The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-05-14
HOPE OF Mr.. TAFT.
PRESIDENT FINDS A METHOD TO
ACHIEVE A VICTORY.
Tariff Fight Victory Is His Arm; Will
Put Forth Effort; Desire to Keep
Faith With the People and Demon
strate That a Party Platforms Means
Something; Conference Committee Is
To Labor.


situation today bearing its most hope
less aspect, means has been found
by the president which he hopes will
enable him to keep his downward re-
vision" pledge to the people.
If the efforts of the extremists among
the high tariff chieftains are not strong
enough TO checkmate the plan being
given definite form, it is altogether prob
able that Mr. Taft will be given a
tariff bill he can sign with a whole
heart-a bill that will save the republi-
can party from itself.
The president has conferred with the
house and senate leaders and with the
insurgents of both branches of congress.
His plan, for which he has been prom
ised the aid of the less obstinate leaders
and the active assistance of the insurg
ents, is for the appointment of con
ference committee with a membership
enlarged past the point of all pre-
cedent
May Keep All Reductions.
With such a committee, containing
some real revisionists, inspired not only
by their own convictions but by the
knowledge that the administration is
back of them, the president believes
that all the reductions made in the
Payne bill can be retained to keep
company with all the reductions made
in the Aldrich bill. The combination
of the reductions would come somewhere
near meeting the requirements of the
country and the spirit of the pledges
of the republican party.
The hope of Taft that a proper mea-
sure might be sent to him for his sig
nature has been centered of necessity in
the conference committee. Neither the
president nor anyone else has a glim
mer of hope that the bill as it passes
the senate will be anything but an ex-
preston of the views of Mr.. Aldrich
and of the men who elect to follow
him. On the committees of both houses
meeting in conference the president,
therefore, is compelled to pin his faith
of getting what he believes the country
wants
Chairman Payne's Pride Hurt.
Chairman Payne of the house commit
tee on ways and means is not given to
airing his grievances publicly, but it is
known that his pride has been hurt and
his equanimity upset by the cool way
in which Mr.. Aldrich has changed the
house bill past the point of recogni-
tion as the original representative meas
IRE. Mr.. Payne is stand pat" men,
Der, but always more or less willing to
move with the people. 1t is probable
that in view of the reception the coun
try has rendered the tariff bill he is
in mood to admit that even his own
measure might properly have contained
more revision provisions.
There is assurance that the ways and
means chairman has told the president
that he is willing that the conference
committee shall have a largely in
creased membership. Mr.. Payne feels
the need of a stronger following than
precedent suggests when he shall under
take to combat i'm conference the in
creases the Aldrich measure has i'm
posed. His belief, and no doubt the
presidents belief, is that the addition
10 the senate's part of the committee
will be an aid rather than a drag i'm
the efforts to bring Mr.. Aldrichs adj
vances down to the house level.
Insurgents Agree With President.
The insurgents of the house and of
the senate have agreed with the presi-
dent that the hope of getting real /
revision measure lies in adding to the |
conference committee membership. When
the rebels of the house learned that Mr.. |
Payne was inclined to agree with Mr..
Taft that a larger committee might |
save tariff legislation, and the republi-
can party with it, they made up their
minds that the presidents plan would
carry.
Senator Aldrich knows of the inten-
tion to make the conference committee
larger. He does not take kindly to it, )
and beyond much doubt he has told /
Mr.. Taft SO. The president, it is under
stood, is willing to compromise little
TO obtain the great end of getting a
bill he can sign with a ready hand and
~ Nie"i SohoSicHct. IL the cHdlTlllan
of the finance body will consent to an
increase in the membership of the CON
ference committee the president prob
ably will not press his arguments and
those of the senate and house insur-
gents in favor of having every man on
the ways and means and finance com
mittees made party to the conference.
He will be satisfied with something less
than this
Instances in Which 1t May Act.
The conference committee cannot
make a new tariff bill. 1t can take
cognizance only of those schedules which
are in disagreement between the houses.
The mouse lowered the duties on many
raw materials and the senate took oc-
casion promptly to advance them. The
senate cut the duty on gloves and host
cry to the Dingley rate, the house hav-
ing put them up % per cent These
are given simply as examples of matters
of disagreement which can be adjusted
TO the satisfaction of the president and
the people, if the conference committee
does what it is hoped it will do.
OF necessity both houses must sane
ton the committees action to give it
contIn,,ed m Dr.. Efnn.