Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-05
TARIFF LEGISLATION
Expressions Against AdvIsa-
biIity of Action.
VIEWS OF SPEAKER CANNON
Mr.. Payne of Ways and Means Com
mittee States Position.
CONSIDERATION NEXT WINTER
Delegation Of Manufacturers Has
Conference at Capitol-Received
at White House Today.
VIEWS OF SPEAKER CANNON
CONSIDERATION NEXT WINTER

Members of the delegation of manufac-
turers which came to Washington this
week to urge upon Congress the appoint
ment of tariff commission such as that
provided for in the senator's bill were at
the Capitol this afternoon. attracted by
the announcement that Senator Beveridge
would speak on that subject. The manu-
facturers were received at the White
House this morning at IL o'clock. and
they urged upon President Roosevelt the
sending of special message to Congress
on the subject.
Strong expressions against the advisa-
bility OF enacting tariff legislation at this
session of Congress, but practically prom
Using that the matter shall receive atten-
ton at the short session next winter,
were voiced yesterday by Speaker Can
non and by Chairman Payne of the ways
and means committee of the House when
the delegation of manufacturers called at
the office of the committee in the Capltol.
James w. Van Cleave of st. Louis led
the delegation. and he opened the discus.
sion of the subject for the benefit OF
Speaker Cannon.
I'VE want and we believe we can truth
fllly state to you that the whole country
wants. a sound and rational business con-
sideratio of this subject he sald, ana
or the situation. that the suggestion OF
the appointment of tariff commission to
stand between us and you-to receive ana
weigh and formulate the mass OF technl-
cal information we have to offer. and 10
then present it to Congress in compact
and intelligent Shape-embOdleS the pest
means of arriving at that result
Illustrations Of Existing Conditions.
Specific illustrations of abe conditions
existing in their own lines of trade were
cited by the following speakers:
A. H. Saunders. representing the Reci-
procity League of Chicago, and a former
commissioner to the Paris exposition; IL
T. Miles chairman of the tariff commit.
tee of the National Association OIL Man
ufacturers; N ]. Bachelor of New
Hampshire, master of the National
Grange; 8. II. Iowan, representing the
National Live Stock Association and
the Cattle Raisers' Association OF Texas;
c. A. Stephens of Moline, ILL.,. represent
ing the National Association of Agrlcul-
rural and Vehicle Manufacturers; Mr.
Metcalf, representing manufacturers OF
agricultural implements. and J. +. Wild
Ell, representing the Illinois MANUFACTURE
ers Association, and speaking for the
sole leather manufacturers of the cOun-
try.
Speaker Cannon, interrupting Mr. Met
calf asked: do l understand that You
favor on the part of the United States ar
the world, except that we shall enforc-
our maximum tariff against such coun-
tries as discriminate against our exports
that you favor imum-and-maXimum
tariff, with that application?
The answer was strongly affirmative.
What the Speaker Believes.
''Then," the Speaker said, II am glac
to hear your medicine, for that is pre-
-cisely the kind Of tariff l believe In
myself.
you say the tariff ought to be re-
vised," Mr. Cannon said in his general an
swer to the statements of the delegation.
You have virtually said that 1t ought
to have been revised the day it was
enacted-that it was wrong in the begin
ming. We'll, it was not perfect and 1t Is
not perfect now. Perfection, gentlemen,
is with God, not with humanity, and as
our ninety millions of people constitute
sovereignty in this county and can only
exercise that sovereignty at the ballot
box they divide into a majority and
minority, that when you come tC
enact legislation some party has always
been and always will be, at least for I.
generation and sometimes longer. re-
sponsible for that legislation, and the
other party Will occupy the STANDPOINT
of criticism.
I'VE once. remember had a tariff COM
mission. and / am told that its report
was SO voluminous that 1t was never even
SuGReS-
tons; it is another thing to enact these
suggestions into law and take the conse.
uuences ii you make mistake. / fear
greatly that YOUR tariff commission would
urn itself into a debating school. just as
do with ourselves here in the House,
and that there would likely be majority
and a minority report. / never yet ran
against an economic question of any sort
tnat could not have much said for it on
either side. -.
Period Of Liquidation.
The Speaker remarked that what trou-
bied him far more than the problem of
Tariff revision was the presence of 1.-The
period of liquidation following twelve
years .of such prosperity as the world
had not seen in all it's history and h.
ventured that il the country could have
the opportunity to return to its status of
six months ago that chance would BE-
hailed and embraced by every man within
ais hearing as of inestimably more worth
Than any tariff revision that the skill of
nan could frame.
:.The national convention" Speaker
Cannon continued. may determine that
The next Congress shall revise the tariff:
for ii goes without saying that the poll
cies to be enunciated by those cOnven--
lions will be the policies governing the
two parties and ii to the democrats
should be entrusted the power we know
the tariff will be revised and if with the
repuDlicanS remains IHe majority we
know the power to revise will be in the
next Congress vested But let me ask
you frankly: In this present time of
financial depression and liquidation, how
far. in the hands of partisan commits
sion. would a tariff investigation progress
toward accomplishment Then in CIV
ing way to Representative Payne the
Speaker commended the chairman of the
ways and means committee as one who
knows much, II not more about
tariff schedules and all the facts underly-
Ing them. any man in the United
States.
Mr.. Payne States Position