The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-06
TARIFF BARELY SAVED.
Single Vote Keeps Duties on Iron
 and Steel.

From Washington Chicago Chronicle.
 The failure of two Democratic mem- bers, Newlands of Nevada, and Cooper ing of the Committee on Ways and Means saved the tarin champions in Congress from sustaining hard jolt. The Committee met to pass upon Chair Besides Messfs. Newlands and Cooper, Messrs. Hopkins of Illinois and Long of Kansas, Republicans, were absent. MT. Babcock astonished his Republican col leagues by moving to amend the Payne repeal bill by adding his own bill repeal ing the Dingley duties on steel and iron and their products. MT. Tawney of Min nesota. who heretofore has been an op.. ponent of the Babcock measure and whose conversion is due to the sentiment of the Republican press in his section or the country. seconded MT. Babcocks mos ton.
 Chairman Payne grew red in the face xen looked more crestfallen than he did when he left the White House last Sat-
 urday. They attempted to prevent c vote on MT. Babcock's motion. as they haps both, would come in before the roll was called ard thus turn the tide against protection. Mir. Payne angrily informed Babcock and Tawney, who five years lumber tarir, that if they continued their tactics the Committee would consider ex- isting lumber schedules for purposes of
 "if the Committee finds them to be as serious a menace to the prosperity of this great country as are the steel and iron scht dules." MT. Babcock retorted. then l hopc the Committee will repeal theni."
 The roll was called and the vote stood to 6 against Babcocks motion.
 The Committee ended its session. mak- ing majority and minority reports, with most Of the Republican members in bad humor. Later, when the situation was was great deaf Of complaint about the absence of Newlands and Cooper.
 The fight for the Babcock bill will not end in the Committee. however. The i've. The minority report upon MT. Payne's war tax repeal bill is . direct notice to the Republicans that they will have to fight out the tariff question In words, an effort will be made in the House to amend the measure by attach ing Babcock's bill to 1t and thus Repub- licans from the Middle Western and demand for tariff re'orm. will have to go on record. Incidentally the minority report denies Mir. Payne's statement that the war tax law was a success and the injury of the business interests of the country long after the war was end- ed.
 The Republicans foresee a fierce battle and they may attempt to check 1t In ad- vance by reporting a special rule which will limit the debate upon the repeal bill to a few hours.
 The minority report says: While ap- proving in general the policy of repeating the war taxes, we insist that certain taxes on accumulated wealth should be allowed to remain. We refer to such taxes as are imposed on sugar and pe- troleum refiners. Fhe tax of one-fourth of per cent on the annual gross re- ceipts of sugar and petroleum refiners in excess of S250. 900 yields about $,0000O0 annually. This tax has been paid with out demur or protest and there is no reason why the great combinations which monopolise these brsinesses and from which colossal individual fortunes have been built up should not pay some part Of the national expenses as well as the masses of the people who use and con- sume the various things which arc the subject of customs and internal revenue taxation
 Administration in Harmony on Cuba. From Washington to Chicago Tribune.
 The little cloud that had commenced at no time was larger than mans hand, pretending a fight between the Pr esident of the United States and the Secretary of War on the one hand and
 
 Means Committee on the other, over the question of tariff concessions to Cuba, is already blowing over and there will soon be nothing left of it. President Roose- welt talked plainly to Speaker Henderson and Representative Dalzeil during their interview at the White House on Sat- urday. but he talked In no dictatorial nor unfriendly spirit.
 There was no intimation on either eide of any bitterness of feeling, but there was an expression of an honest differ ence of opinion as to what Congress should do under the circumstances The President made 1t perfectly clear. how: ever, that he Is as strongly convinced now as he was when he wrote his an nual message that something should be done for the relief of Cuba. and he left that if any doubt existed In the mind of the Congressmen on this point he would be glad to remove 1t by sending special on the subject in which ms views would be set forth with unmistaK- able clearness.
 This mohning Chairman Payne ana