The Washington times., 1909-04-02
THE REAL REASON FOR THE
TARIFF BILLS HOLD-UP.

IheTe coulu not De better lllusJT3-
tion of the power which the leaders of
the House WELD under the present rules,
than is afforded by the present situa
tion in the House. The leaders, control
ling the Rules Committee, insist that
they can't muster the votes yet to pass
a rule. The truth is that they will not
give a rule that can pass.
And so the bill is shung up, business
is demanding early action, chaos reigns,
and the people who want a chance 10
vote on at least ten items in bill con-
tanning about ten thousand, are blamed
for the delay
The rulers of the House are willing
TO allow votes on a number of con-
tested schedules; but on two of them
they are not willing to let the House
record its verdict.
One of these is the duty on petroleum
and its products, which affords the
Standard Oils protection.
The other is the proposition to in
crease the tax on beer.
These are the two things which are
delaying the rule It is in the power
of the Rules Committee to delay, to
force upon the House condition of
confusion worse confounded, to imperi1
the whole legislation, until the concern
over the thousands of other items will
overbear the demand for these two, and,
in sheer desperation, the majority OF
the House viii give way and adopt such
rule as the leaders are insisting shall
be adopted.
1t Is useless now to try TO get at the
motives which animate the controlling
forces IN the House. in making this re-
markable fight Gr beer and oil. The
fact Is that they are making it, The
rules place it in their power to make it
thus effectively.
What would happen if the House got
vote on a motion TO strike from the
bill the provision which gives more than
100 per cent protection 10 Standard
OH? There can be no doubt OF the
answer: The provision would be voted
out Of the bill by weIl-nigh unani-
nous vote
But, because IL is part OF great
legislative proposal involving the whole
fiscal and tariff policy of the Govern
ment, it Is not possible to kill such a
measure. 1t must pass in some form.
The leaders can bide their time until
the opposition to their program shall
become discouraged and yield Then
they will bring in a rule such as they
want, and iorce it through, on penalty
OF wrecking the whole legislative pro-
gram of tariff revision
This Is what the leaders are doing bv
virtue OF their power over the business
OF the House
1t seems impossible that the Repub-
lcan party managers expect TO perpe-
trate such performance, and fool the
country with IT, They should know
that 1t will b. exposed They must
not make the mistake that they can
fool all the people all the time. They
should understand that if the Congress.
charged with this revision, knowing per
fectly what the oil duty means, still
permits that special privilege to con
tinue to be enjoyed by the oil monopoly
Of the country, then the people viii
aake their reply at the next election.
IF the Oil trusts protection is not re
moved by this bill, it will cost the Re
pubicsns a score Of members in the
next House
The story of this transaction viii be
he, piece de resistance of the whole
Democratic campaign; and it will be
effective, too.
IL is sheer folly for Republicans
charged with party management and
responsibility to shut their eyes TO the
conditions they face. This legislation
viii make the issue on which thew
must 90 10 the country next year. II
i already plain enough for a blind man
To see hat it is going TO b. poor
lssuc.
DO tlc leaders of the psrty want TO
make it vastly worse BY thus using
the full power of their organization 10
compel an unwilling House to vote once
more this bonus, this shelter, to the
monopoly of the Oil trust?