The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-05-09
NEW ERA DAWNs
UPON THE NATION
New Tariff Bill, First BID Achieve.
ment Of New Administration VIII
Produce Changes.
by Bond P. Geddes, Staff Correspond
ent Of the United Press

|
ent of the United Press
WASHINGTON, May "a new
commercial era dawned upon the ma
ton In the passing by the house of
the Wilson-Underwood tariff bill. The
materiai prosperity of ninety million
people hangs in the balance. The new
democratic administration met the
situation squarely, confident of de-
creasing the high cost of living and
of lettering of business conditions.
Passage Of the bill--a mere formal
f ty, with big democratic majority in
leash under the leadership Of Repre-.
sentative Underwood and the eye of
| President Wilson-was the first big
achievement of the new administra-
ton.
| Bound up in the web of the tariff
revision was the political future of
/, three great parties. The democrats
believe the measure wit lift great
load of tariff taxation off the should
ers of the ultimate consumer; that it
will increase opportunity for labor
and American marketing abroad.
| The republicans, making their rec
ord on the contention that American
industries must be protected with
! high tariffs and the tariff revised by
| an expert conn ission, think the bill
1 will be disastrous
The progressives hope that a revuI-
sion of pubic sentiment from the
democratic tariff efforts will swing
| the nations voters to them and away
from the old guard of republicanism.
Just before entering the final battle
| for the bill which will enroll him as
| the chief figure in the nations tariff
] history, Representative Underwood to-
day sounded the democratic note of
! confidence in the new measure as fol-
lows:
THE democratic party as organized
in the last house two years ago,
agreed to abolish the drastic system
of legislation then imposed by the
rules, which prevented individual
members from considering legislation
before the house. We have kept that
agreement.
Passage of the tariff bill todas
is full demonstration that we have
not only kept our promise to the
loountry and considered the consumer
as well as the manufacturer, but we
| have also demonstrated that we can
do business in a way that gives OPP
lportunity for the representative of ev-
1 cry district to be heard and yet not
unduly delay consideration of impor-
tant legislation"
| Voicing the minority views on the
actual operation of the democratic
policy representative Serene E.
| Payne, author of the present law, de-
clared:
There are large number of in
creases In duties in the bill very few
of which apply to Injuries. Largely
they are increases in rates on articles
used wholly by manufacturers in the
United States. The decreases in near
ly every instance are for the purpose
of increasing importation of mann.
featured articles now made in this
country The bill will throw open to
foreign manufacturers the greatest
market In the world-our own--men-
acing our own iaborers. The inevi-
table result would seem to be that
wages not only must be greatly re-
duced but employment, now SO
steady and universal in this country,
will become intermittent and often
wholly cut off
"On the other hand unless the mid
dlemen have lost their cunning, the
ultimate consumer will not find any
consolation In greatly reduced prices,
if he is fortunate enough to get en-
ployment sufficient to provide the
necessities of life."
Four and possibly five roll calls
this afternoon were all that stood in
the yay of actual passage of the bill. |
The majority was on hand and the
minority was ready to take defea.. 1t
was certain the bill would be passed
before nightfall. The bill then goes
to the senate.