Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-25
SLASH IN EVERY DUTY
Revision Committee to Recon-
mend General Reduction
in Tariff
ARE WORRIED
Seeks Means of Offsetting Tariff Al
terations Administration is Wor-
ried Over Attitude CT California To-
ward Japan Agitators Infcst tho
State.
IMPORTERS ARE WORRIED

publican members of the ways and
means committee ANNOUNCED today In
private conversation that the commit
tee had gone far enough in ITS work OF
drafting a tariff bill to justify the an
nouncement that the bill, as reported
to the house. would provide for reduc-
tions in practically every one of the
schedules. In other words. the revision
is to be genuine as that word Is under
stood In the middle west.
The big interests Of the east have ac-
and have their experts at work seeing
If anything can be done to offset the
reductions which the new tariff law
undoubtedly win make. These experts,
many of them. have been in Washing
ton all winter, working over figures OBJ
tanned from the customs division OF the
treasury department. They are trying
to beat the devil around the stump by
overcoming the promised tariff reduce
lions by securing changes in the classi-
iications of imported goods.
II permitted to manipulate the classi-
fications, the big importers. of course,
would be able to prevent the tariff re-
ductions from producing the benefits
which the general public will expect
The ways and means committee,
posted regarding the move of the inn
porters, also has been consulting tho
figures from the customs division Of
the treasury department. In addition, 1t
has had the experts from this division
before 1t. The committee also has heard
members of the board of general ap-
praisers of New York. the board, which
passes upon questions of classitica-
tons, among other things. Eugene c..
Hay, of Minneapolis. is a member of
that board 1t is the desire of the ways
and means committee to prevent tho
classification manipulations here re-
ferred to. These manipuations, If made
at all, will appear most frequently In
the textile and metal schedules.
The administration is DESTROYS of
focusing public sentiment >on Cali
fornia and compelling the abandon
ment there of the anti-Japanese pro-
gram now outlined before the lesis-
lature. The postponement for one
week does not necessarily mean much.
and the administration is anxious to
have the country bring what pressure
to bear that it can with q view to
showing the people of that state that
the country as Il whole does not app
prove of their proposed conduct.
1t would be impossible to disguise the
anxiety that is felt both at the White
House and ethe state department over
the situation. The business men and
financers of the country have much
more at stake In preserving peace with
Japan than have the labor agitators of
California, it is pointed out here, and
it is these men who should now rise up
and support the administration in
every way possible.
The president has said as much in
his letter and telegram to the gov
ernor of California as he thinks 1t wise
to say. 1t is not known, however, that he
has not said one-tenth part of what
might with truth be said. The Jap
anese embassy here is a very busy
place, and it's officials are nervously
watching the trend of affairs in Cali
fornia and Washington. The state
department has held several informal
conferences with them within the past
week, and everything that is being said
and done indicates that the tension is
quite severe.
The administration cannot conceal it's
disgust at the way California is pro-
posing to tear down as fast as it can
build up. An agreement has been made
with Japan under which Japanese Ia
l~n l. Of t1c i{cf1
States Japan purposes keeping the
agreement in good faith, and already,
as the result of it, the Japanese have
been leaving this country in larger
numbers than they arrive. During the
six months ending Oct. 80 last only
2,O74 came to the main land, while
1921 left.
All the facts and figures bearing on
this question are available, and the adj
wonders why the Califor-
mia legislature has not asked for them
before proceeding to act in a way that
NAV bring on an international compli-
cation.
OF one thing the administration is
glad and that is that the battleship
fleet is not now in Pacific waters. Were
it anywhere in the Pacific ocean, it
would be impossible to convince Japan
that the national government was not
a party to the recent action proposed
in the California legislature.
1t is pointed out here that California.
and especially San Francisco. have long
been infested with sand lots agitators
and meters to race prejudice. These
men were in their glory during the time
=. G, a1....;4u tho hnndla naNAr hut thew