Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-28
PHILIPPINE TARIFF
BILL NOT LIKELY TO REACH A
VOTE THIS CONGRESS.
Senator Lodge Will Call Up the House
Bill at the First OPP
portunity.

The republicans of the Senate will put
the democrats on record on the tariff ques-
tion SO far 1t affects the Philippine Is
lands. Senator Lodge will call up the
House Philippine tariff bill at the first op-
portunity, probably today, and; will make
an effort to pass it and to give to those
islands the relief SO urgently recommended
by Governor Taft and approved by the
President in his message of yesterday. The
responsibility for the failure Of this bill
will be fixed -. EFf
The democrats Will be placed in the po-
sition Of resisting any reduction of the
tariff on sugar and tobacco and under pres
ent conditions there is practically no chance
for the passage OF this bill by the present
Congress. The situation suggests the pos
sibflity Of an extra session to deal with
the Philippine question, though that pos
sibiltty Is regarded as remote.
Senator Patterson on Sugar.
Senator Patterson will be the foremost
senator on the democratic side to fight the
passage of the bill. To Star reporter to-
day Senator Patterson stated that his OBJ
lection to the. bill Is the reduction Of the
duty on sugar, as he believes reduction
Of 80 per cent Of that duty, as provided in
the bill as reported to the Senate Is only a
forerunner Of a further reduction and even
tually the removal Of the entire duty.
Last year" said Senator Patterson, I'VE
reduced the duty on sugar % per cent un-
der the Dingley rates. : Senator Dietrich, in
his speech delivered after his careful inves-
tigation into the Philippine conditions,
shows that there are six or eight millions
Of acres Of land there vastly superior for
the raising Of sugar to any land in this
country. They can raise sugar at 62 cents
hundred pounds.
THE freight to this country Is Is cents a
hundred pounds. making the cost IT cents
laid down In San Francisco. Our farmers
according to our official Statistics, get q
little more than 50 a hundred pounds for
their sugar. With our present duty of a lit
tie more than 81 a hundred pounds they
will have hard time to compete, with
the tariff within a Rev years We not only
could not raise beet sugar. hut our@cane
sugar industry would be Killed. The rea.
trouble In the Philippines does not relate
In competition with They have suffered
famine and pestiiepceSwksch waA not be
cured by this bffE'r
While Senator Rastsrsos slill make. hi.
its effect on. the sugar tasfM other demo-
Gratis will object to It becSaje6 OF a similar
reduction on the tobacco seheduJA in which
he will support them.
A Vote Not Lakeiys
It Is not at all likely thAti d ys.e can be
reached in the Senate on ne FfAsappine bill
in this Congress. Tho BIN gawse absolute
free trade on all articles looming into the
United States that are the Espwth and
product Of the PhilippinSss .exsept sugar
and tobacco. The present tariE rates apply
on articles not the growth fer product OF
the Philippines. As passed by the House
of Representatives this bill made the duty
on sugar and tobacco % per cent of the
present rates. but the Senate committee
made the reduction only SO per cent.
The bill was passed by the House OF Rep
resentatives December Isl in it's present
form It is understood to fully give the re-
Taft and desired by the President.