Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-07-26
CAPITAL CHAT.
Congress Marks Time
During Tariff Conference.
Collector Crosby and Post
master Snipe
Washington to Alter the
Bath Post Office Plans.

Washington D. c., July %. Especially.
1t has been the Presidents week.
| The good men and true, sitting in judg-
ment on tariff differences in the, stately
Senate office building, have been over
| Swallowed in tariff making. The news
pieces, that kept scores Of telegraph
| wires out of Washington buzzing night
and day that get printed upon the front
pages of the dailies have been about
| the White House doings, not the doings
| in the conference.
The multitudious conversations Of
an official day at the Capital still throb
with references to the Presidents un-
expected tariff statement of last Fri
day, when he came forth with declara-
lions for revision downward to keep
the party pledges to the people and for
| free raw materials, or something ap-
| preaching that. Every move at the
Capital is now made with reference
| to that statement. When the con-
ferees make up rate on some tariff
dispute they think of it with reference
to the President and the prospects Of
| Getting the tariff bill through the
Senate and the House along the lines
| that the President proposes. +
BY the end of this week there will
be more light. The air is full of COM
ment about the Presidents victory,
but the victory has not been defined
and can not be defined till the rates
on raw materials, such as coal, lumber,
oil. iron ore and hides are fixed. The
| President would like those articles
transferred to the free list. 1t is very
certain that only one or two of them
| will be so transferred although it is
certain that the rates of duty on all
will be lowered below the rates of the
Dingley law. The President is willing
Ito concede a rate of $125 thousand
IN rough lumber. That is an even
''divvy" between the House rate of 81
and the Senate rate of $3.50 and is
quite as much as any of the numbering
| companies from Maine to California
| Expected.
| There is also a big campaign on for
"dvvy' between the free hides that
the House voted and the Is per cent
duty that the Senate voted The
Western Republicans, who have been
rampant for duty, upon hides, will
De satisfied with that. They never
| expected the duty would remain at Is
| per cent, which is the present law.
| they have been talking a ten per cent
cate. Any reduction below that prob
| IDLY represents the Presidents influ-
| nee with the conferees.
1t would be picturesque, indeed, 20
see the tariff bill talked to, death Or
lone to death in the Senate because Of
he duty on hides. There has been a
i lnt Of f.,cc OK nro
| shaking of fists. more threats to do and
70 dare in connection with hides than
with any other of the thousands of
items in the tariff bill And right at
| his moment, the efforts to put hides
upon the free list are more dangerous
20 the success of the tariff bill in the
| Senate. than all the other unwelcome
changes in the big measure.
1t all illustrates the tremendous in
| fiuence Of sentiment in politics. For
whatever the practical effect in dollars
md cents would be Of putting a duty
| ,pon hides or of placing them upon
| the free list, sentiment has a very i'm
)ortant part in the controversy. Some
yery level-headed men in the East
say: Free hides would undoubtedly
help the boot and shoe industry some,
probably not as much by any menas as
people have been led to believe. But
rec hides has become slogan in our
politics, nowhere else so much as in
Massachusetts. II we do not get frea
hides now, the rabble will jeer at Us
when the next campaign comes"
And some very level-headed men
from the West say: The farmer
wants duty on hides. The packing
rust has pressed him pretty hard. He
las to pay some stiff duties on manu-
actured articles for the benefit of in
lustries in the East. Why should not
he East yield little something 20
him? He has to pay high prices for
lis harness and boots and shoes. Per-
| laps, he does not get much benefit,
| perhaps he gets no benefit from the
uty on hides but he thinks he does"
There are sufficient recalcitrant Re-
,ublicans in the Senate this minute.
because Of the attempt to put hides
lpon the free list to throw the tariff
HI They are headed by the two
Wyoming Senator's, but the question
$ will they do it? Normally the Re-
oublicans can count upon but about
| Ten majority in the Senate because of
he number of Western Republicans
who almost always, vote with the
Democrats. The conferees are well
ware that if they put hides upon the
rec list they will be risking the de-
eat of the bill. President Taft is
| ,ware of the same thing and it may
Ne. on that account, that he will assent
the seven and half per cent duty.
lie could make a big fight. to be sure,
md allow the bill to be defeated but
would leave the tariff issue still
'pen.
That suggests another complication
f the many that have sprung up sud-
leniy with reference to tariff. Some
republicans in Senate and House are
Wiling the tariff bill should be defeat
d. Then the Dingley law, which
atisfies them. would remain in force.
But on the other hand the tariff would
ontinue an issue in politics. The
President said in his statement that
he country had been promised revision
downward. If the bill should fail now
but it will not-Congress would have
o bend to the task again next winter