quickly printed for the use of the finance
committee of the Senate, before whom the bill to reduce internal
revenue taxation was pending. If the committee had embodied, in
this bill, the recommendations of the tariff commission, including
the schedules without amendment or change, the tariff would have
been settled for many years. Unfortunately this was not done, but
the schedules prescribing the rates of duty and their classification
were so radically changed by the committee that the scheme of the
tariff commission was practically defeated. Many persons wishing
to advance their particular industries appeared before the committee
and succeeded in having their views adopted. The Democratic members
seemed to take little interest in the proceedings, as they were
opposed to the adoption of the tariff as a part of the bill. I
did all I could to prevent these changes, was very much discouraged
by the action of the committee, and doubted the propriety of voting
for the bill with the tariff provisions as proposed by the committee
and adopted by the Senate. I have always regretted that I did not
defeat the bill, which I could readily have done by voting with
the Democrats against the adoption of the conference report, which
passed the Senate by the vote of yeas 32, nays 30. However, the
propriety and necessity of a reduction of internal taxes proposed
by the bill were so urgent that I did not feel justified in denying
relief from burdensome and unnecessary taxes on account of provisions
in the bill that I did not approve. With great reluctance I voted
for it.

One reduction made by the committee against my most strenuous
efforts was by a change in the classification and rates of the duty
on wool. When I returned to Ohio I was violently assailed by the
Democratic newspapers for voting for a bill that reduced the existing
duty on wool about twenty per cent., and I had much difficulty in
explaining to my constituents that I opposed the reduction, but,
when the Senate refused to adopt by view, did not feel justified,
on account of my opposition to this one item, in voting against
the bill as a whole. The conference report was agreed to by the
House of Representatives on the 2nd of March, and the bill was
approved by the President on the 3rd.

I did not conceal my opposition to the tariff sections of the
revenue bill. I expressed it in debate, in interviews and in
letters. When the bill was reported to the Senate it w