Norwich bulletin., 1913-04-30
Heated Debate
 On Tariff Bill.
SINCERITY OF REPUBLICAN LEADERS IMPueNED.
CLARK JOINS DEBATE
Speaker Leaves Chair to Declare That in His Opinion No Republican Lead CT Favored a Tariff Commission

Washington, April 29.-Fxcited de- bate and heated wrangle today marked the beginning of the reading of the democratic tariff bill in the house for amendment. Progress on the perfec- ton of the measure was slow, but the talk was loud and vociferous and on one occasion brought Speaker Clark on the floor with @ vigorous speech.
 All day the republicans offered amendments to the various paragraphs in the chemical schedule and every amendment was calmly voted down by the big democratic majority. Several minor amendments offered by the ways and means committee to correct the phraseology of the bill were adopted.
 Attacks on Chemical Schedule
 Most of the talk of the day turned on the records of the democratic and republican side of the house on the question of creating a tariff. commis- sion. The republicans, led by Repre- sentative Mann of Illinois, began their attacks on the various provisions of the first schedule of the bill, the chem ica1 schedule, by declaring that the "weaknesses' in the rate showed the need of the investigation of a tariff board. Representative Underwood in reply declared that the democrats had provided the bureau of foreign and do- mestic commerce in the department of commerce and that the failure of the Taft administration to vitalize that bureau with sufficient concentrations had prevented its doing the work of tariff investigation
 Progressive Starts Trouble
 Representative Gardner of Massa- chusetts said that Representative Un- derwood and other democrats had voted for the tariff commission in the sixty first congress when the republicans were in power and urged that they support the republican proposition now Then Representative Murdock the pro- gressive leader touched off the fire T +, l. cans and democrats were opposed to the tariff commission scheme and re- called that the last day of the sixty first congress, Uncle Joe" Cannon's final appearance at the speakers desk, the tariff commission bill was with drawn by the republicans in the face of a flibuster led by Representative Fitzgerald of New York
 The republicans in this chamber then.' shouted MT. Murdock, Hike the republicans in this chamber now, were only pretending to be for a tariff com mission They had their chance to write that bill into law then and fail ed. They will never have another chance"
 Gardner Repudiates Murdocle's Charge
 The republicans grew excited and Representative Gardner shouted that there was no foundation for MT. Mur- docks charge that the republican leaders lea were in a conspiracy to defeat
 
 Gesticulating wildly. MT. Gardner demanded the opinion of Representa- tive Sher1ey of Kentucky as to the truth of the charge MT. Sherley said opposed the bin. Then Representative Gardner shaking finger at Speaker Clark, demanded to know whether he believed the charge. The speaker strode to the center of the well of the house and shouted:
 My judgment is that never was republican leader in this house really in favor of a tariff commissions
 Speaker CIarL's Version.
 Mir. Gardner sat down and the speaker went on. He declared that he was against a tariff commission re- porting and responsible to the presi- dent. Tt is the house that should have the Information he said.
 The speaker went into detail about the defeat of the tariff commission bill in the sixty-first congress, explaining that the democrats refused to follow himself and Representative Under wood.
 "They rolled to us a fare-ye-wel1.7 he declared, and the republicans were standing back and consenting like Saul at the stoning of Stephen. They actually rolled up a majority against Underwood and myself, but it was the first time and the last time they ever did it. The only reason was they caught US mapping
 Representative Gardner again tried to pin the speaker down to his posi- tion on the conspiracy charge.
 fT think the gentleman from New York, MT. Payne. was honest on that day, in trying to get that bill through said the speaker.
 fBut was there a, conspiracy on that day?' demanded MT. Gardner.
 fI cannot te7i,' said the speaker, sbe- cause I was not in 1t if there was one.''
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 The speaker concluded with the dec 1aration that a non-p partisan tariff board was an fnpossibilfty, and that he was in favor of giving the ways and means committee itself all of the expert help it needed to ascertain the facts as to the tariff.