The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1913-06-13
WASHINGTON LETTER
Washington City,

Hc mdCOH ICAC5Idpi pays thC
Junior Senator from Georgia is vast
ing his time sitting up until mid
night to help perfect the tariff billI
that Mr.. Underwood turned it loose
n proper shape and all the Senate
needs to do is to pass it as the House
passed it.
May be SO.
1t would be a great relief to the
zen democrats who have been work
ing night and day on the tariff
schedules if everybody consideed the
measure perfect.
One little defect to which atten-
ton has recently been called is the
fact that if the bill were passed as
il passed the House the Income Tax
feature, involving the little matter
Of hundred million dollars, would
be unconstitutional
Do you want to know why?
Because the bill provides that the
income tax shall be computed from
the first day of this year when at
that time the Income Tax amend
ment had not been adopted and the
Omitted States did not have right to
levy an income tax 1t was not I'M
I'll February that Congress was CIV
en the right. to levy such a tax and
good lawyers hold that Congress can
not go back in levying a tax beyond
the time when the power was grant
cd But what is a hundred million
collars to the Macon Telegraph; or
ss Colonel Tom Ochiltree used to say:
What is the Constitution between
sTiends?"
The cotton mill men from down
IA Georgia are not sure the bill is
al right. They have been coming
mp here and telling the Senate there
are errors in the classifications and
chat while the rates may be alright
che men who drew the bill did not
Gave technical knowledge enough to
slightly classify the various kinds of
products
We have some flour mills in
Georgia. The millers say it is I'M
fair to admit Canadian -four free and
charge ten cents a bushel on Cana
Dian wheat. How could the Ameri-
can miller compete with the Cana
Clan miller on that basis?
These are samples of the discrep-
&ncies the Senate Democrats are
seeking to straighten out. But when
knocker wants to knock, what does
re care about being faire
:.
| want to give the Journal readers
4 sample of the tariff bill Here is
the first paragraph:
Il. Acids: BOracic acid, "a cent
per pound; citric acid, cents per
pound; formic acid, 1 1-2 cents per
pound; gallic acid, 4 cents per
pound; Tactic acid, l-2 cents per
pound; oXalic acid, , cents per
hound; phosphoric acid, . cents per
pound; pyrogallic acid, 10 cents per
round; salicylic acid, - cents per
pound; fannie acid and tannin.
cents per pound; tartaric acid. 3 ID
cents per pound; all other acids and
acid anhydrides not specially pro-
vided for in this section, Is per
eenSlm ad valorem."
Now, does anybody in Cobb county
Know anything about whether those
rates are what they ought to be?
Somebody has got to know or the
Tariff will be guess work.
This is a paragraph dealing with
She whole tribe of acids and yet what
an intinitismal part of the Tariff bill
il is. The bill consists of two hun
bred and eighteen pages, OF just such
stuff as that printed above, and deals
with over two thousand subjects.
SIS
The Senators are not seeking to
either raise or lower the duties but
simply to correct any discrepancies
and errors. Yet the men who are
patiently working on these matters
until late in the night are told that
they are wasting their time, that
the bill is perfect because Mr.. Under
wood passed it through the House
Mr.. Underwood is an able man but
dare say he will approve the chang
Is which the Sonata will nnln