New-York tribune., 1909-07-18
HIS DOWNW 4RD REVISION
STAND APPROFED.
To Get Free Hides. Iron Ore, Coal
and Oil. nth Hony Reductions
Flood Of Congratulations.
rF-nr- re T-inrrs z,rr>.,, I

| manifested to-day by the food OF dispatches
| which has poured into the White House all daT
| congratulating him On the position he has
taken, by the congratulations and expressions cs
cordial approval OF members OF Congress and
by the reluctant admission OF many OF the most
| extreme protectionists that Mr.. Taft will WIN
| in his effort 70 obtain abolition II the dnty on
hides. iron ore, coal and petroleum. and the r.
/ duction OF the duty on lumber By cne-half
AL the conferrees expect the President 70 win.
hayirg told him that they would chserfully r.
port the reductions he asks if he would obtain
the votes necessary 70 effect the adoption OF ths
conference report, as was told IN these dis
patches this morning we VIII do our part.
| and it will only be necessary for yeu 70 speak
out" was in substance the assurance gwen to
the President by the conferrees day before yes
terday. Yesterday he spoke OUT in no uncertain
| terms and to-day the result is obvious
1t should not be forgotten that the reductions
demanded by the President in the case OF raw
materials will carry with them reductions in
finished products as. for instance, in the case OF
hides The House cuts the rates on the prod
| ucts Of hides as follows: Sole leather, I5 per
cent; shoes 10 per cent, and uppers. - per cent
These reductions were accepted by the Finanee
Committee. and il was only after the Ssnats
had restored the Dingley rate OF l. per cent on
| hides that tEe Finance Committee recommended
the increases on their products, which were
adopted Even then the Senate did not restore
| the DingIey rates the products IF. as Is
| generally expected. the conference COMMITTEES
restores hides TO the free list, it will. Of course
restore the House rates on their products. and
| 50 the President viii have woe the decreases on
| sole leather. shoes and uppers enumerated
So. too. in the case OF lumber The Senats
has already reduced the House rates on most
sorts OF finished lumber by - per cent. but it 3
| probable that some further reductions will be
! made in the paragraphs relating TO shingles.
| latLs, exc.
The couferrees have already accepted the
| House reduction on pig iron and made re-
/ duction On scrap. that free iron ore would
hardly carry any further reductions in the metal
/ schedule.
MANY REDUCTIONS ALREADY MADE
The Presidents position has. however. exsrted
| q material influence the work Of the con
| ferrees all along the line The exact rates fixed
| by the conferrees are being zealOusly guarded
/ in the majority Of instances. but it may be as
serted without violation of confidence that the
reductions male by the House have been az
| cepted by the Senate conferrees in far larger
number of cases than IS pOpularly supposed.
and that this has been the natural result Of tn9
/ gently applied but not less firm pressure which
the President has exerted ever since the tariff
bill went to conference
There are. of course, the usual number Of r.
reconcilables in both houses OF Congress Theirs
are a number OF Senators who insist that they
can never vote Tor the tariff bill if il contains
the reductions demanded by the President. Tbs
Senators from Wyoming for instance. ars
greatly incensed at the demand for free coal
They declare that their state is the greatest
coal producing commonwealth in the West. that
it supplies the great smelling interests at Butte
and other points and that the mines will bs
driven out OF business if the Canadians are per-
rrlitted to send their product into this country
free OF duty. They assert that J. J. HiIL pTest-
dent Of the Great Northern Railway, owns sew
eraI coal mines in Canada the product OF which
he can lay down at the smelters as cheaply a.
they can deliver their coal On the other hand.
the argument of the Wyoming Senators IL
somewhat weakened by the fact that hrothsr
Of Senator Clark. of Wyoming. is understood %
be the owner Of the largest two coal mines In
that state.
ANGRY SENATORS MAY FALL INTO LINE.
The West Virginia Senator's are breathing hrs.
They are interested in petroleum, coal and lur1-
ber and Mr.. Elkins and Mr. Scott are indignant
at what they term the Presidents free trads
doctrines Senator Piles OF Washington. is
riousIy opposed 10 the House rate OF 81 a thou-
sand on lumber. and unless the President sees
his vrav clear to exempt mutual Insurance COM
panies from the corporation tax Senator Bulks-
lev. who is president OF the Z1tna Mutual LIS
Insurance Company, may vote against ths bin.
Their colleagues. believe. however. that thsse
six Senator's. who ars normally orxanizatioe
men, will come into line when time has TEN
pered their indignation
But even il they should not their loss would
be more than made I'D by the gain OF in
surgent'' votes. OF the ten Republican Sena-
tors who voted against the tariff bill when it was
on passage. the indications that all except
Senator La Toilette who usually votes with
the Democrats will support the measure when
the reductions demanded by the President srs
adopted
The tariff bill passed the Senate by vote or
45 TO 81 Assuming. for the sake OF argument.
that the Presidents course were 10 lose the
SUPPORT of SIX organization Republicans u
would gain nine 'insurgent'' Republicans. mas
ing q net gain OF three votes. and there would
be as votes for the bill on the final ballot
Making all due allowance for the excitcment
which atterds the situation just at present, and
the tennpering effect of time and the voice OF
the countrv the success Of the Presidents
proeramue IS assured There are few Repubh-
cans in either House who will care To go befora
tne country with the record Of having voted
AGAINST q party measure which has been made
10 conform 10 the Presidents views solely be
cause II has been made so 10 conform and
therefore constitutes greater revision down
ward than their idea OF the interests Of their
constituents warrants.
To-day. as has been said, the White House
was flooded with teIegraphic expressions OF ap-
nrovai of the Presidents stand BY tomorrow
the mail viii begin arrive, and II IS resarueo
as a safe prediction that all members Of ootH