Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-14
TARIFF AND TRUSTS.
Two Problems Which VIII Keen the
Ways and Means Committee Busy.

Mr.. Reed is hard at work on his committees
and will undoubtedly have them all ready to
report by the middle or last of next week. The
three most important committees he has already
appointed have perfected their organization
and are ready for work. The members of the
ways and means committee are individually at
work. The committee on elections has been
organized and committee consisting Of
Messrs. Rowel, Houk, Cooper, Crisp and
OFerrall was appointed to arrange the rules
OF the committee and the order of business.
The deficiency subcommittee of the appro-
priations committee are already at work on the
estimates for special deficiency appropria-
TONS 1t is the purpose of Speaker Reed and
his associates and advisers to make this a work.
ing Congress. They propose to have il appear
at the end of the session that if the important
bills they undertake to dispose of are not
passed it will not be because of any want of
activity and earnestness on their part Speaker
Reed does not want it said of this Congress.
as 1t has 80 often been said of Congresses before,
tn at weeks and months have been wasted. The
re publicans are not entirely confident of being
a BILE to proceed with their business Just as they
W ant to without obstruction from the other
ide, but they want to be able to avoid all re-
pom sibility for delays if possible.
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
The greatest work OF the session will proba-
bly, be on the tariff and the ways and means
committee are setting out with the determine
ton to get measure before the House as soon
as possible. The preliminary work, of course,
is that which each member of the committee
does in the way Of preparation. This work is
now going on actively. 1t is this the commit
tee is to set about at once. working night and
day, not only between now and the holidays
but during the entire holiday recess.
The Senate tariff bill will form the basis of
their work, but there will be some variation
from it. The action of the committee will be
strictly on the line OF protection. but this does
not preclude an enlargement OF the free list
nor the reduction OF duties in some cases. The
theory on which the majority of the commit
tee will start out (whatever difficulties they may
find in their way as they get into details) will
be that of equalization of conditions" They
expect to make reductions in the duties in all
cases where the protection afforded more than
counterbalances the difference of cost of pro-
ductlon between this and foreign countries;
they expect to increase duties when such an in
crease promises the establishment of new in
dustries; far practicable they propose to
put raw materials on the free list, but they will
not consider it practicable to reduce the duty
on wool. The duty will probably be taken off
sugar.
THE TRUSTS
1t is proposed to handle the trusts without
gloves If not all at least some Of the members
of the majority of the committee will take the
grounds that, when an industry has been ex-
banded and a healthy internal competition has
been built up by the operation of liberal pro-
lection, If the benehciaries of the protection
combine to destroy the competition, thereby
depriving the people of the advantages of a
general industry they have been taxed to build
up, the protection given to these trusts should
be taken off and foreign competition be
brought into the field. 1t is proposed to hold
this menace before the eyes of the trusts and
monopolists and let them take the choice be-
tween honest dealing and destruction.