Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-29
TARIFF CAUCUS
/ CALLED MACHINE
Senator Hitchcock Says lie
: Will Not Let Himself
z Be Bound.
S'TNSTEAD OF LIVING ISSUE
Z BILL LIES HERE, A CORPSE"
5 Amendment offered by Him for
{ Extra Taxation of Corpora
3 tions Is Defeated.

j 2 WAS1lN6IO4Ns Aus.
! ~ciation of the Democratic Senate
! Ecaucus as a political machine by
/ Senator Hitchcock, of the Democrats
I who refused to be bound by the
/ caucus on all features of the tariff
sbill. marked today's reopening of the
Eight over the income tax.
! = "why should senators be expected
/ Ito be bound by the hasty decisions
g of a secret caucus on details of the
zincome taxi" demanded Hitchcock.
A"why should they be expected TO
! @vote down every amendment however
7 good, simply because ii comes from
the other side of the chamber? Why
/ sshould the income tax section not be
: samended here upon the floor OF the
rsSenate if debate convinces senators
Ssthat 1t should be-"
, = The insurgent Democrats who yes
I *terday demanded that the bill be
1changed to increase the income tax
! ron large fortunes, apparently had
agained strength, and insisted they
! Yfwould force the party conference late
today or tomorrow to make substan-
s~tial increases.
: Ready to Grant Concessions.
= Senate leaders were prepared to
/ fgrant concessions, but the tnsur-
Mgents were not satisfied that their
! @proposals would fully meet their
sfviews.
s Hitchcocks attacks were delivered
lin connection with his amendment for
aa heavy penalty tax on trusts or
, e@monopoies controlling more than
sSone-fourth of the country's produc-
. stion or trade in any given line. Five
Eper cent. would be added to in
ACtn fTnY1
sone-fourth to one-third of all busi-
wness in any given line; 10 per cent
flor those doing one-third to one-half
land 20 per cent. for those above one
9half. 1t would. apply to no corpora
Mtions capitalized at less than $4,000
5000 or doing a business of less than
H$10,000,000 annually.
q Senator Hitchcock declared his
! = amendment had been offered In the
y caucus and beaten 23 to is, but he
Nalleged 1t had not been an open fight
z there.
y NJ Was Caucus Within Caucus"
= at was not even fair test of
%caucus strength" said he, "for there
8 was q caucus within a caucus. The
Tnine Democratic members of the
q finance committee voted as unit
q without regard to their individual
~ convictions. 1t was wheel within
y wheel, a machine within ma
x chine.
III Caucus rule makes public debates
= in the Senate farcical. Senators Will
In not even remain in their seats to
4 II hear them Caucus rule kills the
IL very spirit OF legislation. This income
VI tax section ought to be matter of
q living interest. 1t is new Legislation
h with vast possibilities affecting not
Z only revenue but social conditions.
N Instead of being here a thing of life
%and interest it lies in this chamber a
- veritable corpse, and great debates
that might occur IL there We're any
< real decision to be made here become
M farcical.
Il Amendments have been offered
y from the Republican side by senators
n who have made a study of the in
T. come tax They were not contrary
y 20 any Democratic doctrine; they
q would not endanger the bill Why,
y then, must Democrats be required
Zby caucus rules to vote against
y them?"
NJ with other Democratic senator's, l
G.have felt bound up to this time, with
X these obnoxious caucus rules. Now
az however, we have reached point
3 Where l feel free to take another
&eourse."
Antitrust Laws Failure.
Senator Hitchcock added, in support
- of his amendment that the antitrust
laws had proven failures, so far as
checking monopolies and trusts were
concerned. He declared his amend
1 81 ment, he believed, would prove an
esfectual check upon the illegitimate.
The amendment was discussed
briefly by Republicans and Endorsed
by Senator Bristow, who said he did
e not believe corporations would be able
T to pass on the tax" to the consumer.
atsa IT'S a nice thing for us to talk
81. against trusts on the stump and then
- Nafuse to touch them when we get a
chance" declared Mr.. Bristow.
Senator Williams, in charge of the
income tax section of the tariff bill,
said; THE Democratic party in the
S. fullness of its wisdom" would deal
comprehensively with the trust and
+. currency questions, but it did not pro-
pose ito load down a tariff bill with
the alleged reforms of senators along
b these lines"
So Party dissension veered to the Re-
side when Senator Cummins
~ predicted that the Hitchcock amend
ment would probably be assailed as
s another attack on the rich, as Senator
4 Lodge had assailed income INK
amendments yesterday. He denied
40 there was campaign on foot against
uh~wealth, but declared there was cam
paign against "unscrupulous wtering
:. of stock" such as he declared oc-
CURED in the steel corporation and
~ the Chicago and Alton deal.
a, The Hitchcock amendment was de-
lfl. feated, Al TO 80 Senator Hitchcock
ei. was the only Democrat voting with
Republicans in support of IT.