which were sent |
TO the President and vetoed by him. The
threat of a Presidential veto, which has
been suggested, will not deter the pro-
gressives from supporting the steel bill |
Following the succession Of debate yes
terday afternoon. Representative Payne.
who drafted the former tariff bill, scored
the Democrats on their steam-roller pol
icy, and said:
We have nothing but your grand as
surances that you will not inture any
industries. You understand, you work
SO we'll that when your report on the
wool business came up here everybody
was thrown into panic.
Go ahead and close your doors; keep
out the minority: continue to report TO
Your caucus and then report to your
boss; don't allow amendments, and you
will finally see the greatest kind of mis-
take YOU have made" cried the CO.
author Of the Payne-Aldrich instrument.
Mann Worries Opponents.
During the afternoon Representative
Mann, the minority leader, worried the
Democrats considerably. With a pecu-
liar smile on his face, Mr.. Mann, a pro-
,ectionist, began TO send various amend |
ments TO the Clerks desk, proposing to
put various articles on the free list. He |
asked for free meat and free fertilizer, |
a mong other things, realizing that it |
would embarras5 the Democrats to have |
to yote down these amendments in or |
der TO keep the steel bill just as 1t 1
came from committee.
In each instance Mr.. Mann's amend
mcnts were defeated.
An amendment proposed by the minor
+v leader that the free list should not |
anplv to imports from countries that
svisd duties on live cattle, meat, and