The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-02
SAYS DEMOCRATS JAN WIN HOUSE Clark Declares New Tariff Rates
 Are ading SAYS Sy Ses 4 IS BAD HABIT
 ss P Vote ,mmit Shows Widespread Dissatisfaction Among Republic ans From the West Who Prom
 ised Revision.

Washington, August 1.-(special. )-Rep- resentative Champ Clark of Missouri, the democratic House leader, believes the democrats will carry the next House. If the election were held this fall," said Mir Clark tonight, Eve would have a democratic majority as big as that which was sent to the F1fty-second Con- gress-142. There is no reason why the situation should change. The new rates imposed are astounding. Prices are bound to go up, and the cost of food and cloth ing will continue to soar. The only req son the American people tolerate such a high tariff at all is because no one under So years of age can remember any thing that happened under the old sys- tenn ending with the Civil War. The present tariff has become bad habit and I think the people will realize it by the time the next election rolls around. The vote yesterday demonstrated that the democratic party Is united. On the test vote-the motion to recommit-we lost but one democratic vote; on the final vote we lost but two. There has never been a tariff vote when the party was so unan- imous.
 Only two democrats in the House were absent and impaired in the House votes on the tariff bill yesterday. They were Hobson of Alabama and Wesse of Wis., consin Both telegraphed trying to ar range pairs, but the republicans would not pair and the two votes were lost. Had they been present the republicans would have had but three majority in the motion to recommit. It Is fortunate for the two congressman that their votes would not have affected the result for had the motion to recommit lost on account of their being absent, the tariff bill would never have gotten out of com mittee, and the republican party would have acknowledged itself incompetent to deal with the tariff question. It was a close call, but of course five Is as good as fifty.
 However, the vote demonstrates the widespread dissatisfaction with the meas- ure, especially among the republicans of the middle west, who had promised tar if revision to their constituents and must now go back to them and confess that the law cannot be modified through the republican party and that only what New England wants goes.
 This will be the burden of the closing speeches in the Senate this week and the insurgent republicans led by Cummins and LaF'ollette, rather than the demo- crats, will occupy most of the time in pointing out republican failure to redeem campaign promises.
 The worst feature of the new tariff bill Is admittedly the maximum and min imum. Under 1t the tariff rates after next March 3l are increased one-fourth. Probably England will be the only coun- try to escape 1t. Germany and France, for example, would hardly be willing to reduce their export bounty and 1t would seem that 1t will be applied to Canada on lumber Branll gives bounty on coffee and 1t is the opinion of experts 1t will not remove its discriminatory tax, That places a duty of 25 cents pound on coffee on March a, so It will probably not turn out to be free breakfast ta- hle" after all.