Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-30
SOUNDING ALL THE FACTIONS
REPUBLICAN HOUSE LEADERS
CANVASS PARTY SENTIMENT.
Seeking to Learn Attitude on the
Tariff Bill-Conficting Stories
as to the Presidents Views.

This is about the stage in the tariff
building when the ubiquitous congress
siOnal visitors to the White House return
to the Capitol with conflicting accounts Of
the Presidents attitude this or that
schedule of the BILL Some Of these stories
are quite at variance with the under
standing of Chairman Payne. Speaker
Cannon, Senator Aldrich and the other re-
publican leaders who are trying to equip
the new administration with a republican
revision Of the tariff laws.
The situation recalls some of the fea-
lures of the fight for railway rate legisla-
ton. Every day or two some member of
the House would go up to the White
House and suggest his own ideas to the
President. Bully" says the President:
''fine scheme" Then the member would
hot-fo it back to the Capitol and gather
them around him. with "Hooray, boys
I've got it straight from the President
that this is what he wants. and then
there would be new nucleus of alleged
leadership.
AS the leaders understand President
Taft's attitude toward the tariff bill, it is
that he is not aligning himself with any
faction In the House. and that about the
only thing he will insist upon will be sup
port of the party's tariff measure as a
test of party loyalty.
Sounoln& the members.
The efforts of the House leaders today
were devoted to trying to get the sense
of the different republican factions on the
bill as 1t stands and on amendments de-
sired and likely to be insisted upon. Con
ference" Is the watchword of the day.
and caucus is still in the background
The situation is involved, but it is by no
means desperate. That it will yield to the
efforts ia tn vat bn
factions together is the confident belief of
all interested.
The western republicans are still dis
contented. Senator Elkins' attack upon
terday added fuel to the flames. Some Of
the western republicans in the House
have been encouraging the complaint that
the bill as 1t reads is more friendly to
New England interests than to western
interests.
The answer to that complaint has been
that New England has more at stake in
the bill than some other sections in the
greater bulk of industries located within
its borders. Senator Elkins pose as a
friend of the south rather staggered the
scutherners. They say that Mr.. Elkins
was saying one word for the south and
a score for West Virginia, which for the
past fifteen years has been claimed by the
republicans in every campaign as being
las much a prOtectioniSt state as Penn
sylvania.'
Suggestion to the South.
1t is also suggested that before the
south cries out against alleged discrmi-
nation she should instruct her free-trade
and tariff-for-revenue-onl representatives
to support the protectionist principle. II
is pointed out that sugar and the citrous
fruits of the south are given protection;
her iron ore Is on the same level with the
iron one of New Jersey and the Adiron-
dack region, and her timber is treated the
same as Michigan timber.
The prohibitionists OF the entire coun-
try. led by the Kansas delegation, are
putting up fight for an increased tax OIL
beer. If the proposition ever comes to
record vote in the House there will be
some embarrassing moments for large
number of worthy statesmen. AS be-
tween a tax on tea, tax on beer and
tariff on cocoa-Well, any one can figure
out for himself where Iowa. Kansas. the
south and some other states will be
found.
Republicans who oppose the countervail-
ing duty on coffee are putting forward
suggestion to Increase the federal tax on
liquor licenses. They claim that addi-
tional revenue can be obtained from this,
and that 1t will especially appeal to COM
munities where saloons are prohibited,
but where druggists sell liquor