Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-07-20
President Made It Plain to
West Virginia Congress
man That He Favored Re
vision Downward.
GAINES TALKS
OF INTERVIEW
President Believes Coal, Oil
and Lumber Can Stand
Material Reduction.

Washington, ID. c., July 2O.-As
the Hon. Joseph Holt Gaines, OF
West Virginia, is a very prominent
member of the ways and means com
mittee and took a very active part In
the putting together of the tariff as
1t left the House, there was unusual
Significance in the call of Gaines at
the White House the other afternoon
with the Hon. Harry woodward and
the Hon. George c. Sturgiss. both
idea as to tariff and tariff revision.
Col. Francis B. Gessner says:
When | asked Congressman Gaines
for as much OF the conversation that
callers he prefaced his remarks with
the statement that the interview was
much more pleasant than the reports
in the newspapers would indicate
Then Mr.. Gaines went on to tell that
The President conceded the pro-
priety of protecting raw material as
well as the manufactured product.
He cOntended that the question was
one of fact in both cases. namely,
whether the manufactured product or
the ra wmaterial so called, needed
the protection demanded. All he
wanted was to carry out the pledges
in good faith of the Republican party
and to see a revision which would
reduce the tariff wherever the pres
ent rates We're more than the pro-
lection required. I'm arriving at a
conclusion i'm reference to the ques-
tions of fact involved, the President
told us that he wished to apply the
rule laid downin the Republican
platform that there SHOULD be
reasonable profit to the producer
after making allowance for the diff
ference i'm cost here and abroad /
am not authorized to interpret the
words Of the President any further
than these expressions go, but IL
seemed reading between the lines,
that the President was inclined 20
believe that the facts were rather
against the advocates Of protection
on coal, oil, lumber and iron ore
and other products Ia which West
Virginia is most Interested How.
ever, this Is my opinion only as re
CARDS the Presidents attitude and ne
has not definitely said 80 as far -
am advised.
Projection For west Virginia.
81 told the President that The Re
publican leaders Of west Virginia
believed that protection was Of the
greatest Importance to the industries
of my state and TO the entire SoItb,
and that hitherto the political leadc.
and the people believed It true shat
this popular conviction was the cause
Of the pronounced Republican sue
cess i'm West Virginia last year ana
IN other years. and that the rapid
growth Of Republicans ln West Vir-
gilia indicated the hostility OF our
people to the doctrine Of fee raw
material. cited the incident Of
william H. Wilson's defeat in 1894.
conceded that WIN. J.. Wilson was
the strongest man sent to- congress
from West Virginia and that Wn.
J.. Wilson had been defeatad f.s tua.
gress because nc took the position !n
favor of free trade in so called raw
materials. This was listened TO by
the President with his usual amiab.li-
ty and cheerfulness.
The President made one yemacl,
that we ought not to take a section
al or local view of the tariff end it
was up to me TO tell how ia my CT
forts to spread out as a fraud OF the
whole countrys interest 7 had In
Cured the criticism OF some Of my
constituents who thought ] had
spread out mighty nat and thin for
a time So our interview ended with
the best Of feeling all around and
while not much assurance or conso-
lation was promised West virginia,
We went away no less hopeful than
when we entered"
Others OF the party that called on
the President including Sturglss
90 srra-.H....r s.~...