The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-02-05
DEMOCRAT PLEADS
FOR TARIFF BOARD
Whitacre Startles House Col.
leagues by Advocacy Of Nom
partisan Commission.

Washington, January 23.-Repre
sentative Whitacre Of Ohio. Demo
cratic insurgent, in a speech in tn,
House tonight vigorously urged ia
vorable action on the bill introduc
ed by Republican Leader Mann, pro
yiding for the appointment Of non
partisan tariff board. startling hi.
party colleagues.
The only item in the tarin that
the DEMOCRATS can defend as having
reduced the tariff without injuriua
an American industry is that af.
fecting clay products" declared
Whitaore. AN impartial invostiga-
tion has shown that the East Liver
pool tOhio) potteries were not injur-
ed by the reduction in tariff i'm the
Underwood-Simm law.
MANY other industries in my state
have been seriously injured. II we
could pass a law creating such Il
tariff board as Mr.. Mann has propos-
ed we would make an impartial in
vestigation on every item and give a
square deal. If they show that they
have been injured. the Democratic
party owes it to them to remove
the cause.
I'VE promised to revise the tariff
without injury to any legitimate
American industry. The general de-
preston shows conclusively that va
rious industries have been injured"
Many Employees Laid on.
Does the gentleman, then, believe
in basing the tariff on the difference
in cost at home and abroad?" ask
ed Representative Good of Iowa IRE
publican).
sit would be impossible to revise
the tariff without doing injury to our
industries unless we know the differ
ence in cost at home and abroad"
replied Whitacre.
The Ohio Democrat read extracts
from speeches made by prominent
men in the leading industries, show
ing that large numbers of employees
have been taken off the pay rolls and
salaries of other thousand redue-
ed.
while / can argue here that the
tariff is not wholly to blame for this
general bushes depression" he said,
II cannot go out to Canton and tell
idle working men that. Men whose
only possession is an empty dinner
pail or reduced pay envelope can
not be convinced that the tariff is
not responsible for their present
They had work when the
new tariff was passed and are now
put of work or receiving less pay.
They naturally associate the two and |
be convinced otherwise.
You can go down South and take !
he railroads and throw them into |
he gulf and the people will still vote !
he Democratic ticket. But you can !
rot go into Ohio and cripple the man
industries and get the !
people to do that"
Many Democrats interrupted Whit
Icre but he continued.
Representative Barnhart of Indi-
ma wanted to know whether Whit
ere was aware that in 1911 he Of
cred an amendment on the floor of
he House creating a tariff board
the same as that pro-
osed by Leader Mann. He said it
;as news to him.
81 never heard of it until now"
houted Mann, land do not believe
republicans who were on the floor
I the time heard of it or understood
:. After all, however. it is not so
luch what was done three years
go. The Democrats were in the
then. Now they have
wo-thirds majority. VIII they vote
Or a nonpartisan tariff board now?
you favor it now have the Ways
nd Means Committee report my
i'll, and it will be passed at the drop {
the hat"
Leader Mann then turned his at
sntion to the platform adopted by |
he Democrats in the 1912 conven-
on at Baltimore, declaring that they
OF only had not kept their pledge
, revise the tariff so as not to injure
,gitimate business, but had aban- I
oned about all the other pledges in ,
"a nIatfnrpn -