Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-05-08
Drown Every Proposition to
Amend Tariff Bill by
Deluge of Noes"
ONLY FIGHT ON FREE LIST
Senate Finance Committee De-
cides to Hold No Oral Hear
ings on the Various Seized
ules-Briefs Only.

washington. May 1.-The free list OF
the Underwood tariff bill. with It's demo-
cratic promises of reductions in the cost
OF living furnished the grst for the
| legislative mills OF the House to-day.
| Through a monotonous session the re-
publicans wearied By the persistence
with which the democrats rejected all
amendments, made perfunctory attempts
to place on the dutiable list articles the
| Underwood bill would admit free.
While the House dragged along
| through tn bill, the Senate finance COM
mittee made its plan for the considera-
/ ton of the bill when it shall have passed
the House. 1t was decided not to hold
oral hearings on the various schedules
but to accept and consider any briefs
, that might be submitted by those inter
csted in the tariff.
The House republicans attacked ma
iority Of the hundreds OF paragraphs in
the lengthy free list of the Underwood
bill. In almost every instance they
argued that the admission OF the var
! ious articles free would ruin the indus
| try" and would not reduce the cost Of
living. Majority Leader Underwood
pointed out that'this argument was in
consistent.
I'm order to ruin the industries" he
said, "as YOU gentlemen seem bound to
do. it would be necessary to reduce the
price the producers receive. This would
inevitably result in a reduction to the
| consumer
/ In order to eliminate unnecessary de-
bate, Representative Underwood, aftei
! ba hoI T.
completed secured an agreement to pass
the paragraphs which were not in contro-
Versy without debate. The disputed para
graphs were taken up in order.
Republican opposition conferred about
the paragra phs admitting free of duty
coal. iron ore. cotton, WOOL wheat. wheat
flour. corn. buckwheat. wood pulp anu
print paper, meats. lumber leather, pota.
toes. works of art, fish, steel rails, barbed
wire and dairy products All OF the
amendments offered were argued in a
more or less perfunctory fashion, and the
sweltering majority forced to remain II
their seats in the hall where the tempera
ture scared, drowned each succeeding re
publican proposition In deluge o
noes"
An unsuccessful effort was made by
Representative Moore of Pennsylvani;
to have Bibles taken from the free list
He paid tribute to the Scriptures, bu
2 said he saw no reason why Bibles o
I foreign manufacture should be admitted
& free of duty for sale in this country.
Representative Stevens of Minnesota
wanted harness and saddery put on tn
dutiable list, and Representative Gard
n ner of Massachusetts and others sough
to impose duties on boots and shoes
This brought Representative Peters o
Massachusetts, to his feet with declara
ton that free boots and shoes woul
place the American shoe industry on
; better basis than ever before,
At the night session the democrat
rejected an amendment offered b
Representative Good of Iowa to pro
:. vide for ante-mortem inspection c
foreign meats. Free listing meat. NJ
Good pointed out. would repeal tn
provision in the present law for sue
an inspection and he insisted that vot
ing down his amendment would resu
in flooding the country with disease
% meat from rejected cattle. Represer
"a tative Willis of Ohio supported til
II amendment
IVA Representative Underwood declare
" the republicans overlooked a provisio
of the pure food law requiring inspe'
ton certificates satisfactory to II
secretary Of agriculture on all mea
:, imported. II this law had any lool
-, holes in it. he said. the democra
- would pass one thai woull absolute
g., safeguard American health.
Discussion Of the free list was st
=, in progress when the House adjourn
at 1000 until eleven o'clock to-mo
p row morning.