The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-16
FIGHT WOOL RATE
Organized Opposition causes
Stir i'm Democratic Caucus.
Southern and New England
Leaders Hang Together.
UNDERWOOD DOES NOT WORRY
Chairman Thinks Entire Bill
Will Be Approved Soon.
Complaints of Life Insurance
Companies Are Explained.
Six Foreign Nations Have
Filed Their Protests.

Washington. April Fifteen
per cent. ad valorem duty en- raw
WOOL was the slogan of the orgahizeu
opposition to the administrator I IFee
wool bill when the Democrat caucus
TODAY resumed consideration OF tne
new tariff bill. With southern anu anu
New England Democrats still nghtlls
the cotton rates proposed IN INC 10 -
measure the anti-free WOOL HeihpeI
were planning their attack on sc'1iIe scneuuIe
x. with the break which the caucus :
exnec+ed to reach before the close OF
the day. - f
AT an early morning conference OF
Democrats from Ohio, Indiana, Wes1
Virginia and many of the "esteL II Ii
states it was determined TO stano oy
their decision to fight for 10 PEI
cent. duty which they claim was the
original Judgment of the ways ana
means committee before consultatioh
with Presid ent Wilson. RepresehlatiNe
Ashbrook of Ohio, who has preslueu
over the anti-free Wool coIleI no'Io
prepared to lead the fight on the eau
Gus floor.
Though the opposition claims to
have the sympathy of more than oV
Democrat members. the administrator
leaders insist that they cannot muster
that many votes on an amendment "
change the bill presented 10 the eau
Gus.
Chairman Underwood, after an ear
" conference with President Wllsoh
expressed confidence that WITHIN tne
next three or four days the tariff Dill
would he approved by the house eau
Gus without important amendment
Mr.. Underwood declared that although
the Den ocrat majority was sufnclehtly
strong to put the measure through the
house within a short time the Demo
Gratis would permit the minority to be
f,1I1 ssnf there VIII De
MANY amendments from our Republ1-
can friends he said, "but the bill Will
pass the house just as it is approved
by the caucus and with only rev
minor changes. You can't write
tariff bill of 1000 items without for
getting to cross a It and dot an l
Here and there inequalities always
creep in and these have to be ad-
justed."
Mr.. Underwood said he had merely
explained some details to the presi- |
dent and informed him Cf the progress
of the Democrat caucus.
Complaint of Insurance Firms.
Representative Cordell Hull, of Tenn. !
author of the income tax law, declared |
that complaints of life insurance COM |
panies against the provisions of the |
law as affecting them were groundless. |
One contention of the companies is that |
dividends, which would be taxed under |
cipating companies are not dividends /
in the commercial sense of words but /
are simply refunds of a portion of an
over charge collected with the annual |
premium held in trust and at stated
periods, returned to the policy holder
The ways and means committee con-
tends an exhaustive investigation of
books insurance companies shows that
in many cases the earning of COM
panies from previous investments and
holdings are nearly as large as the
which are annually distributed
as dividends and that it does not an
pear that a separation of sources of
income is made for the purpose of as
certaining the funds available for
dividends. The committee holds that
a policy holder is not promised a re-
fund. but a participation in the sur
plus of profits and the plea that the
dividend is a refund of a portion of
ton of the actual surplus of the COM
pany derived from all sources is not
consistent. Upon that basis if is held
the insurance companies are in a posi-
ton to declare dividends which will
to the commercial definition
of dividends.
Chairman Underwood declared TODAY
that no protests against provisions of
the tariff bill from foreign government
had been forwarded to the committee
He has heard indirectly that such pro-
tests had been filed with the state
An amendment to place cotton stock
ings on the free list and another to
reduce the proposed rate of forty and
fifty per cent ad valorem were voted
down An amendment to increase the
dsty on cotton gloves also was lost
Complaint of Six Nations.
Washington, April 16.-Six foreign |
nations have filed protests against the
Wilson tariff bill with Secretary
Bryan, who Immediately sent the of.
ficial communications to the vavs
and means committee.
The complaints were written b1 tho {
ambassadors of the several co11n+ries
but the public has baa,,
permitted to know very little about :
their contents.
Veterans in both houses of CON :
sress who have served on the wavs :
ana means committee in the house t
hu on tne ilhance committee in the i
senate say they have no reco1Iec+inr 7
IF anything of this sort ever bax(irsr f
been done. ii4s /
II Is an unwritten law that foreion
powers have no right to meddIe IN T
ne purely domestic concerns of otbar
latlons- Ihat unwritten law has boo1
observed through all the vears - 3
publican control Foreicn jrta-fe fee- /
snce, when the Republicans v,are -
tariff legislation was not
Iearo OF so rigid is this rule of ooo
luct between nations that Graa+ I
'rltaln dared not file her formal NJ Q
est against the proposed canal 1ae-
sIS-tlon uhtll after it had been acted
lpon by congress and received +haee Neo c
orovaI of the president. me dp- o
some of the protests todav