The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-12-03
CONGRESS IN SESSION.

Congress convenes today. What
seems certain on the opening day of
the session is that there will be no re-
vision of the tariff before March a.
1903. Senator Frye and Representa-
tive Payne have both given assurances
of this fact, and there is no one more
competent to speak. Even Senator
Hansbrough, who represents the tariff
revision sentiment of the Northwest,
SAYS that there will be no time for
tariff revision during the short SEES
sion. Senator Frye predicts that there
will be antitrust legislation which
will be in the nature of an amend
ment to the Sherman law and will
conform to the recommendations of
Attorney General Knox as they were
voiced in his now famous Pittsburg
speech. Mr. Frye has said that he
could see no possible objections to
such legislation and that he believed
Congress stood ready to so amend the
law as to make it meet those require
ments which the attorney general had
learned from experience to be essen
tial.
While Senator Hansbrough says
there can be no tariff revision at this
session OF Congress, he does not mean
that there will be no revision, or at
tempts at revision, in the future. On
this subject he says: 1.-THE Dingley
law is. not sacred institution. 1t
may be. and think it sh 0uld be, re-
vised at an early date. Nobody be-
lieves that the policy of protection is
to be overthrown in this country, but
it must be judiciously applied from
time to time to meet the changing
conditions. There is no reason to
fear panic or anything approaching
hard times even if the tariff is re-
vised by its friends. The making OF
a tariff bill, however, with its four
thousand or more articles to be con-
sidered, is tremendous task. 1t cam
not be done during short session.
The most we may hope for, this ses-
sion, is the ratification of one or two
of the least Objectionable reciprocity
treaties. There should be no delay in
reaching proper agreement with Cuba,
not that we 'owe Cuba but that we
owe ourselves much General tariff
revision, however, is altogether a
different matter. Congress must have
ample time before it when tariff
law is to be enacted 1t should have
a long session, or better still. an ex-
ira session, when Congress can pay
particular attention TO the business in
hand.
A vigorous effort is to be made early
in the session to secure the passage of
the ship subsidy bill. Referring to
this measure, Senator Frye has said
that the organization of the Morgan
shipping syndicate presented new
and urgent reason for the passage OF
the bill. II the shipping bill became
law at this session of Congress a
sum, conservatively estimated at $50, =
600, 900, which would be expended by
the syndicate for new ships, would be
spent in this country and would go to
American manufacturers and Ameri-
can workmen. Without the induce
ment offered by the bill, however,
that sum would be expended abroad
where cheap labor would permit the
construction of the new ships at low
er cost. Congress has an opportun-
ity to save this sum for American in
dustries,' said the Senator, "but it
remains to be seen if it will improve
it, and 1 sincerely hope it will"
Further canal legislation will prob
ably wait on the settlement of matters
pending between the United States
and Colombia, as we'll as the determin.
alton of questions relating to the pur-
chase of the canal property and rights
of the French cOmDany