Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1909 — CUMMINS MAKES TARIFF DEMANDS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CUMMINS MAKES TARIFF DEMANDS

Consults Taft and Progres- , sives Before Talking. ODTLINES HIS OBJECTIONS Senator From lowa Emphaalzea Importa nee of Insisting Upon Reduc* tlons In the Duties Upon Manufactures as Well as Upon Raw Material. Says It Will Be of Little Adantage If Nothing Is Done to Prevent the Taking of Extortionate Profits. Washington, July 23. —Emphasizing the Importance of Insisting upon re. ductions In the duties upon manufactures as well as upon raw material, Senator Cummins of lowa made public a statement which is accepted as representing the views of at least a majority of the “progressive" Republican rffenators. Previously Cummins had been In consultation for two hours with the president. Cummins said: “It is of great importance that the duties on manufactured products shall be brought down somewhere near the protective point. It will be of little

advantage to the b :dy of the people to do .v.vay'wjfh. unnecessary duties upon, raw materials if the manufacturers are permitted to enjoy the excessive tint enab e them to take ex-, toittot .'.ln r rest:- upon the things that the i < pple st buy and use.” Inrtiincim the most prominent features of the senate bill which he thinks slw id be amended, Cummins said that "those who have been contending for lower duties can afford to surrender a part of their just demands if they can, in the main, obtain the reductions which insure the people against undue prices in the chief commodities of commerce,” • Outlines His Objections. Cummins outlined his principal objections to the bill as it left the senate. He says the reductions In the steel schedule generally are not sufficient, but the schedule might be accepted but for the increase on structural iron and steel. “Structural iron and „steel, the use of which is so rapidly increasing.” said Cummins.” is raised from the Dingley rate of $lO per ton and the house rate of $6 per ton to 45 per cent ad valorem which, at the present price of this commodity, means a duty of sl6 per ton, an increase over the present law of $6 per ton and over the house provision of $lO per ton. “In the lumber schedule if both rough and dressed lumber are not free, as they ought to be, ttye house rate of $1 on rough lumber should be preserved. “In the paper schedule the house rate of $2 per ton on print paper, without the possibility of Increasing it by a countervailing duty, and free wood pulp, also protected against a countervailing duty, should be rigidly insisted upon.

- . ' . I “In the cotton schedule the senate , increases from beginning to end should be rejected, and while I believe that there should be reductions in this schedule, the people might be willing to stand for the house rate, barring, of course, the hosiery increases. Talks of Voting Down Report. “The woolen schedule, with respect to the compensatory duties to manufacturers, is manifestly wrong; and the artificial and arbitrary plan of estimating the relation between unwashed and scoured wool is grossly absurd. The wool grower is sacrificed in order to give undue protection to the worsted wool manufacturer. The whole schedule is so indefensible that a readjustment seems imperative, even though to accomplish it the conference report be voted down and the bill brought before the senate again for amendment. i,, “Our platform and our pledges embrace every dutiable commodity, and We should apply the same criterion from the first to the last. It will be most unfortunate If, in trying to give relief tq the rank and file of our peo-

pie, we succeed only' in giving manu-, facturers free materials, and thus add to the over-protection which they now enjoy the further profits of cheapened production, profits which the manufacturers will probably be slow to share with the consuming public."

SENATOR CUMMINS.