Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-28
The Tariff Discussion in
The National Senate.
Hundreds Of Amendments Are
Made to House Bill.
Lively Times In Prospect for Com.
mlttee Of Conference.

schedule OF the tariff bill. Men are
using lot of time and energy in work.
ing up campaigns and demonstrating
the sentiment for the increases of duty
that they desire. and in few instances,
in very few instances, as matter of
fact. for. decreases they or their con-
stituentS may desire. For the con-
stituents who want the duties lowered
are not making themselves known 1T
Washington anything like as forcibly
as are the manufacturers who want a
safe margin of protection.
Such campaigns may be all very
well. 1t is worth WHILE of course, for
Senator Dolliver, of Iowa. and Senator
Nelson. of Minnesota. and dozen
other Western Republicans to thunder
in the Senate for lower duties and to
try to batter down some Of the tariff
barricades which the House and the
Senate have been erecting In the
long run even the most arch standpat-
ter has respect for public sentiment.
especially for public sentiment that
is emphatic and militant.
Nevertheless it is well to bear in
mind that some Of these campaigns
even if they appear to succeed may
come to naught. There is third
bOdy-with all the weight of a third
legislative house-that will go over
these schedules, when the Senate at
last has thrashed out the questions of
low tariff and high tariff involved in
the Aldrich- Payne bill. A conference
Committee sounds to the average
citizen like something very uninter-
esting and possibly unimportant. In
this case it's work will be decidedly in
teresting and especially important to
a lot of people. The Senate CON-
mittee on Finance made literally hum
dreds of amendments to the tariff DILL
as it was passed by the House The
Senate will make more amendments.
AS soon as the Senate reaches a final
vote there will be a new print Of the
almost every page by sentences and
sentences and paragraphs on almost
every page stricken out.
Then the Senate will ask the House
of Representatives for conference
and it will be granted. The House
will name seven men from its Ways
and Means Committee to serve in that
capacity. They will be the four
senior Republicans and the three
senior Democrats of Ways and Means
in point of service. Barring sickness
or some accident that keeps them
away from Congressional work. these
seven House men will. be Representa-
tives Payne Of New York: Dalzell, of
Pennsylvania: Mccall, Of Massachu-
sets; and Hill of Connecticut. Repub-
licans; and Champ Clark of Missouri:
Underwood. of Alabama and Griggs
of Georgia. Democrats. The Senate
will also designate seven of it's mem.
bers. all from the Finance COMMITTEES
These will, in all probability, be
Senators Aldrich, of Rhode Island {;
Burrows. of Michigan;, Penrose. 1T
Pennsylvania, and Hale. Of Mains,
Republicans; and Daniel Of Virginia {:
| Money, of mississippi; and Bailey, OF
Texas. Democrats. All of them. or
nearly all are men of experience in
tariff making. Everyone of them ha ;
had to do with other tariff bills and ali
of them We're in Congress when the
Dingley law was enacted twelve
years ago. The fourteen include tn.
best posted men in Senate and Hou So
on tariff matters. 1t is said that very
few men in Senate or House are ex-
perts on anything like majority OF
the schedules but the members of the
conference committee are the wisest
in those affairs, of any legislators
under the shadow of the Capitol dome
They constitute sort of court,
which is virtually tribunal of last
resort. The tariff bill, with it's hum
dreds of conflicting provisions. Will
be turned over to them but after a
formal session or two, which will be
held in one of the big committee
rooms in the House Office building or
the Senate Office building, the Repub-
Iicans-four from the Senate and four
from the Housewife organize them
selves into subcommittee. The
Democrats will be left out in the cold
for week or two. wondering what is
going on. In the meantime the eight
Republicans will virtually redraw the
tariff bill. unless the Senate conferecs
are willing to yield about everything
to the House conferees. which is ex-
ceedingly improbable. or unless the
House conferees. are willing to yield
nearly everything tn the Senate con-
ferees which is equally improbable.
Of course a vast deal of the AID
rich-Payne bill will. not to be in con-
troversy before this conference com
mittee. Wherever the Senate has
adopted schedule. exactly as it was
adopted by the House, the Conference
Committee has no jurisdiction what
ever. Such items are not in con-
troversy. But the Senate has or will
modify most OF the important para
graphs in the bill so it remains tru.
that in essential particulars the bin
will be made over by these eight Re
publican mandarins. who. when their
work is done will call in the Demo-
Gratis as a mere Formally. The eight
Republicans will sign the conference
report and in all probability the six
Democrats will not sign 1t.
Once a conference report is made
by conference committee it is ex-
ceedingly difficult to defeat it. How
ever much certain Republicans may
dislike the verdict. the Senate organi-
zation and the House organization are
behind the report. which means that
sooner or later. however fierce the
fighting may have been. that report
simply has to go through and become
law.