Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-07-23

to specific rates had increased the du-
ties. He had all the experts available
to assist in making the calculations. |
Every item is to be taken up. The
work was not completed when adj
journment was taken for the day.
On this schedule Payne is to force
the position of his associates. If the
examination of the schedules shows
that he has been right in his conten-
ton. he will insist on the restoration
of the house ad valorem duties or re
duced specific rates. Should he be
defeated by his own associates in the
conference there will be parting of
the ways among the house conferees
| 1t is possible that Payne may report
back to the house the inability of the
house conferees to agree. ask the dis
charge of the conferees, invite new
conference with the senate and name
by resolution new set of conferees
This would be a great blow 10 Speaker
Camon and would answer the charge
that Cannon packed the existing COM
mittee of conference against Payne
and the house bill i'll favor of the sen.
ate bill and Senator Aldrich's scheme
of tariff revision
Payne. AIdricgi and Taft Confer.
Whatever Payne's plans may be, he
would give no indication of them last
evening. With Senator Aldrich he
again went to the White house to dine
with the president.
There followed the usual conference
on the tariff with results that will APP
pear only in the course of the compro-
mise proceedings.
Senator Aidrieh made no attempt to
limit the life of the corporation tax
When the president first presented the
measure as revenue producer to meet
expected deficits in the treasury, Aid,
rich consented to it, if its life should
be limited 10 one year The president
would not consent to this. Last night
at the harmony dinner the question
OF the limitation of the lie of,this spe-
cial tax was brought up, but the pres
ident insisted that it should have no
| limitation. 81
The confeIees took the matter up
| this morning with a proposition to
limit the tax to two years They re-
fused to accept the amendment and
| adopted the tax as a regular feature
Of the tariff bill. 1t WAS decided also
to make Washington the headquarters
of the customs court of appeals. the
court to have sittings in various sec
tons of the country at cities named
in the bill.
stu DeadlOcked on Raw Material.
| Many minor amendments were dis
posed of, but the conferees refused to
enter into a discussion of the most i'm
portant matters awaiting settlement
and that now hold them in deadlock
They were -good-tempered about it, but
unwilling still to make the concessions
demanded by President Taft in his
1 contention for free raw material and
| the necessary reductions in many
schedules that have direct reference
to these schedules.
| One of the most important OF these
1 is hides. The president is reported to
have told a member of the house that
| he favored a reduction in harness and
saddlery from As per cent to 20 per
Icent, and on boots and shoes frem %
Ito 10 per cent. This is lower than
4 even the house bill
i The report struck terror to the
hearts of the members of the house.
who are meeting daily to register a
protest against free raw material. 1t
was suggested by one of their number
that if the tariff fight kept up long
enough there would be nothing left of
the protected schedules. The antifree
raw material men failed to put their
Opposition in the form of a resolution
TO be laid before the president.