The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-17
Defeat the Public Hearings
Amendment by Vote
of Al to 36
JAMES DEFENDS
WILSON'S STAND
Declares Party Stood for Free Sugar
and Campaigned q Ss,-The
Louisiana Senat A<1ote
With MipEe



late today in tF Determination to
refer the Under tariff bill to the
finance commits. for consideration
without public hearings. The Penrose-
LaFollette amendment directing that
public hearings be held was defeated
by a vote of Al to s6 and the motion
of Senator simmons to refer the bill
was then passed without roll call.
Two democrats, Senators Ransdall
and Thornton of Louisiana, voted for
Poindexter of Washington, progressive,
voted with the majority. Senator Jones
of Washington, republican who pre-
vious1y had determined to vote against
public hearings, announced that he had
changed his mind because the finance
sub committees were giving private
hearings to some Interests which he
thought should be public.
The closing day of debate on the is
sue of hearings was enlivened with
discussion of the democratic platform
and its bearing on free sugar by SEN
ator James of Kentucky, who vigorous
ly defended the stand taken by Pres
ident Wilson for free sugar, declared
that the party had stood for free sugar
and campaigned on it, and defied the
Louisiana senators to find man Pres
ident Wilson ever had told he was OPP
posed to free sugar.
Cu,oof MaLoe Drad;ct;or
Senators Smoot, LaFollette and Clark
wound up the debate on behalf of the
public hearing amendment Senator
Smoot predicting that the democratic
party would be put out of power for
another quarter of century as a re-
suit of it's tariff bill
The edict has gone FORTH. said SEN
ator Clark. The real vote on this
tariff bill will be taken here as in
the House, where 1t WAS taken in Sc
cret caucus. / Know there are demo-
Gratis here who do not believe the bill
is just ANA righteous stfo@ether, who
are willing to bow the head to the
demand of office and ease the lash of
party expediency"
Senator Newlands of Nevada spok =
briefly on the sugar schedule, protest
ing against sacrificing the sugar pro-
duction of this country to Cuba.
week to hear reports from the sub
committees engaged in consideration of
various schedules of the bill and Chair
man Simmons hopes to report the bill
to the Senate by June /. Great in
terest was manifested in the final con-
test over the hearings question, the
galleries being crowded with specta-
tors. The senators private gallery was
filled with guests and in the Pres
idents gallery were the Misses Mar
garet and Eleanor Wilson and a party
of friends. They remained until vote
lad been taken.
tariff Bible
Senator Smoot declared that the DEM
ocratic handbook, which he called the
democratic tariff Bible,' was being
largely relied upon by the finance COM
mittee members and that much OF the
Information was erroneous, and, IL fol-
lowed would be absolutely ruinous.
He described how a manufacturer had
met an importer coming out OF one of
the SUBJ committee rooms and described
to him an item on which he thought
there had been a mistake. The i'm
porter, Senator Smoot said, replied that
there had been no mistake because he
wrote it himself. Senator Reed asked
for the name of the importer, saying
it would be interesting to learn wheth-
er importers were writing the bill
Il haven't doubt of it, said Sem
ator Smoot Give US public hearings
and that can be found out.
Senator Smoot declared that England
Germany, France and every other for
eign country was rejoicing over the
Underwood bill Il have collection
of articles from all over the world,
he added, Showing how every foreign
manufactures is preparing to enter the
American market 1t means for every
dollars worth imported American labor
will be reduced
Senator LaFollette favored open hear
ings. he said, because it was of the
greatest Importance that the widest
publicity be given tariff subjects.
81 believe all legislative business is
public" said Mr.. LaFollette 1 think
even the doors of the caucus of the
two great political parties or of all
political parties should stand OPEN"
Chairman Simmons announced that If
the Senate decided against open hear
ings the questions submitted by him
to he asked manufacturers would be
sent out to all parties who had filed
briefs or appeared before the democrats
~ the finance committee. ANSWERS to
the questions would be asked, he said.
senator Newland resumed his speech
after the vote and closed with warn
mo 70 the democratic party. He said
that revision downward had been prom
ised the country, but not free trade.
It is probable that the congressional
committee will be asked to name three
representatives and two senators to
serve on a joint executive campaign
committee for conducting the political
battles during the next four years. The
party leaders contemplate sending out
sneakers under the auspices of the joint
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