Evening star., 1909-07-17

meeting at 10 o'clock today, whether
the representation as to the Presidents
attitude on the tariff is correctly repre-
sented by the papers this morning.
The question was addressed to a
newspaper man, who assured the sena-
tor that there could be no doubt that
the President had been properly repre-
sented.
The senator's reply might have been
forecasted from his countenance. Evi-
IDENTIFY he was much depressed and most
uncertain as to the outlook Then he
said carefully weighing his words, the
outlook is discouraging indeed. While
it is not stated in so many words that
the President will demand free raw ma
terial, such is the tendency, and II such
should be his demand 1t looks 10 me as
if it would be impossible to get 1T. The
difficulty would be in getting through
the Senate a bill with free raw material.
For instance. ! do not believe that the
Senate could be induced to pass bill
putting hides on the free list
With this expression the senator turned
into the conference room to take Up the
details of the schedules, and no more in
formation could be obtained from him at
that time.
This senator's expressions are only
slightly more extreme than those of 9th
ers. The conferees of the two houses are
adjusting their differences with reason
able degree of rapidity. They have been
in session for about a week and have
made quite as much progress as the more
conservative of them had expected they
would. Starting out with the bars well
up between them, they have gradually
taken them down one by one until inter-
course has become very free, If not &C
tually cordial,
. The best of feeling pervaded the con-
ference, and 1T has become quite evident
that if left to themselves the members of
the conference would be able to bring out
a bill at no distant day. They have gone
so far AS to make it reasonably certain
that any bill which they would report
would make some concessions to those
who demand a duty or raw material.
| A Good-Natured Fight.
The fact that the President has taken
so positive stand as he has has~had the
effect of shifting the controversy from
the two branches of Congress between
themselves to the President and Con-
gress as whole From this time for
ward it looks as if the question would
be not what the House Will concede to
the Senate or the Senate to the House,
but how much the President will demand
and how much the conferees can concede
and still make sure of the acceptance OF
the conference report by the two houses of
Congress. 1t is good-natured fight, but
1t is a fight.
lie great ulIllcully OI ileoIluS tHe
Presidents demands, If they are as ex-
treme In the direction OF free raw ma
terial as is feared by those interested, will
be encountered in the Senate, where the
raw material states have greater pro-
portionate representation and where
there is no cloture rule.
In the House, as whole, the tendency
is toward the Presidents position, but
some of the House conferees lean toward
the senatorial view.
No one goes so far as to predict that a
feasible way will not be opened up for
escape from the situation. Nor does any
one especially condemn the President for
holding out for the fulfiIlment OF his
campaign pledges On the other hand
the senator's from the raw material sec
tions urge the vital Importance to those
sections of the acceptance of their views
While the best of personal good feeling
between the White House and the Capitol
exists, the interests involved are so large
that it is evident that Congress will not
yield readily, and 1t is very doubtful
whether the President could get free raw
material If he should demand 1t.