Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-07
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Compromise for Beverages
Permanent Tariff Commission
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS
To Be Authorized by Joint Resolu.
ton to Collect Data.
DISTRICT FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
Highly Praised by a Committee
From Portland, Me-, That Has
Been Examining It.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS
DISTRICT FIRE ALARM SYSTEM

In place of a permanent tariff commits
sion. as proposed by Senator Beverage
of Indiana. republican leaders in Senate
and House have reached something in the
nature of an informal agreement to pass
a joint resolution authorizing several OF
the executive departments, including the
State and Treasury. also the census
bureau, to collect data preliminary to the
enactment of a new tariff law.
There is always large amount of pre-
liminary work to be done whenever new
tariff law is to be placed on the statute
books, and some of this necessarily pre-
cedes the public hearings, which are given
by the ways and means committee of the
House and the finance committee of the
Senate In the view of some persons a
resolution of Congress may not be neces-
sary to secure the desired cooperation of
the executive departments, but it is
though best to adept this formal course
as a compromise on the tariff commission
proposition.
How soon the resolution will be intro
duced Is not known, but the matter will
probably be allowed to go over until the
last day of the present Congress session
when a resolution will be introduced
either in the Senate or House, and
body. 1t is believed that in view of this
plan most of the talk in favor of a per-
manent tariff commission will disappear.
Senator Beveridge, author of the tariff
commission bill, called at the White
House this morning. and after he came
from the Presidents Office he was asked
what he thought of the proposed resolu-
ton as substitute for the commission
measure. He replied that he did not care
to be quoted on the subject.
1t is known that Mr.. Beveridge has con-
sidered the proposition to have the work
which he has cut out for a tariff commits
sion performed by the executive depart
ments of the government, for this meth
Cd of doing 1t meets one of the principal
arguments employed in favor of the es-,
tablishmeht of a permanent commission.
This argument is that the committees of
Congress should be relieved from the
vast volume of preliminary work in con-
nection with the preparation of a new
tariff bill.
The consideration of a joint resolution
has for it's logical conclusion the revision
of the present tariff next year, either at
a special session of Congress to be con-
vened in March, 1909. Immediately after
the adjournment of the second session of
the Sixtieth Congress, or at the regular
session of that Congress. which will be
convened on the first Monday in Deem
Der of next year. Even If no such resolu-.
ton as the one described should be
passed the State and Treasury depart
mentS and the census office would natu-
rally engage themselves during the next
twelve months with the preparation of
preliminary data, but it is proposed to
give formal authority for this work by
the passage of a resolution in the House
and Senate.
1t is believed that Senator Beveridge
will, in course of time, express his entire
satisfaction with this procedure, as it
will accomplish what he hoped to &C
complish through a tariff commission.
Beverages Child Labor Bill.
Senator Beverage and the President
are not in full accord as to the passage
Of child labor legislation at this session,
although not differing to any material
extent. This has developed in the letter
the President a few days ago wrote to
the Manufacturers Association of In
diana, In this letter, as stated In The
Star the President said that he favored
stringent child labor laws for the Dis
trict of Columbia and the territories, to
be followed by further national legisla-
ton If the various states do not show
an interest and place new and binding
laws upon the books. Senator Beverage
favors curing the entire evil at one time
by national law binding upon the
states.
He has said in several speeches that
every year 25O,OOO physical degenerates
are being made in this country by child
labor in factories and mills. The country
cannot afford to wait for the states to
pass laws under such conditions Many
of them, in his opinion, will never pass
effective laws. Mr.. Beveridge did not say
whether he had discussed his bill with the
President today.
Praises District. Fire Alarm System.
1.-The Gamewell fire alarm system of the
cfrip IF &c no host in ba
country said George B. Boutwell, of the
city council of Portland, Maine. today.
Mr.. Boutwell,. together with E. G. Robin
son, E. C. OBrien, J. c. Taylor and c. II.
Love, constituting the electrical commit
tee of the Portland city council, were in
troduced to the President by Representa-
tive Allen of Maine. fire recently de-
stroyed the city hall of Portland, and
the electrical committee is On visit to
cities of the country to investigate fire
alarm systems. The members have been
to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, New
ark and other cities and all of them de-
clare that Washington has the best
equipped fire alarm system they have
seen.
A Large Number of Visitors.
The President shook hands with scores
of visitors. Saturday is always a hand
shaking day to a large extent. Congress
men usually take this day to present peo-
pie from their homes. Among those per-
forming this duty were Senators Borah.
Bourne. Smoot. Burkett, Dixon and Flint,
the latter introducing Cavalier Andrea
Sharboro, president of the Italian-Amer-
lean Bank of San Francisco and head
of the ItalianSwiss colony in southern
California the largest wine makers in the
country. The representatives with friends
were Butler of Pennsylvania, Cocks of
New York, Goldfogle of New York, Cooper
and Esch of Wisconsin. Wood of New
Jersey. Pollard of Nebraska. Farchild of
New York. Mckinney of Illinois, Wilson
of Illinois and Brick of Indiana.