The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-05
DONOVAN FIRST NEW MEMBER TO TALK ON TARIFF Connecticut Congressman C Makes Strong Plea for Danbury
 Matters Underwood Takes Issue with His Views on Protection of
 The Industry
tBy Our Special corres.)

Jeremiah Donovan made the first speech to be delivered by new Dem ocratic member of the House on the tariff question at the Saturday night session, when he spoke at length in favor Of an increase in the proposed tariff schedule on fur felt hats. When he had finished MT. Underwood the Democratic chairman of the Ways and Means committee, paid his colleague from Connecticut a compliment by saying that his fight for a change in the fur felt hat schedule had been the most persistent that had ever been made in any session of Congress.
 When the hat schedule was reached MT. Donovan stated: ''A1r. Chairman, I suppose it is a bit presumptuous for me to suggest anything, to offer an anndment even, when one is obliged to stop and think that one has to meet the opinion of the distinguished gen tleman from Alabama Cdr. Under wood), that of his associate in the chair right adjoining him (NTr Harrf- son of New York;, and that of the gentleman at the table, the distin- gufshed gentleman from Pennsylvania (NHr- Palmer). But possibly we do meet them, or we might lead them to think that they erred in finding, as they did, in this particular schedule. It is the last schedule N, sundries which came late, after several months work, when possibly they were out of temper and in no state of mind to de- Hberate as fair men ought to.
 T am going to claim this, gentle men, that if the statement I make is true, the treatment of the subject in hand they treated it was not fair treatment. the only way to account for. 1t was that they had too much la for for human being to perform. I am probably representing a class of labor which in my opinion is treated more cruelty than any other class from beginning to end of this report of the Ways and Means committed
 But I am going to claim too, that if this matter had been considered at the beginning of the hearings there is no question as to what the result would have been. You will appre- ciate by point of view when I tell you that the distinguished chairman of this committee, though campaign ing in strange State, among a strange people, with the natural Kreju- dices of those people and his associa tes in his section of the country when he went amongst my people. practically carried, yes, swept, the State from end to end with his eIoquence. How? By the same means that he carries this body whenever he so desires-by his personality When you think that misfortune or errors may befaI you you have only to look upon that face, and you forget them all. Slaughter and applause)
 unfortunately [ am occupying a position here formerly filled by one of the most noted men of our country. Probably no man ever came out of that State so well known, either fla vorably or unfavorably Qaughter) as my predecessor. At home he said to his people since the election and with in a, few days that I am a free trader. The distinguished gentleman who fs chairman of this committee CMr Un- derwood) says to his associates here in this body that the way that was elected was that I accused MT. Hill of being a free trader Gaughter.) But that is neither here nor there.
 '+This cannot affect our people The personality of the gentleman from Ala bana is what made our people poIit- ica1Iy go to him. On the 18th day of March, this year, he repeated at the mittee in wonder office building, what he said to them in Connecticut. This is in his report as Chairman, volume 4, page 3861:
 "tOf course,' says the distinguished gentleman from Alabama, none is in favor of reducing the tariff if it is go- ing to injure an American industry That was on the 18th day of last March, (Applause.)
 Here the Connecticut Congressman was rapped to order as he had con sumed the five minutes allotted to him.
 
 tinued as follows: MT. Chairman, un- fortunately this has been my first op- portunity to offer an amendment, and thereby hangs a tale. It is a sad condition of things that in the only place in these United States where an appeal can be made, the man who at tempts to make the appeal must be suppressed.
 MT. Chairman, the men who are working at this hat) business for a JUriv1 Ir@a tleman from Alabama has cited the figures as to these hats, but if he had looked a little further the figures would have spoiled his case. have the census figures here to show that out of the total amount of business in fur felt and wool felt hats, fur felt hats, generally known as felt hats, form only S3 1-2 per cent. This in l dustry is carried on under many dis adyanta geS, when you understand that the fur of the rabbit, and in fact everything that goes to make a fur hat comes from the other side of the ocean, and this side furnishes nothing except the water that comes from the heavens and a little of the spirit to cut theN Shellac.
 from the table a book which tells of Samuel Gompers' trip to Europe. He met fellow passenger and in the con- versation they discussed hat condi- t1onS Ihey agreed that the IeiC nat trade is very much dependent upon changing fashions. Motoring, the golf links, and the young idea aping the manners customs and clothing of the rich, are some of the things that hurt the business. Added to this does the Democratic party wish to take away 8 part of the duty which protects a poor class of workers whose industry is on its last legs, so to speak? By this act of the Ways and Means com n1ittee the government does not receive one more penny of revenue according to the report of the committee, but thousands of dollars less. If even the people who wore the hats were going to be able to buy them cheaper, that would be something, but the consumer does not get the article one penny cheaper. Who gets it? Why, the