The National tribune., 1908-12-03
TARIFF! TARIFF! TARIFF +!
That is the Burden Of the Talk Every.
where ia Washington-Looking For.
ward to the Extra Session - The
Committee at Work Framing the Bill.


Tariff, tariff. tariff! Congressman
are in town. More are coming by al
most every train Meet them and talk
with them at the Capitol; in the corri-
dors or in the committee rooms. They
want to talk about nothing but tariff
tariff and schedules, revising up or
down, about fixing a miximum and a
minimum.
In the Departments, at the desks of
the "big-uns," the same words and
phrases swell forth in the conversa-
ton. Tariff, tariff! 1t supplants other
themes. The city is full of visitors.
The hotels are reaping a harvest. The
visitors, too, talk of tariff and sched-
ules
All this at first glance might seem
passing strange The Congressman are
not coming to town to revise the tariff.
Their immediate task is the short ses-
sion, at which billion dollars in ap-
preparations must be voted. One would
hardly ever realize it these days, un-
less he happens to encounter some old
codger of the Senate or the House Ap-
preparations Committee. Such a one
will grumble to you about the stupen-
dous totals of annual appropriations,
and intimate that the country Is going
to the bowwows unless 500 Senator'S
and members will cooperate vigorously
in pruning efforts. But the Appropria-
tions members are conservative men.
They often have to sound the alarum.
Ever on the watch tower, they grumble
and criticise when all their colleagues
of legislation are taking up the popular
subjects of legislation.
Framing the Bill.
Ill <t,a 1o,;.Io
tention of the country is centered upon
the framing of the tariff bill. The Ways
and Means Committee is in daily ses-
sion, taking up schedule after schedule,
hearing a cloud of witnesses, conduct
ing keen cross-examinations, reviving
the controversies between the advo-
Gates of high protection and low tariffs.
and fighting over the hundred and one
battles that are preliminary to re-
vision. Such legislation touches in some
degree the welfare of every living per-
son in the United States. Thus far
these people in general have been show
ing very little interest in the proceed
ings. The persons and corporations
engaged In manufacturing and In ex-
porting and importing have been most
to the front.
But all the same the tariff is the one
live topic, and will be the one live topic
of the Washington Winter. Under the
circumstances it is little wonder thai
no one is mentioning the short session
of Congress, which will assemble nov
ina few short days and remain in scs.
sion for the remainder Of Presfden
Roosevelt's Administration.
| TIE wheels of legislation will bcgiI
| to turn speedily almost as soon as th'
session conyenes on Dec. 7, at IL o'clocl
noon. All the machinery is adjusted
| for immediate operations. The organ
ization of both Senate and House Is III
complete as the day when Congress
adjourned last Spring. In fact, 1t il
about the same as tho Congress hat
taken a recess then for three days
@No Time for General LegisHntIon.'
| But nobody is talking about legisia
ton for that session. No carefully iai'
plans are making for getting big bill
thru. OF course, the President want
something done for reform In lapo
matters. He will probably recomnsn
several enactments of general nature
But even his best friends in Congress
tions will be seriously considered.
There Is just one argument the Pres
lfdent cannot overcome" quoth one O
1.-THE older sages of the Senate Appropria
ton Committee the other day. w
have no time for general legislation"
And so it will surely be. There ma
be spasmodic attempts to arouse inter
4 est for some general legislation tha
the President wants. A few of tn
younger enthusiasts in Senate an
House may be fired up to action an
into efforts to drive some legislatio
thru They will get interviews an
, statements into the public prints as
! what must be done. All the while tn
old leaders of appropriations Will I
busy with their own knitting. They wi
be framing up the IA annual apprt
J priations bills, dumping those bulk
budgets into the House of Represents
tives, guiding the same to final vol
there and then over to the Senate. TIL
: members of the Appropriations Con
mittee know that they have the foo
! that appropriation bills are privilege
; and can crowd aside any of the mea'
J ures the White House may be favorin
; At best there will be great crush an
frantic toll to get the appropriate
bills all completed before March
comes.
The Extra Session.
4 All the Senators and all the men
bers are aware of that. And therefo
they are looking ahead to the extra Sc
sion. Therefore, they are talking abo
S the tariff, planning and scheming to g
: into that bill what their own constit
d ents want, arranging trades with 9th
5. members and other Senators. The ia
- if law is likely to be on the statu
d books for long time, perhaps for
It years Therefore, 1t is all the mo
= desirable, in the eyes of Senators al
e members. to get the schedules enact
II that will be satisfactory to the fol
II at home. They are going to strain
Z their energies to that end, for the pre-
e emf, with the WAYS and Means Coz
~ rlttee; IL they do not succeed thel
J., then with the Finance Committee
Il the Senate.
1t is feyerish activity of the cilaract
J. described that makes the tariff the u
i permost theme with the assembling lie
" islators Everything centers on the G
J. ira session. That Is an unusual ana
l. The very announcement that there is
r. be an extra session focuses the inters
3 of the country. An extra session
l. Congress is called only when there
d extraordinary work to do. 1t apDe;
'e to the popular Imagination. An ext
S session almost invariably docs things