The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-06
|HUDDLESTON SAYS
| WEBB TRADE BILL
VERY DANGEROUS
Congressman Thinks Ex-
pOrters Should Not Be AL
lowed to Combine to
Get Better Prices
NJ HUGH w. ROBERT.

washington, September 5.-(Special.)
representative Huddleston of Ala
bania regards the Webb bill-that CIV
ing American exporters the right to
combine in competing with foreign
markets. dangerous measure.
The bill had the Endorsement of Amer
lean business. and of the President
of the United States. Inasmuch as
its provisions could not affect the buy
ing of the American public-only the
selling of that public-it did not APP
pear antagonistic to the teachings Of
the democratic party
With the exception of that of Mr.
Huddleston, the opposition to- the pas
sage of the bill was not powerful The
vote in favor of the measure was 1919
to rs. 1t was favored by the great
preponderance of democratic and re-
publican strength. Save Mr.. Huddles-
ton. all Alabama members supported
the bill. Representative London, So
cialist, who, on other measures has
stood with Mr.. Huddleston. on the
Webb bill was noncommittal He
was present but did not vote.
DANGEROUS BILL
Under the five-minute rule Mr. Hud-
dleston delivered the following speech
containing his reasons for declaring
the bill dangerous, and his reasons
TO, opposing it's passage:
II have been very much impressed
by the remarks of the gentleman from
South Dakota (Mr. Dillon) and of the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Wingoj
look upon this bill as being very
dangerous thing-something like a
suitcase filed with dynamite. 1t is
practically impossible to figure out the
possibilities that there are in this
measure or just what effect 1t is go
Ing to have 1t is dangerous piece
OF legislation, and it seems to me that
we ought to approach it with great
caution
Take for illustration the marketing
of cotton, commodity with which 1t
happens that I am somewhat familiar.
The cotton is grown by the farmer. and
it is sold to the merchant in the town
or city, who in turn sells 1T to the ex-
porter, who buys it to fill orders that
he has received from London. Ham
burg. Paris. or some other foreign
market. The export business in cotton
fixes the price of the product. AT the
outside the business is under the con-
easily possible for those exporters to
combine together. The inevitable
tendency of this law will be the forma-
ton of a combination upon the part Of
exporters of cotton, and the result will
be that the producer will be OPP
pressed. There will be always ten
dency to secure larger margin Of
profit for. the middleman, for the ex-
porter. He will be able to fill his or
ders not in competition with other ex-
porters. but In conspiracy and in COM
bination with them. Do you think that
exporters who have combined together
for the purpose Of making sales and
taking orders for cotton from spinners
in foreign countries will separate and
bid against each other when 1t comes
to supplying themselves with the cot
ton wherewith to fill those orders? 1t
is not at all reasonable that they will
do SO.
"AROUND A TABLE"
"Mr. Chairman, the tendency is in
evitable that the taking of orders for
cotton from foreign spinners will pass
into the hands of single little group
of men sitting around a table, the or .
ders will be apportioned out among
them, the price that they will pay for
1t will be fixed and agreed on. and
their profits set apart for themselves,
and there will be absolutely no conn
petition among those exporters In buy
ing the product of our southern fields.
What l have said as to cotton APP
plies with equal force to wheat and all
the great commodities Of the farm. 1t
applies to the products of the factories.
For instance, take automobiles. AS soon
as we pass this measure the leading
manufacturers of automobiles will COM
bine together to control the export
trade. The foreign market and demand
will pass into the hands of this little
group Of men, and their competitors
will be excluded from 1t. The result
will be that the manufacturer of auto
bomiles who is not in the combination
will lose his market for automobiles in
foreign countries He will be driven
out of business or forced to depend
upon the local market. He will be COM
IN tCentinuea ON Pare TAree)