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Show FICHTJ PACT Cummins Accuses President Taft of Usurping Powers HL1 of Congress in Making H Canadian Treaty. HI BORAH PLEADS FOR HI AMERICAN PARMER Hi Quotes Republican National II Platforms, Campaign Ar-8 Ar-8 guments and Documents I to Prove Charge. I! A T ASrriNGTON, .June 2S. Be- in uAv ginning with Senator Cum- ft yy mins 's attack today on tho 1 rcoiprocitv measure, as Jcgis S lation uujjnst to the agricultural inter- h csts of the country, and concluding h with Senator Borah's denunciation as 5 a Republican betrayal of the farming 8 inierests. the senate debate was all an- tagonistic to the agreement and crili- 1 cal of the president and his methods. The senate gave but. partial attention I to the speeches, although they wore !l among the most important thai will be i made against tho hill. Several times a rail of the senate was demanded, if Senator Wilson of Minesota fiually pro- posed that as so little attention was a given to the subject the senate take a recess until November or December. Senator Cummins, who will continue tj his speech tomorrow, attacked not only tl the construction of the reciprocity j agreement itself, which he said put the whole burden of free trade upon the ' farmer without giving him any benefits in the guise of reduction of duty on manufactured products, but he also 8 criticised the power exercised by the J president to negotiate it, and to .bring l it to the point of a definite agreement i between the two couniries. II Attack on Taft. " In doing this. Senator Cummins said. Ijji the president had usurped the powers Ifi of congress and bad exceeded the pow-Ifc pow-Ifc or lodged in him, to deal with foreign (J nations upon revenue matters. Tf a ft reciprocity agreement was to be made with Canada, he said, the original pro-pi? pro-pi? posal should have come from congress, yj instead of through presidential ad-'J ad-'J vances, which had brought the agree- nient to a point where congress was as-x as-x sured it could not be changed or p' amended. Jr "J know that the day has come for & t lie farmer.'' declared Senator Cum-1$ Cum-1$ mins. "to be excluded from -the ben-jsr ben-jsr efit-s of the protective tariff. The de-My de-My cree has been written, it needs only the official' signature for the time to J begin, to exclude him from the com-is com-is pany of the manufacturers of tho United States." m Senator Borah "s criticism was based b on the record of t.hciRepuhlican party, g as the advocate of protection for the !g farmer. He auoted from Republican 3 platforms, campaign documents, cam-jjt cam-jjt paisn arguments and definitions of S policy, to show that the abolition of il the protection on farm products was -a ft reversal of all Republican policy. St Analyzed by Borah, j Senator Borah said both political Jj parties were now striving for the vote ja of the cities and the support. of the p "Instead of saying .both political r parties, yon Should say the Democratic a party and the administration,'" inter-f inter-f nested Senator Bristow. "I am not li willing to concede that President Taft B in the crusade in which he is now en-it en-it gaged for free trade in agricultural J. products represents (he Republican hf j?ar.t.v. He does not. represent tho ma- .iority of the Republican members of K tho house or senate and T believe he i does not represent the sentiments of a B majority of the Republicans of the jfl ,fThc administration now in con-f con-f trol." said Senator Borah, "came into a power on a pledge to protect, the Amer-5 Amer-5 ic-an market for the American farmer. I Tho time was when the farmer was not disputed, within this chamber, that such legislation as this was destructive 8 of bis prosperity. Then every Repub- lican in the' senate wa6 his attorney. Now. because ho calls in a New York attorney to present, his case before the H finance committee ho is accused of bell be-ll mgr the friend and companion of the m trusts and the big interests."-I interests."-I Alleges Brutal Betrayal. I Senator Borah said the establish-1r establish-1r roent f ree trade' in agricultural Rk products was either a denial of the Yi principles for which the Republican $ party had heretofore stood, or a 3 coarse and brutal Jbetrayal of the most loyal constituency the party organization or-ganization has ever had." "No wage in the political histon- can equal this betrayal by tho Republican party of this great and loyal constituency," constit-uency," he said. Senator Borah said he sympathized with the press in its desire for relief from the oppressive combination that is said to control the production of print naner. He objected, however, to tho attempt to "settle the frust question ques-tion at the customs houses." He declared de-clared that action against a paper trust, if it existed, should be by civil and criminal procedure in the courts. Opened by Cummins. The fight against Canadian reciprocity reci-procity in the senate was onened for mally today by Senator Cummins of Iowa, who in presenting a number of amendments to tho bill denounced it as obvioush unjust. Senator Cummins' amendments proposed pro-posed to admit free from Canada both raw and manufactured agricultural products, including fresh meats, canned meats, barley, malt, liour, iron, steel, woolen goods, cotton goods, silk and leather goods.' These amendments apply ap-ply only on the American, side of the line. Senator Cummins said it was apparent appa-rent Republicans and Democrats favoring favor-ing the bill had determined to submit to the repeated statement that the president, would accept no amendments to the Canadian agreement. "1 make no comment on this situation," situa-tion," said he. "save that it seems .to mo an abdication of the duties of the senate and an abandonment of its responsibilities." Attacks Combination: Senator Cummins attacked tho combination com-bination of regular Republicans and Democrats to pass the reciprocity bill. "Jt seems to be conceded " he said, "that a minority of the Republican senators, most of whom have advocated higher and indefensible duties in- tho tariff law on manufactured nroducts, and a majority of the .Democrats who have professed adherence to the principle prin-ciple of a tariff for reveniie only, purpose pur-pose to pass this reciprocity bili without with-out change." The bill, he said, would accomplish only two important things admit free of duty the agricultural products of Canada and admit a small quantity of wood pulp and print paper. After the passage of the bill through this combination, Senator Cummins said, the Democrats expected to make a combination with Republicans who favor tariff revision to pass other bills. "It is perfectly plain to me" he added, "that the Republicans whom J have mentioned, would be valiant, enough in defense of the high duties for the rich and powerful manufacturers." Refers to Colleague. Senator Cummins said he would not believe until a roll call proved it that the senate was to accept, the ultimatum ultima-tum that it could not change in any way the agreement as submitted. He referred to a "certain number of senators sen-ators who seem to sit in silent, if not sullen submission to a higher power." "Canada has yielded all she can," he said, "without endangering her industrial in-dustrial prosperity.. But it is inconceivable incon-ceivable that those who are willing to subiect tho farmer to absolute iree trade in the things he produces should shrink from a reduction of the duties on the things he buys." Senator Cummins said his amendments amend-ments were not proposed for tho purpose pur-pose of defeating tire bill. "I appeal to those on the other side of the chamber who favor lower tariff duties to help me with these amendments, amend-ments, 1 ' he said. "I havc no hope from my associates on this side of the chamber." Warns the Democrats. "T have no hope from my associates on this side of the chamber. They will help you Democrats to remove tho duties du-ties from the products of the' farmers, but they will not help you to lower by a farthing the duties on the great manufactured products of tho country." coun-try." ' The reciprocity bill was characterized character-ized by Senator Cummins as "obviously "obvi-ously and evidently unjust," and if his amendments were adopted, he said, its injustices would be so far corrected thnt he would vote for it. Senator Bacon asked Mr. Cummins if he thought legislation in the senate ought to be influenced by the threat of a vcto from the president. "Tt is abhorrent to me," replied Mr. Cummins, "to hear the suggestion that any senator will be influenced .by the probable action of tho chief executive on the contemplated legislation. "Wo have been assaulted here day after day with the reiteration, apparently appar-ently authoritative, that if this bill is amended in any way, it will be vetoed by the president. "It. is the beginning of the end of the dignity, the power nnd tho respectability respect-ability of concress and the senate to have it Jepeatcd here day after day that we must not amend this bill because be-cause it will meet with the disapproval of tho executive. "1 wish some one more able than I am would stand here and denounce the attempt to influence legislation in the senate through such suggestion. I wish the senato could reassert its immunity from influence of the character that has been presented in this fight." Questioned by Senator Smith of South Carolina, Senator Cummins said he proposed to join in attempts to get lower duties on other tariff schedules. "But wy don't you join me ,in demanding de-manding free- meat as well as free cattle, cat-tle, free flour as well as free wheat, in this reciprocity bill?" asked Senator Sena-tor Cummins In answer. Senator Smith said ho would, favor increaBine the free list. He added that the duty on whent ought to be removed if it threatened to increase the cost of bread. |