Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-05-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent. ]
WAsHINGToN, May /, 1909.

w AohlNElON, May Il 1JOJ.
President Taft has expressed himself,
recently, as not so we'll pleased with
the attitude of the Senate toward the
tariff bill. The members OF the Fin
ance Committee have consulted the
President from time to time, regarding
certain features of their substitute, and
for the provisions relating to imports
from the Philippines, the proposed GUS
toms court and the maximum minimum
clause, they have won his unqualified
approval. With regard to specific
rates, however, Mr.. Taft has not been
consulted and the Senate leaders have
contented themselves with general as
surances, to the President, of their sin
cerity ofpurpose SO to frame the sched-
ules as to command his approval. 1t
is not at all clear whether President
/ Tafts desire to commend all that was
commendable has been misconstrued,
or whether the erroneous impression
has been gained that his satisfaction
with certain features of the measure
would Offset his disapproval of the
schedules
In discussing the tariff recently with
friends the President has frankly de-
plored the fact that the men on whose
assistance he should be able to rely, to
insure an adequate revision of the
Dingley rates, are SO unwilling to sub
ordinate their local interests to the
national welfare and are selfshly in
sistent on the maintenance of high
| duties on those commodities most pro-
duced in their respective states.
| The President is keenly alive to the
Importance of expeditions work by the
two houses of Congress, he realizes to
the full the embarrassment to the busi-
ness interests ofthe country which is
| the inevitable coneomitant of uncer-
tainty regarding the tariff rates; but he
is no less appreciative of the fact that
the present tariff revision will, or
should, be of such a character as to fore
stall all reasonable agitation for onother
adjustment of the schedules for q de-
cade or longer. Under these circum-
stances he places the interests of the
consumer for that period against the
immediate necessities of the business
man, and from the comparison he ar
rives at the conclusion that, for pure
ly economic reasons, it is better to pro-
long.the present situation even by a
veto, if that be necessary, than to have
written on the statutes an inequitable
tariff act.
Senate leaders are rather disposed to
dismiss with little consideration all in.
timations of the Presidents dissatis,
faction, and they go 80 far even as to
assert that only those who are making
the Tariff can form any adequate con.
ception of the difficulties as to the form
the measure will assume after it has
been submitted to the fire of the con
ference. However that may be, the
Chief Executive has a keen suspicion
that the unequivocal expression of dis
satisfaction, on the part of loyal Re
publicans, with the Senate's work thus
far, can only promote the ultimate
formulation of measure which he car
cordially approve.
The Republican members of the
Finance Committee have completed
the draft of the section creating the
new tariff bureau. This bureau is tc
be formed by consolidating the exist