The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-26
MILAN PLAYING POLITICS IN HIS
 TARIFF MEASURE
Upward Revision Not In Keeping With His Own
 Party Doctrine
Only Effect It Gan Have Is
 to Impede Legislation on
 Underwood Simmons Bill
tRx our stan oorrespondent.l )

LSr1h D1l1 to restore QIdCI1Ca11J I410
 same rates that were imposed upon
 various manufactured articles by the Payne-Aldrich bill. To the people
 here in Washington it is quite evident
 that the Connecticut Senator is play ing politics, and is not aware that
 the people of his party. as well as those of the Bull Moose party, and
 the Democratic party went to the polls in the last election and voted for
 revision of the tariff downward. Senator Mclean is aware. as every other member of the senate knows, that the Senate Finance committee stood ready to receive evidence and figures relative to the tariff for sew
 era1 weeks, and that if it could be
 shown that any industry was going to
 be injured by the new rate that the
 committee stood ready to. make a change. The questions that all man ufacturers were requested to answer were first proposed by a Republican Senator Robert M. IaF,ollette.
 When Senator Mclean first an
 nounced that he would take care of
 the protests of the manufacturers it
 was hinted then that he was doing a little hfppodroning. But now that he is going on to the floor of the sem
 ate with a batch of amendments there is little room left for doubt on the
 question that the senator is grand
 standing or else he does not realize why the people went to the polls last fall
 He knows that the Democrats have
 caucused on the bill, and that every item has been considered so that his
 amendments will have only one effect and that is to impede legislation, and
 put off the time when the bill will be passed, and when the manufacturers
 of the country will be able to adjust their business to the tariff, and con tinue to lead the world as they have
 been doing for a number of years.
 One amendment proposed by the
 senator is to increase the duties upon
 hooks and eyes from 15 to 40 per
 cent. The reason why the finance
 committee did not change this item
 is that the duty under the Payne tar if was 29.66 per cent, and that only $12,95S worth were imported during 1912. It is estiated that the irnpor-
 tations with Is per cent. duty will not reach more than $2O.0oO which
 will be about the same proportion es the increase in imports under the Payne bill fro 1910 to 1912.
 The same can be said of all of the senator's amendents. All of them have been threshed out before the
 Ways and Means committee of the house, and the Finance committee of l the Senate. The senator had an 'op- portunity to present his case before
 the last named committee, and he un- doubtedly knows that his amendents have little chance of being sustained by his colleagues on the floor of the senate. He also knows that what feat was the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill
 when many of the senators offered
 amendents with the result that the revision was upward instead of down
 ward. But the senator must be giv-
 en credit for being faithful to the Tre1 Ra sentiment
 controlled his part for many years, and eventually throttled it.
 And the senator must also be given
 credit for not being superstitious for l his amendments are 3 in number and | are as follows:
 The first amendment transfers nail | rods from the dutiable list to the free list. The rate on bicycles and motor cycles is increased from 25 to 45 per
 cent. ad va1orem. The rate on breech-loading shotguns, combination shot guns and rifles, and all kinds of 1 pistols is increasing from 35 per cent. to 5 in another amendment On page 40 of the bill, line between the words needles" and s4and," the fol lowing is inserted; the hook part of
 which is made of metal, 50 per cent. ad valoreKn; crochet needles, the hook part of which is made of other mater | ia1s than meta1.' The effect of this | will be to increase the rate on knit ting and sewing, latch and crochet needles to 50 per cent. ad valorem, The next amendment increases the | rate on hooks and eyes, snap fasten- CTS and buckles, from 5 to 40 per | cent This increase was asked for | by manufacturers located in Water
 bury, Hartford and Cheshire.
 The next amendment increases the rate on watch movements, time testers. watch cases and parts of ] fn ar
 valorem- The rate on Jewels used | in the manufacture of watch or clock movements remains at 10 per cent
 as does the provision that the name of the country of origin must be marked on all movements imported. duty to be charged on willow furni- l ture from 25 to 35 per cent. advalor-
 em. An amendment on page 80 of the bill strikes out "3O" and inserts $50" is intended to increase the duties to be collected on shirts and drawers, pants, vests, union suits, combination
 suits an all underwear and wearing | apparel of every description not es- pecia1ly provided for in this section, from 30 to 50 per cent. ad valorem. It is sought to increase the duty on l frecrackers from cents per pound to cents. Percussion caps, car
 tridges. and cartridge shells empty, | are increased from Is to 25 per cent. ad valorem, as are mining blasting, or safety fuses of all kinds. Blasting caps are left at $1.O0 per thousand. l An amendment to paragraph 379 re- turns ivory tusks in their natural state, to the free list
 Paragraph 32& is amended to in crease the rate on ribbons, bandings, | including hat bands, beltings, bind ings, garters and. suspenders, not em- broiered, from 45 to 60 per cent ad valorem.
 The last amendment presented re- moves from the free list all of para l graph 449, relating to cash registers, linotype and all typesetting machines,
 sewing machines, typewriters, shoe 1 machinery, and oil spreading ma chimes used for making roads, and re-