The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-04-06
THE RULE FOR THE TARIFF
BILLS CONSIDERATION.

insurgency is. getting so strong at
both ends of the Capitol that it is able
10 force concessions with cheering regu-
larity. It compelled some of them in
the rules fight, and some more in the
form of the rule under which the Payne
bill viii be passed by the House
1t is especially gratifying that the
managers of the House had to give up
several points in order to get their rule
passed. But it is well that the Gideon's
band of Republicans who are fighting
for the cause of real revision-revision
in the interest of the consumer
should be reminded that they have
more fighting ahead of them in the next
few days.
Of course it is useless to hope that
the Ways and Means Committee will
propose any more amendments than
have been squeezed out of them under
pressure. TLey will give nothing more
than the consumer wants They have
given already more of form than of
substance For example:
They eoncede free tea and coffee; but
it is now well understood that those
articles were never expected TO stay on
the dutiable list. They were put into
it in order to draw fire away from the
outrageous glove, hosiery, OIL, and other
schedules. The public is expected now
to rejoice over the great victory public
sentiment has won in free tea and cof-
fee, and to forget how it has been
repudiated in other matters. If the
public allows itself to be thus buncoed,
it will deserve as bad treatment as it
seems likely 70 get in this bill.
The countervailinC duty on lumber
is to be dropped out; but the vote on
lumber is not yet won. That fight
must come of this week; and it is of
vital Importance. If the House shall
carry an amendment for free lumber by
fifty or sixty votes, the Senate will
hesitate to put back duty. If the
House stands for a duty of 81 per
thousand on lumber, the Senate will be
likely to raise it TO 81. The Senate
win gauge the demand, in this schedule
in considerable degree by the showing
made in the House. Therefore, the
people who want free lumber will dc
well to make the biggest possible show
ing for it. The chances are that in she
end compromise will be reached be
tween the two houses on this item. II
the House grants free lumber, and the
Senate sticks for 81, compromise al
81 viii be possible. If the House agree:
TO 81 duty, the Senate will raise it tc
SI-50 or 81.
The House authorities have agreed
to substitute a 25 per cent ad vaIoren
duty on petroleum, for the present
countervailing duty. This, likewise, /,
a concession in form more than in sub
stance, for the % per cent duty is about
as prohibitive as the present arrange
ment. Petroleum ought 10 have gon,
TO the free list. Competition. the as
surance of protection against monopo
listic exactions, is what the country
wants and demands. 1t will get moth
ing of the sort.
To grant a vote on The hide item i
all wrong, unless a vote OF the shor
and leather schedule 90 along with it
and II doesn't. The chances are tina
free hides will win, which IS wei
enough; but there should be, along will
this, further reductions in the leathe
and shoe duties. The leather and sho
men have indicated that with free hide
thav would not object to this; and Ger
taiEly l. they don't object, nobody els
could scrape up an excuse for objec
tions-nobody, at least, who was no
equipped with the marvellous facultr
OF the Ways and Means Committee 70
doing the unnecessary and senseless.
The revenue problem of the bill is il
nowise touched by the alleged conces
sions the House rule has in view. Tn
exposure Of the ludicrous error b,
which revenues were overestimate,
Si5.cOO,0iD under this bill does not seer
20 have Jared the House organization
at all II is simply passing that hug
problem up TO the Senate, along wit
the rest Of the serious responsibilities
for making this Legislation.
Such schedules as chemicals, sugar
woolens. cottons, hosiery, gloves, an
others which needed attention in tn
interest of the consumer, are con
temptuously passed over. The Way
and Means Committee and the Rule
Committee traded of barely enough con
cessions TO get votes to adopt the rul,
and there stopped. The chance of bet
ter things in the Senate, as to Tn
necesssries of life, is far from brilliant
The one chance in that quarter lies /
the determined effort which the con