Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-02-14
Senator John Walter Smiths
Announcement.

| ana take TINS means OF letting the peopl
Of the State know that am in this ieh
until the end that am making my owl
fight on my own record and that an
willing to stand or fall on that record.
believe that on my record, and becaus'
Of my services. am entitled to reelection
| am perfectly confident that the bulk 0
the Democrats Of the State will see anC
understand clearly the motives that in
spire the opposition to me, and that th'
misrepresentation and untruthfulness o
the attacks that have been made vii
strengthen rather than weaken me viii
the voters.
1t is not going to be necessary for me Il
answer in this campaign every falsehooC
that may be uttered about me, nor to keel
pace with all the cant and SANDER thai
may be put forth by my enemies Some tint
ago, however. said in an interview tha
when the opportunity came would. fo
the benefit Of the Democratic voters of tht
State, make answer to the allegation thai
my vote on the lumber schedule was ar
un-Democratic one. The manner in which
this charge has been made is apparently
intended to convey to the people Of Mary.
land the impression that deliberately
betrayed my party; that was under the
control Of Senator Aldrich. the Republican
leader. and that my vote was cast in the in
terest of my own pocketbook, | being in the
lumber business. By skiIlful suppression
OF the truth in part and an equally clever
distortion Of facts, efforts have been made,
and are now being made. to make me ap-
pear traitor and scoundrel. Were the
charges true. ought to be kicked out of
the United States Senate and would be
unfit to look an honest man in the face. /
want to be patient as to these charges,
notwithstanding they are lies, and that
those who know the facts. or take the
trouble to investigate. know they are lies.
They do not disturb me because feel that
my reputation as a man and as Demo-
crat of more than forty years active party
service in this State is such that can
afford to be Indifferent to SANDER of that
sort
Then, feel the motive behind the charges
and insinuations is so clearly understood
by the voters that they are their own an
swer Some Of my friends. however, have
advised me that because of the misrepre-
and confusion of facts owe it
to my supporters throughout Maryland to
explain in detail my various votes on the
lumber tariff.
have, since have been in the Senate,
voted twice for free lumber. but you have
not heard Of that fact from my opponents.
Once voted for free lumber in the Cana
iian Reciprocity Bill Gong. Record. p. 3l75.
July %. 19lD, and again voted for free
lumber in the Farmers Free List Bill
Gong. Record, page 3432, page 3435,
August l, 191D. Further, have voted
and supported ardently every
single tariff reform bill that has come from
he House to the Senate since the Demo-
rats have had control of the House.
Now ! want to be absolutely specific and
rank about my lumber votes. 1t has been
charged that voted against free lumber.
That is manifestly not true.
An amendment was offered by Senator
Davis to the ayne-Aldrich bill. That was
not free lumber amendment It let in
the manufactured product free. but left
the tariff on the. raw material, the exact
reverse Of the accepted Democratic policy.
(Cong. Record, p. 3949, June 26, 1909
An amendment to the same bill was
offered by Senator Johnston. of Alabama,
and was not seriously taken in the Senate.
1t was to put in the free list lumber. lime,
nails, brick. glass, ETC., and intended to in
clude every article that went into the
making Of house. (Cong. Record, p. PASS,
May "a. 1909
Ithas also been specifically charged that
! voted for higher tariff on lumber; that
likewise is false. never voted for higher
duty on anything
Here are the facts: When | went to the
Senate the tariff on lumber was So per
| 900 feet: when the Payne-Aldrich bill
was sent to the Senate the rate on lumber
was fixed at So in the bill
Senator McCumber. Republican. from
Dakota, treeless State. offered the most
ultra amendment, making the rate rs cents
per 1000 feet, reduction of $l75, and
the nearest approach to free lumber pro-
position as such offered.
Senator Aldrich, a Republican from
Rhode Island, offered an amendment on be-
half Of the Finance Committee, making
the rate $l.25, a reduction Of rs cents.
Senator McCumber's amendment was lost,
a number Of Republicans and eleven Demo-
Gratis voting for it and a number of Rep
publicans and ten Democrats. including
Senator Money, the Democratic floor leader,
and myself, voting against it. with eight
Democrats not voting. Gong. Record, D.
3717. June %. 1909
Senator Aldrich's amendment was i'm
mediately put A number of Republicans
and IL Democrats, including myself, voted
for it. A number Of Republicans and IL
Democrats voted against it. Eight Demo-
Gratis, including Senator Money, the accred-
tied Democratic leader. failed to vote.
The Democrats voting as did on the
Aldrich amendment were Bacon, of Ca,
now President pro TEN. of the Senate
Bailey, Of Texas; Chamberlain. of Oregon
Daniels, Of Virginia; Fletcher. of Florida
Foster, Of Louisiana McEnery. of louisiana;
Martin, Of Virginia Taliaferro, of Florida
Taylor. of Tennessee, and Simmons, of N.
Carolina. Eight Democrats failed to vote.
Cong Record, p. 37lS. June 20, 1909. }
The Aldrich amendment was carried and
the tariff on lumber thus reduced from So
fixed in the bill to about the equivalent of
per cent, a rate the most ultra tariff
revisionists cannot call protective"
Now that is the nearest came to voting
against free lumber. What voted for