Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-04-05
WASHINGTONLETTER
SOPS HANDED OUT To STILL The
TARIFF CLAMOR.
House Leaders Adopt Plan of Strategy
to Line Up the HOwlerS. Enough
Little Ones will Be Satisfied So
That the Big kiCkers Can Be a.
nOred.

WASHINGTON. D. c., April L.
The leaders of the house are sapping
the opposition to the Payne tariff
bill In it's present form by promising
the minor malcontents on the Repub.
lican side insignificant amendments
that will not materially affect the
character of the measure, and are
thus isolating the major malcontents,
who are demanding such important
notifications as restoration of the
duty on coal, iron ore and hides, and
increases in the duties on lumber
and iron and steel.
This is shown by the admission Of
one of the leaders this afternoon
that the committee amendments to
the bill would be as numerous as
thoose offered by the ways and means
committee to the Dingley bill when
it was up for passage, and by the as
sertion Of another leader that none
of the amendments to be offered by
the committee would be regarded as
important by the country.
The ways and means committee
that handled the Dingley, bill offered
upward of $50 amendments to that
measure when it was considered un-
der the five-minute rule. Most Of
these were changes in verbiage, slight
increases or decreases in rates of
duty on unimportant articles and
corrections of mistakes that crept in
! to the bill in printing.
Many of the amendments the COM
! mittee will offer to the Payne bill
will no doubt be of the same char
acter, but most Of them will be
changes urged by disgruntled mem-
bers, who want to make a showing
for the benefit of influential consti-
tuents, and who might be led astray
by the major malcOntents If some-
thing were not conceded to them by
the leaders.
Thus large number of malcon-
tents on the Republican side will be
picked off by Uncle Joe' and his
lieutenants without seriously chang
ing the character of the Payne bill,
while the malcOntents who demand
ed important changes will be left
for future consideration. The pro-
cess adopted will enable the leaders
in few days to find out just where
they are at by showing precisely how
many Republicans there are who will
resist the adoption of a rule to jam
the bill through with only such am
endments as the ways and means
committee will sanction, and who
might refuse to be bound by the ac-
tion Of caucus If caucus is found
necessary.
The question of a caucus is still
in allegiance, owing to the inability
of the whips to ascertain whether
the western members, who are insist
ing that they must be given a chance
to vote in the House on hides, coal,
lumber, iron ore and on increasing
the tax on beer are as much in earn
est that they will not only vote
against rule shutting out all but
committee amendments, but will re-
fuse as well to be bound by the ac-
tion of caucus which does not give
them what they want. Until it can
be gagged whether or not these west.
ern members are ready to go the lin
it, the matter of holding a caucus
will not be decided. The leaders un-
doubtedly would prefer not to have
caucus if it can be avoided for rea-
sons already stated. But they real
ize they may be compelled to give
way, and so they are saying the time
has not yet come to decide the mat
ter.
Mr.. and Mrs. L. L. Trask went to
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