Oscar Wilder Underwood to Woodrow Wilson

Oscar Wilder Underwood to Woodrow Wilson

Underwood, Oscar W. (Oscar Wilder), 1862-1929

WWP17694

1913 April 22

Oscar W. Underwood writes to Woodrow Wilson about taxing clothing as stated in Par. 304 of the new Tariff Bill.

Wilson Papers, Library of Congress, Library of Congress, Washington, District of Columbia

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Correspondence

sixty–second congress.———————
Oscar W. Underwood, chairman.
choice b. randell,
ws hammond,
francis burton harrison,
andrew j. peters
william g. brantley,
A. Mitchell Palmer
dorsey w. shackleford,
sereno e. payne,
claude kitchin,
john dalzell,
Ollie M. James,
samuel w. mccall,
henry t. rainey,
ebenezer j. hill,
lincoln dixon,
james carson needham,
william hughes,
joseph w. fordney,
Cordell Hull,
nicholas longworth,
daniel c. roper, clerk.

To the President,White House, Washington.

My dear Mr. President:I received your letter of the 19th instant this morning, in reference to Par. 304 of the new Tariff Bill. You are correct in stating that the taxes on clothing in the new bill are 35 per cent, but this is a reduction from 99 per cent on women’s and children’s dress goods and from 79 per cent on readymade clothing in the present law. I think it is impossible to arrange this schedule so that we could clearly differentiate between the articles covered by this paragraph on a valuation basis. Of course, the ad valorem duty adjusts itself to the value of the article and we have placed the tax on ready–made clothing at the same rate that is levied on the cloth from which it is made. I think it would be dangerous to make a reduction below the value of the cloth and I believe that the bill has reduced the tax on the cloth as low as it is safe to go at this time. It gave me pleasure to receive your suggestion.

With kindest regards, I am,
OW Underwood

Letter

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924