The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-20
LONG DEBATE ON
TARIFF BEGINS
IN THE SENATE
Chairman Simmons Explains
Underwood Bill as Amend
ed From Standpoint of
the Democrats.

WASHINGTON, July l9,-The tariff
debate began in the senate today
when Chairman Simmons of the
finance committee began his explana-
tion Of the bill. He reviewed what
he termed the failure OF the Republic
cans to redeem their 1908 pledges to
revise the tariff downward. The Demo
cratic party inherited this duty, he
said, when 1T came into power.
"The bill now presented to the sen:
ate, i is confidently believed, " said
he, "is fair Interpretation of the
will OF the people and is an honest
compliance with the pledges Of the
Democratic party.
Amendments offered by the com.
mlttee and not proposed in spirit OF
disagreement with the house or to the
theory of tariff revision on which that
body acted. They are offered with
view to further carrying out and per-
tectlng the principles OF a revenue
producing tariff on the basis OF COM
petitive rates enunciated by the ways
and means committee of the house as
q Just and fair Interpretation, in the
light of existing conditions, Of the
platform pledges of the Democratic
party on the tariff,
Fixed Basis Sought.
"Like the house, we have sought to
find basis of action which would un-
tax the necessaries Of life as far as is
consistent with the revenue needs OF
the government, which would lay the
heaviest burdens on tine luxuries of the
rich and which would impose on those
things which were neither prime ne.
cessities or luXuries and which were
proper subjects of tariff taxarlon a
rate sufficiently competitive to yield
revenues adequate to meet the needs
Of the government on the one hand
and on the other operate as regula~
tion Ct domestic prices by making out
side competition at all times possible. j"
Charges that the bill dealt unfairly
with the farmer, Senator Simmons de-
clared to be without foundation. He
enumerated many things on the free list
especially for the farmers benefit and
said;
"No class of our people have reaped
as little benefit from the Republican
tariff system and suffered as heavily
from it's eXactions as the farmer. He
knows that under the Republican sys-
tenn he has had to buy in highly pro"
tected market and sell most of his prod
ucts on basis of free trade with the
world. There is, in my mind, no doubt
that MS verdict will be one of approval
especially IN view Of the fact that he
will be among the first to feel the ben
efficient results of the transition from
a. tariff in the interest OF the classes to
a tariff in the interest of the masses. -
The income tax section of the BILL
Senator Simmons said, was not framed
on the theory that the chief object of
an income tax was to supply deficits in
revenue, "but it is based on the the.
ory that the chief object of an income
tax was to supply deficits in revenue,
"but it is based on the theory that
property should bear it's Just share of
federal as well as state taxation and
that therefore, the rate of this tax
the wealth Of the country as reflected
in the incomes of the well. to- do, to con-
tribute equitably to these expenses"
Speech of Cummins.
Senator Cummins, opening the tariff
debate today for the Progressive Re"
publicans, declared that the Republican
party lost the confidence of the people
and "was driven from power largely
because it insisted upon the mainte-
nance Of import duties many of which
were unnecessarily and oppressively
high
f'The Democratic party" he as
serted, "soon will be overtaken with q
like disaster because it is about to In
fict upon the country tariff law
invites the perils of free trade, and
which, with respect to many others,
imposes duties that are dangerously
and destructively low and which, from
end to end, grievously discriminate
against the west in favor Of the east
that is to say, in favor of the manu-.
facturer against the farmer.
"The Republican craft went down
in the whirlpool Of Scylla in 1912, and
its Democratic successor is steering
straight for the rocks of Charybdis,
where it will go to pieces in the stress
Of 1915.
Says One Safe Way.
"There is a passageway to safety
and prosperity. The Progressive Re,
will chart IL again in 1913. Sometime
the American people Will make the trip
under these pilots, but in the mean
time we must suffer another shin.
wreck, bearing its hardships, as I hope
we. will, with patriotism and forti-
tude."
Besides pointing out many things
that he considered destructive and en-
tlrely unwarranted in the bill, Senator
Cummins criticised the president for
his influence e1erted upon members of
congress concerning the tariff bill, an
influence, he said, $50 persistent and
determined that it became coercive.H y
81 do not charge, nor do | believe
said Senator Cummins, Fthat the
president, in terms, barters this power
for legislative subordination; but I do
say that, without barter, the lcnowl.
edge Of the consequences that NAV
follow legislative independence will
bring about all the evils of actual
wrongdoing unless the most scrupulous
care is exercised in communications
between the president and members of
congress. It lies with the president
himself to mark out the path of pro
prlety, and to pursue such Q course as
will enable every member of the legis.
lative branch of our public affairs TO
feel free and unrestrained in every
vote that he casts.
$50 long as the president is per.
mitted to set up a standard of loyalty
to the party to which he may belong,
and condemn every man who does not