The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-28
AMEND, But not
REVISE E J l TARIFF
The Program President Roosevelt
Has Laid Out for the Next
Congress.
BY w. w. Jermane.

washington, NO. 2S.-lt IS to be an
n; amen q mt OF the tariff, not ere
coated and made more palatable for the
standpatters.
According to the view Of the presi-
dent, as well as Of other party leaders
who stand with him, the great mass
OF the Dingley law is economically
sound and should not be touched. There
are, however, a dozen or more separate
schedules which need attention, and it
Is to these that he win call especial
attention in his tariff message for a
special session Of the ffty-ninth con
gress next spring.
/ At the head of this list Of schedules
is. that relating to iron and steel. It
is the idea of the president that when
congress. takes up the tariff for pur-
poses Of amendment, only the sched-
ules which he will point out should be
be selected after careful conferences
with republicans representing all shades
of revision opinion, from pronounced
Estandpattism to sweeping revision Of
the entire Dingley law.
| 1t is the presidents purpose to write
Ibis revision message Il eonserYatiYely,
! holding it To aemiddle course. Such Is
lit is believed, would continue the repub-
lican party in power, barring accidents,
for number of years beyond 1908.
! Presidents Plan Wins Favor.
I am discussing revision as if it had
already been determined upon, but it
seems entirely safe to do this, for the
president has been able so far to bring
over to his way Of thinking practically
every party leader with whom he has
talked. If the conferences which are
yet to be held, following the converting
Of congress, bear similar fruit-as it is
| believed they will-the president will
have clear sailing, and the special ses-
sion will lay no obstacle in his way.
J It is for this harmonious condition that
he is working.
/ am permitted to say that the presi-
dent will not call tariff session with
out substantial agreement on the part
of the leaders in both houses. am also
permitted to- say that the conferences
held thus far, indicate almost without ex-
ception that such an agreement will be
reached. The revision situation is
therefore entirely. satisfactory to the
president and his friends.
Among the prominent republicans
who have thus far been conferred with
by the president regarding revision are
Senators Aldrich, Scott, Knox, Penrose,
Lodge, Proctor, Depew, Platt, Dryden,
Foraker, Beveridge, Cullom, Burrows,
Hansbrough and McCumber, and Repre-
sentatives Sherman, Payne, Overstreet,
Hull and McCleary. This list repre-.
sents every shade Of republican tariff
ali who said openly to the president that
he was opposed to doing anything was
Senator Scott Of West Virginia. All
the other standpatters, including Sena-
tor Aldrich and REPRESENTATIVE Me-
! Cleary, said that while they were not
| favoring revision, they would not place
their Judgment in opposition to that
of the president, who is now in a pc,
culiar sense the leader of his party, but
i would acquiesce in any well-considered
program which he might prepare.
Study Of Tariff Problems.
The president has been busy all sum
mer and fall making special study OF
the tariff He has on. his desk at the
White House several tabular statement:
which show the working of the present
law. and point out the places, compare
lively few, where changes should b.
made. He is making it clear to all hi!
tariff callers that he is not in favor o.
running amuck,' but simply wants
to change those particular schedules
which haze a iaod the party open
fair, and he is SO clearly devoid of an.
Dreiudices or hobbies, that it is e1
4 ceedingly difficult for the standpatter
to hold out against him. / believe tina
lhe will be able to continue this state o
feeling to the close of the conferences
and that he will secure the ready co
Ioperation Of all the republican leader
for the revision scheme which he has il
mind. Il.
Is seems entirely safe, therefore, t
expect a special tariff session of tn
fifty-ninth congress, next spring, unles
{ the conferences yet to be held shout.
show an entirely unlooked-for oposl
ton on the part Of those standpat lead
ers who are yet to be seen.