Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-11-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent)

"Nhat is the President going to
say about the tariff?' Is the ques-
tion each new congressional arrival
asks when he reaches Washington,
and they are coming in crowds.
The answer no man can give and it
is probably safe to say that Mr..
Roosevelt himself does not know
At the Oyster Bay conference it was
determined that it would be unwise
to disturb the extraordinary pros
perity the country is now enjoying
by tampering with the tariff sched
ules. When the President got
ready to write his message he called
another conference of Republican
leaders and it was determined that
if proper trust legislation were
enacted at the short session that
would be all it would be reasonable
to except, that tariff commission
could be established to investigate
the situation and report to the first
session of the Fifty-eight Congress
and that it would then be time
enough to decide if those tariff sche-
dulles which would be better for
amendment were of sufficient i'm
portance to warrant the attempt.
Now, however, the western
members are urging the President
to expedite the work and chairman
Babcock and others say that there
must be an extra session to deal ex-
clusively with tariff revision.
The object of tariff revision was
exhaustively discussed at the Cabi-
net meeting held Immediately after
the Presidents return from the
Mississippi cane-brakes and it was
determined to hold several confer
ences with the leaders of the party
to discuss the question. A confer
ence will be held to-day and will
probably be followed by others, as
the President wishes to give all an
opportunity to be heard. A strik-
ing instance of the local sentiment
in regard to the tariff was furnished
recently when the President sat in
his office with Senator Lodge on one
side and Senator Burrows on the
other. II am heartily in favor of
your Cuban treaty but l cannot
stand by you on that New Found
land convention; it would interfere
with our local interests said Mr.
Lodge. "On the other hand
think your New Foundland treaty
is all right and Ishall vote to ratify
it" said Mr.. Burrows, "But / am
very dubious about the Cuban
treaty."
Much interest attaches to the tariff
position of Representative Cannon,
who it is generally conceded will be
the next speaker. In this connec-
ton it is recalled that last summer,
after the trip he made on the Dol
phin with Secretary Moody, Mr..
Cannon was interviewed in Wash
ington and said, "The tariff will be
revised sometime but not at the
next session of Congress, or by the
succeeding Congress, unless there is
check to the present prosperity.
The people of Illinois, so far as |
have been able to learn, are not
anxious to continue their business
affairs without interruption caused
by a long discussion in Congress as
TO what changes should be made. -
Mr.. Cannon, as speaker will have
it in his power to make or mar the
hopes of the tariff revisionists.
There will probably be three vacan-
cies in the Ways and Means Com
mittee. Mr.. Hopkins and probably
Mr.. Long, will go to the Senate and
Major Steele has not been reelected.
Messrs Babcock and Tawney are
strong revisionists and the appoint
ment of three Others of the same
faith would give the revisionists
within one of a majority on the Re
publican side of the table. The
present indications are, too, that
the revisionsts will make fight on
the retention of Mr.. Payne as chair
man