Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-11
WON'T DISCUSS 1T.
AN INTERVIEW WITH CONGRESSMAN Will.
son, OF THIS STATE,
Ia Regard 10 the Work Of Ways and Means CON-
uIhes-Ths Bill 10 Be Ready By the First
Of harch-HOw the Commit
tee Works.

Special Telegram 10 " Register.
WASHINGTON, February 1O.-A reporter
of the REGISTER visited Congressman
Wilson at his room this evening, and
found him just preparing to 20 to the work
of his committee. He, however, sub
mitted to few questions, and herewith
give his answers:
The REGISTER would like TO know
what progress the Committee on Ways and
Means is making with its Tariff bill.n
II should be glad to give the REGISTER
any thing that l properly could disclose,
but you will understand that / cannot
make public the action or the probable &C
tion Of our committee. l may, however,
say that the full Committee of Ways and
Means has not yet taken up the tariff
question, and no public hearings have been
had before it, but the eight Democratic
members have been constantly at work for
more than a month, gathering material
from every source and working tentatively
on the schedules.
THE COMMITTEE WORK.
This work has been severe and
exhausting, and has as a rule extended,
each day from ten in the morning to mid
night. In the forenoon and while Con-
gress is in session, We are generally in COM
mittee room, sometimes all, sometimes in
subcommittee, hearing all parties, en-
plOyers who wish to submit information,
arglment or advice a. to the details of the
tariff.
In this way, by personal and familiar
interviews, We extract more information
and greatly more reliable than could be
gotten from formal hearings before the full
committee. We have not only encouraged
and welcomed such persons, but We have
sought trustworthy information by exten-
siye correspondence over the whole coun-
try. At night we meet for conference and
work
Can you tell me what progress you
have made on the bill?'
Only in general way. OF course we
have gone over the schedules as whole,
and some of them i'll their details"
BILL READY By MARCH.
When do expect to report the bill?"
That / cannot forecast. Say about
March |, which surely is as early as q we'll
considered hill should be expected"
And now can you give any informs-
tion as TO what the nature of the bill will
be?"
Absolutely none as yet, without be-
trayal of confidence. This much you may
tell your readers. That a careful study of
the tariff justifes all that we have ever
charged as to its injustice and inequalities.
1t has truly crushed many industries
while seeking to foster others. Its protec-
ton il as a rule inverted, being higher on
the raw material or partly manufactured
product than on the finished one, and it is
full of Jobs where strong individual, cor
poration or favored locality, has secretly
obtained lodgment to crush out rivals,
or prey on other industries.
"These wrongs we shall try to correct
and give life to some pursuits in our
country that to-day are crippled and
dying. But we recognize fully the fact
that we deal with an existing and some
what inveterate system to which the busi-
ness OF the country has adopted itself, and
that we must aim to reform and improve
the system "a we fiud it, rather than to
build anew on different and better founda-
tons