The Washington herald., 1913-08-07
SECTIONAL ROW
IN THE SENATE
Cotton Schedule Said to Have
Been Drawn Up to Aid
South.
CHARGE BY MIR. LIPPITT
Sharp Replies Are Made BY Senators
Stone and Hoke Smith, and
Debate Grows Heated.

A bitter sectional row that came near
transgressing the rules Of Senatorial
courtesy marked the debate on the Cr-
derwood-Simmons tariff bill in the SEN
ate yesterday. The charge was made
that SO far as cotton is concerned the
tariff bill was patterned by Democratic
leaders to the advantage of the Industry
in the South and to the disadvantage
@. the industry in the North. Southern
leaders hotly replied to this charge.
Remarks by Senator Lippett of Rhode
Island caused the trouble. He condemned
the bill declaring 1t Disseminated
against the cotton mills of New Eng
land in favor Of the mills of the South.
Senator Lippett's criticisms were SO Sc
we're that they called out a sharp reply
from Senators Stone of Missouri and
Hoke Smith OF Georgia. Senator Smith
was on the subcommittee Of the Finance
Committee that shaped-the cotton scheG-
ule.
Senator Stone called attention to the
fact that Mr.. Lippett is a cotton manu-
facturer and declared that the time had
passed when the schedules in tariff
bills would be written by benefciaries
Of the duties imposed.
Practice in the Past.
'It is a common criticism from that
been prepared ignorantly," said Mr..
Stone. "They have not tried to avoid
being offensive. The Senator from
Rhode Island, who has repeated the
charge today. is himself a cotton manu-
facturer. He knows more about the
technique of his industry than the Ser
ators who wrote the schedules. He
seems to think that the men, who. like
himself, possess the knowledge Of the
the rates in the bill. That has been a
common practice in the past. Before the
distinguished Senator from Rhode Island
came into this body to grace it with his
official presence he was frequently be-
fore the committees of the Senate and
House representing this very industry.
'It is not to the credit of the tariff
legislation of the past that the repre-
sentatives of the cotton industry. as well
as Of steel, wool. and other great inter
ests. were permitted to dictate the rates
of duty. They virtually prepared their
schedules. We have entered upon a new
era We desire to subserve as far as
possible the interests OF the manufac-
turers, but the period has passed when
they can write the tariff laws"
Senator Lippitt made no reply, but
Senator Weeks of Massachusetts chal-
lenged Senator Stone to name one OF the
monopolies he referred to.
Perhaps the Senator from Massachu-
sets would have me name the Steel
Trust, Wool Trust, and cotton mills of
New England which have paid dividends
that were enormous and have sold stock
at from 200 to 800 per cent of par because
of the profits they made due to tariffs
they had dictated" said Senator Stone.
Following Senator stones reply to the
speech of the Senator from Rhode Island,
Senator Hoke Smith said:
II am not willing to allow the Senator's
statement that there is something sec
tional in this bill to go unchallenged.
Two members of the subcommittee that
drew the cotton schedule in this bill for
the Finance Committee were from the
North-Senator Hughes of New Jersey
and Senator johnson of Maine I do not
want to call attention to the personal
interest which the Senator from Rhode
Island has in the rates on cotton, for l
do not want to believe that his speech
here today has been influenced by these
personal considerations"
Following Senator Smiths speech, the
bill was taken up and work resumed on
the metals schedule.