Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-05-08
PRESSURE BEING
.EXERTED TOST0P
I AR|F I CHANGE.
Exponents Of Protection
are Swamping Congress
men With Letters Oppos-
ing Underwood Bill.
IBY E. H. HANSON.l

Washington, D. c., May THE
events of the last few days have tried
mems souls. Careers have been made
and lost since the real night on the
tariff commenced in the house.
The election last November resulted
In a decree from the highest power in
this country for revision Of the tarin
.,s i.
Almost from the day Of election. the
members OF the ways and means com.
mittee OF the house started to work on
the revision OF the tariff. Before con.
gress met and after 1t met in Decem-
ber. the members Of the committee
and other members of the house and
senate held conferences with President
Wilson on the work of revision.
The preliminary work done, the com
mittee held hearings and opened it's
records to the public in general. Argu-
ments were made for and against re-
ductions ON all of the schedules for
and against, the increase of duties on
some Of them, principally the so-called
luxuries.
The president, before and after the
Inauguration, was kept thoroughly
posted on all that was done and he
conferred frequently with Chairman
Underwood on various items which he
had personally studied most carefully.
Adopted as Party Measure.
AS q result of all this work, the I'm
derwood bill was drawn up and sub
mitted to the democratic caucus for ap.
proval as party measure. With
some changes, the caucus approved It.
The debate on each schedule was long
and open-every member who had an
amendment to offer being given the
fullest and fairest hearing. Business
conditions the country over were
thoroughly explained from every point
of view. Every possible argument
was advanced both in favor Of continu-
ing protection for certain industries,
for it must be admitted there are q
great many protectionists among the
democrats, and in favor of abolishing
it.
And as result OF the caucus, the
democratic party adopted the Under.
wood bill as party measure and the
men in the party pledged themselves
to stand behind 1t. True, some indus
tries in the particular home districts
of pretty nearly every congressman,
were affected. But on the whole, the
reductions in one locality were 80
greatly compensated for by reductions
In other localities, that the bill, for
the first time in the history Of our
tariff legislation, assumed the aspects
of q national measure.
But hardly had the Underwood bill
assumed It's final form before the in
dustries affected began their work. In
stead Of going about the hiring of
lobbyists to represent them In the old
way-there began a nation wide effort
to intimidate congressman into voting
against the bill.
For instances, in some OF the large
manufacturing centers, the manufac-
turers got together and informed the
men, women and children In their
plants that II the bill became law there
would be a great depression in bust
ness and all would be thrown out OF
employment Resolutions, drawn by
these manufacturers and presented by
their spokesmen, were adopted. and
whole factories full of men pledged
themselves to vote against the con.
gressmen who voted for the tariff bill.
Another method is to fill the adver.
tising columns of the daily papers In
Washington and elsewhere with "tarifl
talks" on sugar. Clever paragraphers
have been writing these advertise
ments and while they may have little
effect upon the congressman directly
they are having great deal of effect
upon the people back home, and they
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