The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-11-30
Congressman Stands by His
Tariff-ReviSion Guns.
WILL INTRODUCE BILL
Responsibility for Failure to Act
Will Rest With the House.
SUCH A BILL WON'T BE REPORTED
A Pair of COnundrums Confronting
Those Who VIII Debate
the Tariff.

From The journal Bureau, Room 70, Post
Building, HGshtngto7l.
Washington, Nov. SO.-The abuse of Mr..
Babcock continues, and some Of it has
been reflected in the northwest This
abuse is entirely gratuitous, for it is
founded on nothing tangible. In discuss
ing Babcock it would be well for the
northwest to bear in mind that it prob
ably is not the intention of congress, un-
less conditions radically change, to enact
any tariff legislation; indeed the repub-
lican ultra protectionists from the east
are even anxious to prevent the subject
coming before congress in any definite
or serious way. In the senate it is prob
ably the intention to kill the reciprocity
treaties. In the house, it is expected
that an effort will be made, should the
situation become too warm, to refer the
question of tariff revision to a commits
sion, along with reciprocity. The ways
and means committee, it may be put down
as settled, will not favorably report any
tariff bill. Mr.. Babcock's bill will share
the same fate as the others, and nothing
that he can do, even were he to become
a political renegade, which the situation
does not demand, will secure for his bill
any high standing He appreciates this
fact and very properly does not propose to
put his head against a stone wall His
bill Will be introduced, and he will do all
that any man can do to secure favorable
action; and after having done this, the
responsibility for failure will be on the
house as a whole, and more particularly
on the republican members of the ways
and means committee.
l am authorized by his friends to saw
that the beer tax reduction has nothing
whatever to do with the case. 1t is not
influencing his action, even remotely In
the last congress he did what he could to
secure a reduction Of that tax. and it
was finally reduced 80 per cent Anv fur
ther reduction will be determined not bv
anything Mr.. Babcock may or may not
do with his tariff BILL but by the needs
OF the government after 1t shall have been
learned just how much of an increase in
expenses Will be entailed by the several
new schemes which congress will consider
this winter Congress will not reduce the
governments income further until If
knows what the expenditures are to he
for Isthmian canal, Pacific cable, irriga-
tion' rural free delivery, etc. To-day I
N0AhC0 WILL NIL DdDCOCk, VINO SAID.
My position is unchanged. l shall introduce
my bill and do what l can to have it favor
ably considered. Nothing has happened to
change my mind. On the contrary, l am
daily more strongly convinced that my posi-
tion is sound. have collected a great deal
Of information and am still collecting it, This
is TO go to the ways and means committee
for the strengthening of my position.
TWO TARIFF 1t is very probable that
any tariff discussion which
CONUN- may be INDUCED in at
the approaching session OF
DRUMS. congress will be academic
Few well informed per-
sons expect to see anything important
DONE but many interesting questions will
be raised, the raising of which will largely
be for fture reference. For example. here
are two congressional conundrums, ia
which the guessing skill of members will
be invited:
One is: Why should the United States