The Washington times., 1901-11-09
TARIFF REVISION OPPOSED
Republican Party Leaders Submit
Their Views to the President.
Character of Trust and Reciprocity
Legislation to He Recommended to
Congress Not Yet Defned-Mr.
Roosevelt Engaged on His Message

President Roosevelt is so very busy
| these days that he has TO shorten his
afternoon horseback rides. Occasionally
he continues conference with some
| statesman so long that it is finished in a
| carriage drive aud the saddle horse is not
| used ut all. This was the case yesterday,
when q great number of prominent Con
! grcssmen talked with him during all of his
| Office hours.
| The somewhat premature launching Of
The tariff question, brought about by the
| discussion of pending reciprocity treat
| les, has opened up : wide neid, and the
| President hardly knows how TO handle it
in his forthcoming message.
Since the day he entered the White
! House as President, Mr.. Roosevelt has
been seeking the advice of those men VINO
! are really influential in affairs of the
Senate and House of Representatives. He
has made a practice of consulting men
| like Aldrich. Allison, and Spooner in the
| Senate, and one or two members of the
| House, and he saw them in his own time
| anc in his own way. Now that the time
| is approaching for the meeting of Con-
gress, however. the statesmen, dig and
| little, are coming along, with and Without
| invitations.
| The President sees them all cheerfully
| and gladly, but it is certain that if he
needs all the advice he receives as to what
ought to go in his message, and what
| ought to he left out, he is apt not to
| send any message to Congress-at least
| not before the Christmas holidays. A
week or two ago the President had his
message outlined, but if the men who
| have talked with him lately are to be re-
| lied upon, he changed his views some
| what to the recommendations he will
! make with regard to some of the most
| important questions.
1t is still his intention 10 make no di-
! rect recommendations for specific finan-
cial legislation. except possibly I'm the way
of reduction of the internal revenue.
But with regard TO the tariff and the
trusts, there appears to be a wide differ
ence of opinion among those who have
talked with the President as to what his
course will be on these subjects.
1t is well known through his speeches
and newspaper interviews while Governor
of New York that Mr.. Roosevelt thinks
| something should be done to restrain The
growing power OF industrial combina lions.
But he is now represented as being TN
certain in his own mind whether Congress
has the power to pass q law that would
be effective and at the same time fair.
The President has had frequent consulta-
tons with Attorney General Knox on this
subject and with the controlling officers
Of some of the greatest corporatiG1s in
the United States, including the presidents
Of great railroads.
There is little doubt that the part Of his
mes sage dealing with the question of
trusts will be clear and emphatic as re-
aa rffs Nia Put
to know as yet whether he will be content
with expressing his personal opinions.
or wtetheg he will recommend some
definite legislation, such the creation
of a commission to handle the trust ques-
ton. or the passage of law dealing di-
rectly with those VINO violate the pres
ent one, or giving the executive depart
ments power to do so, or recommending
amendments 20 the Sherman antitrust
law now on the statute books, or in some
other way reaching what he undoubtedly
regards as an existing and growing evil
President Roosevelt is now the storm
centre Of the agitation that has so sud
denly sprung up. owing to the approach
ing session of Congress, over the general
tariff question. This agitation has been
smoldering since last spring, when Rep
resentative BabcOck, a member of the
Ways and Means Committee, gave notice
that he would, at the coming session, in
troduce a bill to place on the free list
such articles as can be made more cheap
ly n this country than abroad This was
the first gun in the campaign for the re
vision of the tariff law. Even if the cam
paign shall eventually fail, 1t will have
at least succeeded in arousing a very
lively discussion.
fg lIr .I,Ys ~.
Congress, men ln7E Aldrich and Allison
and the members of the Ways and Means
Committee of the House, are absolutely
opposed to the reopeniug Of the tariff
question. whether Under the guise Of rcci-
procity treaties or under the general
proposition for the readjustmcnt Of
schedules The Chairman of the Finance
Committee, who. as is well known. op-
poses the ratification OF any Of the pend
ing reciprocity treaties, and largely
through whose influence they were
piseonholod at the last session, has al
ready advised the President that these
conventions should be allowed to remain
dead, and that there ought to be no finan-
cial or tariff legislation OF any sort at
the approa ching session of Congress.
The business interests, he says. demand
that agitation over financial sud tariff
questions SnOulC cease
This is the view of nearly all of the
really strong Influential men In the Sen
ate and House. But there are others, like
Babcock. who want a general tariff re-
vision and others still who would be con-
tent with the ratification of a series of
reciprocity treaties. Those who, like SEN
ator Aldrich, think there should be no tar
If legislation at all, are strongly of the
belief that reciprocity treaties are but an
other form Of tariff revision, and they
are opposed to any action whatever on the
whole subject or any branch of il.
The manufacturers convention which
recently met in Philadelphia, and which
will open session here again on the 18th
of the present month, has declared in
favor OF the negotiation OF reciprocity
treaties. This declaration has been en-
dorsed by numerous boards Of trade and
other commercial bodies who arc now
busy passing resolutions on the subject
On the other hand, the Home Market
CLUB. of Boston, the high priest of pro-
tcctlon IN this country, is opposed to the
reciprocity treaties, and it, too, is max
ing its influence felt with the Admins
tration, and with Congre ssmen.
The full force OF the contendinc, foc-
tions is centred on the head tf President
Roosevelt. lie has already on more than
one occasion endorsed in a general way
the policy al reciprocity, but it is under
stood, VIII not make any definite recon-
mendations on the subject in his message
There is one branch of the general sub
1ect OF taxation. however upou which
there may be an agreement among the
Republicans who have conflicting views
with regard to tariff legislation. Tho SEC
retary of the Treasury plainly saws that
the surplus is growing altogether too
fast and that the only way to get rid of
it Is for the Treasury to buy bonds or for
Congress to repeal some of the war
taxes left standing after the revision of
last session. The Secretary did all he
could to induce holders of bonds to pre-
l