The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-05-03
The President Is Not Likely to Oppose the
Babcock Plan for Reducing Some
Customs Duties.
First Fight on the Babcock Bill Will Be in the
Ways and Means Committee of
the House.

From The .TosrnaI Bureau, Room IS, Poss
building, Warrington.
Washington, May Sunless the signs
are all wrong, there will be bitter con-
test within the ways and means commit
tee of the house of representatives next
forces. Should the contest come, the
Babcock proposition to take the duty off
steel and other trust products, will be at
the bottom of it, and the result will go far
towards determining the lines along which
the congressional campaign of 1902 is to
be conducted.
That there should be opposition to a
proposition as radical as that fathered by
Mr.. Babcock is perhaps natural, and no
doubt there is room for honest difference
the wisdom of having the chairman of the
republican congressional committee so
prominently identified with a measure
which would mean, in the estimation of
many loyal party workers, an alarming
departure from the high protective prin-
ciples upon which the republican party
has time and again ridden into the presi-
dency Opposition of this sort, not being
prompted by ulterior motives, can be met
and overcome, should the departure seem
for the best and in line with proper and
logical party advance. 1t is the selfish
opposition of the trusts which is likely to
be unyielding and NAVE the promised
struggle in the ways and means committee
memorable.
That committee is composed of seven
teen members, ten Of whom are republi-
cans and seven democrats. The latter, as
unit will vote with Babcock for the
bill; and SO the committee, without any
proselyting, will stand eight for TO nine
against the bill, a margin that will be
uncomfortably close for the trusts.
How They stand.
1t is asserted by those who claim to be
well informed, that Representative Nc
Call of Massachusetts, is weakening
and is likely to vote with Babcock, should
he do so, the bill will have majority OF
one in it's favor, "a most dangerous
thing" say the trusts. And there are
whispers to the effect that Representa-
tive Tawney of Minnesota, is as weak
as Mccall.
Serene E. Payne of New York, chairman
of the committee, is openly against the
bill it is said, and so is Representative
John Dalzell of Pennsylvania, attorney Tor
several of the big iron and steel concerns
in Pittsburg. Hopkins Of Illinois, is un-
derstood to stand with Payne and Dalzell,
and likewise Russell Of Connecticut,
Steel Of Indiana and Long of Kansas.
These are all or the republican meupelS
of the committee.
According to the best estimates which
can now be made, the Babcock bill, unless
unfair means are resorted to, seems IN
fair way to secure a favorable report,
which of itself will be almost enough 70
carry it through the house.
Pack the Committee.
OF course there will be strenuous efforts
to prevent any such calamity" One OF
these efforts, it is whispered, will take
the form of a revision of the ways and
means committee by increasing its mem
bership from seventeen to twenty-one'
and then making sure that three of the
four new members who will be republican,
are safe on the Babcock proposition.
The excuse for attempting to increase the
committee will be the increase in the total
membership of the house under the new
reapportionment law.
Any scheme such as that just outlined
could not be carried into effect without
the active cooperation of the speaker,
who next December will name the house
standing committees for the next Two
wears. It is conceded that General d. B.
Henderson Of Iowa, will again be the
speaker In his own district and state
it is said that the Babcock idea has taken
strong hold, and it may be that during the
state campaign this year 1t VIII De given
strong emphasis. General Henderson
would naturally be counted as preferring
TO stand with the rock-ribbed and ultra
tariff interests, and other things being
eoual. might not hesitate to consent to
rule increasing the size of the ways and
means committee. But If conditions IL
his own state are as l have reason to be-
Iieye they are, these 'other things" will
not be equal.
Trusts VIII Fight 1t.
The trusts will stand with the old line
high tariff men of the republican party,
and endeavor to hide behind them, and
since many of these men will be honest
and sincere in opposition the Babcock
bill may have difficult path to travel.
The situation is one of intense interest
to the practical politicians in all parties.
In the west the republican demand for the
Babcock bill is daily becoming greater, and
ultimately it is believed that it will con-
troll whole states. This will vitality affect
the attitude of republican congressman
from those states. In the east, where the
highly protected interests are located, re-
publican sentiment will possibly be rather
easily turned against the bill and this
may result in an interesting contest with
In the party for a new and more liberal
declaration of tariff policy
Issue in the Campaign.
Should the Babcock bill fail. the demo-
Gratis will be expected to go into the cam
paigns charging with more plausibility
than ever before, that the republican party
is allied with the trusts against the com
mon people" Should it win, the democrats
will be expected to accuse the republicans
of adopting democratic principles in their
desire to maintain their hold upon the
machinery of government, state and ma
tional.
AS previously stated, the contest seems
certain to begin in the ways and means
committee of the house next winter. And
il will be we'll worth following closely
There is a very fair prospect that this
committee is to make the issues for the
campaign next year, and for the presiden
tial campaign that is to follow it.
II the statements made in this article
prove ultimately to be as reliable as they
seem to be at this time, prominent repub-
licans and democrats who recently have
gone ON record as saying that the tariff
would be the issue in the next presi-
Dental campaign, are not far from the