The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-08-12
WASHINGTON
From our Regular Correspondent.

From our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, d. c., Aug. 9, 1909
The tariff bill is finally passed,
Congress has adjourned, the Presi
dent is packing his goods and chat
tells preparatory 10 moving TO his
summer home at Beverly, Massa-
chusetts and the few members of
the cabinet who have not already
left Washington are preparing to
do SO at the earliest opportunity.
Within forty-eight hours member
OF Congress will be as rare in Wash
ington as "a hen with teeth, "
10 borrow one of Speaker Cannons
bucolic SMILES. The annual sum-
mer exodus of official Washington
leaves the national capitol. which
tor nearly ten months of the year
produces more news of national i'm
portance than any other metropolis,
with little news of importance. Of
course to all intents and purposes
the capital will be transferred to
Beverly where the president will
remain until he starts upon his long
tour of the country on September
IS.
F.r
The President and the Senate
leaders are rejoiced that their task
of revising the tariff is accomplish
ed. 1t has been attended with so
much turmoil and anxiety that
there is disposition to give thanks
that it is over regardless of the fact
that the Payne tariff bill falls far
short of the promises and expecta-
tions of President Taft or, for that
matter, of the Republican national
platform. In the eleventh hour of
the consideration of the measure it
became necessary for the Senate
leaders to devise a scheme for low
ering the duties on leather goods
still further than they had done in
conference. Under the law as final
ly signed the measure provides for
a duty of 10 per cent. on all leather
shoes, of 20 per cent. on all harness
and on all saddlery. AS it passed
the House these duties applied only
to shoes, harness, saddlery, etc.,
made from the hides of cattle, but
when the measure, that is the con-
ference report, reached the Senate
those western members who are
known as range Senators" got off
the reservation and threatened such
dire things that it became necessa-
ry to placate them to insure the
adoption of the report.
***
After passing the tariff bill the
House gave the President one more
slap, as result of the personal an
imosity of Speaker Cannon. Mr..
Cannon told the President that un-
less the Executive would promise
to appoint former Representative
James Watson, of Indiana, he who
ran for Governor last fall and was
defeated, a member of the commits
sion, he, (the Speaker) would de-
feat the entire provision. The Pres
ident refused to make any promises,
maintaining that the appointive
power belonged to him and that
Mr.. Cannon had no right to at
tempt to drive such bargain. The
Speaker in turn attempted to kill
the provision for a tariff commits
sion but was prevented by the Sen
ate conferrees who stood by the
President. When, however, the
appropriation bill providing $780,.
900 for the pay and expenses OF the
commission went to conference, the
Speaker sought first to have the
provision stricken out, and failing
in that, secured its reduction to
$4,000.
~
The fact is that most of the Re-
publicans, all to whom the term
"old line" applies, are hostile to a
tariff commission. They are afraid
to have the facts ascertaiued even
by Republican President, and
they are especially opposed to hav-
ing them made public. They realize
no doubt that the publication of the
facts will prove an almost fatal
blow to the protective system. and,
moreover, they know that with
commission to ascertain and make
public the facts there will be no op-
portunity for that trading of duties
for political and politico financial