Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-22
Washington
w LETTER
BY H. 3. WALKER
Star STAFF Correspondent.
Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WASHINGTON AnriI %


ton of New Jersey members has been
caused by garbled reports of their ac-
ton in a caucus of the delegation
and misrepresentation of the meaning
of the notice served upon the House
caucus Saturday by Congressman
Robert G. Bremner. This misunder-
standing has led to statements that
some of the Jerseymen did not pro-
pose to be bound by the caucus or to
vote for the bill if, when it comes to a
vote, It retains certain provisions to
which they object.
Bremner's notice to the House eau
Gus was that he does not agree to be
bound by the. caucus action to vote
for the dumping" clause in the I'm
derwood measure, and that he leaves
himself free to make further efforts
to have the, duty taken off cattle,
sheep and swine, and to oppose the
provision that the new rates shall go
into effect Immediately upon the
passage of the tariff bill.
II do not mean at all that / will
consider for a moment voting against
the bill,' said Mr.. Bremner today.
so far, this bill has been under con-
sideration only in u party caucus. 1t
is a party measure. l agreed to the
secret caucus and voted for It, be-
cause | believed in that way we could
get a better bill. As 1t now stands,
though, we have not considered the
measure at all as members OF Con-
gress. The measure is coming before
the House now to be openly consid-
cred, and | have reserved my rights
as a member of the House to object
further to parts of the bill L do not
believe are right.
"All of the New Jersey members
have reserved for themselves the
right to continue their fight in the
House for putting cattle on the free
list, and have reserved the right to
offer such amendments as they see lit
while the bill is under consideration
in the House. If we are beaten then
in our efforts to amend the bill we
will vote for il on its final passage,
as will every other Democrat in that
body"
The dumping clause in the
Underwood bill. to which Bremner
has raised objection. is an entirely
new proposal in tariff legislation. In
effect, it prohibits the sale by Tor
eign manufacturers Of articles in this
country at cheaper prices than they
are sold in the country of manufac-
ture. The section is as follows:
THAT whenever articles are eX-
ported to the United States of kind
or class made or produced in the
United States. If the export or actual
selling price to an importer IN the
United States, or the price at which
such goods are consigned, is less than
the fair market value of the same
article when sold for home consump-
ton in the usual qnd ordinary course
in the country Whence exported to
the United States. there shall, in adj
ditiopr to the duties otherwise estab-
lished, be levied collected and paid
on such acticle on it's Importation
into the United States a special duty
e. dumping duty equal to the diff
ference between the said export or
actual selling price of the article for
export or the price at which such
goods are consigned and the fair
market value thereof for home con-
sumption, provided that the said
special duty shall not exceed Is per
cent. ad valorum in any case and that
goods whereon the duties otherwise
established are equal to 90 per cent.
ad valorum shall be exempt from
such special duty"
81 can't imagine" said Mr.. Brem-
ner today, who conceived this pur-
blind policy of craftsmanship. We
are making the tariff lower, so
that we can buy things cheaper.
but in this dumping clause we
are asked not to make things too
cheap TO the consumers. That is, we
want to reduce the cost of living, but
not to reduce it too much. Did you
ever hear of anything quite so
ridiculous?"
Mr.. Bremner, will try on the floor
of the House to have this dumping
clause stricken from the bill. He will
also fight to have the enacting clause
in the bill changed so that the new
tariff rates will not take effect until
six months after the passage of the
bill, and will try to have the income
tax clause changed so that the Presi-
dent of the United States and State
and municipal officers and office
holders and members of Congress will
have to pay their taxes like other
people.
Congressman Eugene f. Kinkead,
of New Jersey, will renew his efforts
in the House to amend the bill by
having cattle placed on the free list.
Congressman Walsh will probably
offer an amendment to increase the
proposed duties on earthenware and
china, and other members of the dele
cation will offer amendments looking
to change rates to which they or
their constituents object If their
amendments are beaten they will vote
for the bill. just the same.
There is little reason to believe that
any amendments of any kind will be
made to the tariff bill on the floor
of the House. 1t is general opinion
that 1t will pass the House by party
vote in exactly the same form it was
agreed to in the Democratic caucus
While the Republicans are pointing
to the fact that there we're Only las
votes for the bill in the caucus, which
is less than the two-thirds vote re-
CURED under the caucus rules to make
ii caucus measure, no Democratic
members have so far shown any dis
position to take advantage of the
small attendance at the session of the
caucus at which this vote was taken
There is still talk of rebellion
among Democratic senators, but the
President and his closest advisers are
sanguine of the passage of the meas.
ure, and the best bet seems to bt
that, after some loud talk and bluff