The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-01
TO FORCE TARIFF REVISION.
PLANS OF MASSACHUSETTS RE-
PUBLTCANS IN THE HOUSE.

They Decide to Form q Combination OF
RevlSionists to Join In q Cali for n
Caucus and Demand q General Over
hauling OF Schedules OF the Dingley Act.
WASHINGTON, March sl.-Massachusetts
Republicans in the House are planning to
place a hrecra cker under the Ways and
Means Committee for the purpose Of arous-
ing it to the necessity for tariff revision at
the earliest possible date. Representative
Mccall, who recently addressed a letter to
Chairman Payne on the subject of tarif
legislation and a promptly and per-
funotorily told that there was no general
sentiment for revision, is the leader in the
movement. He declares that nothing short
of an earthquake will awaken the somnolent
committee to action and he proposes to be
a party to the disturbance before the people
at the polls cause the upheaval
A meeting Of Massachusetts Republicans
favorable to tariff revision was held to-day
to discuss the subject and a further con =
ference will be held mex Tuesday. At that
time it is probable that a definite programme
will be decided upon.
Since the opening of the present session
q score or more OF bills have been introduced
affecting the hide and leather schedules
Of the Dingley act, and repeated efforts to
get consideration for them by the Ways and
Means Committee have met with sigma
failures The committee has remained deaf
to all appeals. Now the Massac husetts
men are resolved to take other tariff re-
visionists into line with them and will seek
TO force general tariff revision. They real
ize that acting alone and for their own
special interests they are powerless to &C
complish anything. Therefore they have
decided to form a combination Of Repub-
leans who believe that changes should be
made in the existing tariff law and to pre-
sent a solid front to the standpatters.
Every Republican revisionist will be
invited to break away from the House
leaders. for that in short is what it amounts
to, and join with the Massachusetts men
in a demand for general revision. How
far they ought to go in this demand Is a
matter for further consideration, but in
order to get all the assistance possible
these revisionists will bar no schedule
from change, provided there is any Repub-
lican who honestly believes it should be
changed, This they propose doing, be-
cause they realize the weakness of their
position should they insist only upon a
reduction of the duties upon hides and
leather and those other articles of raw
material in which the manufacturers OF
Massachusetts, and New England generally
are interested. The revisionists from the
West and Northwest will be asked to CO.
operate, and so far as the matter has now
progressed there is said to be a general
willingness on the part Of these men to
lend their assistance.
The plan now is to circulate a call for a
caucus of Republicans Of the House for the
purpose of discussing the subject of re-
vision in the Republican family circle.
That they will be able to obtain a sufficient
number of signatures to such a call now
seems probable, although the matter is
as yet in the primitive stage. Of their
ability, however, to force by a majority
vote a resolution instructing the Ways
and Means Committee to report a tariff
revision bill they are by no means as hope
full, They feel that while a majority OF
the Republicans of the House are at heart
against the stand pat programme there
are a large number who have not the
temerity to break way from the leaders
and Join in the demand for revision
These weakened members are in an
unhappy plight, being urged by their con-
stituents to stand for revision and being
held in check against taking such a posi-
ton by the House leaders, who have de-
creed that there shall be no tariff legislation
at this session. II the outspoken revision
lists could get these members into line with
them they feel that their cause would be
won. They are now engaged in testing
sentiment and report that they are meeting
with satisfactory results thus far.
Even if the revisionists should not be
able, as they probably would not be, to
force in a Republican caucus the adop-
ton Of a resolution demanding changes
in the Dingley schedules, they feel that
by a vote they would he able to show the
standpatters their mistake in declaring
that there is no general sentiment for re-
vision. Furthermore, they will, by follow
ing their present course, be able to explain
to their constituents that they have done
all in their power and that the respon-
sibility no longer rests with them.
The s~tandpatters profess not to be in the
least alarmed by the freoracker which Mr..
Mccall purposes to explode and declare
that it will result in nothing except pyro-
technics, that in fact the plan Of the Massa-
chusetts men is simply to have a little fire.
works for the benefit Of spectators and that
nothing will come Of it.
The revisionists will not listen TO any
talk of no tariff legislation at this session,
but declare that if anything Ia to be lone
it must he done at once. There will be nc
time for tariff legislation at the next ses-
sion, even If there were a disposition to
nave any, and then, too, they want action
before the fan elections.