New-York tribune., 1909-03-15
CONGRESS- WAITING FOR
THE NEW BILL.
,SpecuIatiOn as to Its Pr0lisions on
All Sides, but Nothing Kno1on
for Fact.
From The Tribune Bureau ]


on the Ways and Means Committee practically
have completed their task of framing the ma
tority bill. The early part Of this week will be
devoted 10 organizing the House of Representa-
ti1es and adopting g plan for the parliamentary
handling Of the new customs act. Before the
week closes tariff oratOry will be on tap. ana
for the next fifteen or twenty days the food
gates Of speech will be wide open and the pages
of The Congressional Record will groan un-
der the weight OF conflicting political and eco
noTnic thought
What do You know about the tariff" has
been a popular form of greeting in Washington
hotel Iobbies for many days. Behind closed doors
IN the House Office building the members
Of The Ways and Means Committee have been
working for months They have guarded their
secrets far better than anybody thought they
could. Occasionally. stray bits of gossip have
corne from MI Payne's committee room, but In
few instances have inforTnants been able 10 say
Il know" The tariff sharps Of the natlonal
canraI have been forced TO begin their eXplaIa-
,jons with such phrases as I have heard OF
.Tt Is understood" or Il am inclined TO think
While II cannot be denied that the work OF
tfe WAYS and Means Committee is OF high i'm
rorrance. those who have had long experience
.r legislative affairs in Washington are not dis
r,osed 10 worry because Of their inability TO
fnd out the details OF the bill which the House
committee IS TO bring in They understand per
fectlv well that there is q vast difference be-
tween a bill and statute and that the measure
which Nj Payne viii report has a stormy way
70 the White House for the signature Of the
President.
In other words Washington believes that the
real work of revising the tariff will be done IN
the Senate. This has been forecast in previous
dispatches to The Tribune. and its reiteration
now is only press home the fact that many
Of the schedules which soon will be public prop
ertv have very little chance Of becoming the
law of the land Chairman Payne IS an eA-
perienced legislator, who has served on many
committees Of conference between the Senate
and House He rea lies that nearly every legls-
lative enactment must be worked out on the
basis Of concessions by both sides. With this
fact in mind, il is not unreasonable 10 suppose
that some Of the paragraphs in the Payne bill
have been inserted with the full knowledge that
they will be changed in the conference COM
rnittee. and that in yielding them TO Senate op-
position like concessions will be secured from
the Senate conferrees.
PLENTY OF TARIFF ACTS.
Since the beginning Of the American govern
uent thirty-hve general tariff acts have oeeh
Tassed There have been dozens upon dozens OF
miscellaneous acts affecting the customs laws
Of the nation The first act for laying duty on
goods wares and merchandise imported into the
Tinted States after the adoption Of the Con-
stitution was approved July T. 11S9, and went
into operation a month later The necessity for
providing a national revenue was the first con-
sderation with the new Congress. That body
met on April @. I7S9 and two days later the
House OF Representatives resolved itself into a
committee of the whole the state Of the
Union Within seventy hours after the opening
Of the House James Madison introduced the sub
!ect OF the tariff.
y take the liberty. MI Chairman. said MI
Madison lat this early stage Of the business TO
introduce TO the committee a subject which ap-
pears 10 ne to be of the greatest magnitude; a
subject. sir, that requires our first attention and
united exertiOns- The deficiency In
cur Treasury has been too notorious 10 make it
necessary for me to animadvert upon that sub
ject- Let US content ourselves with endeavoring
70 remedy the evil To do this national reve-
nue. must be obtained: but the system must be
such that while il secures the object Of
revenue, shall not be oppressive TO our con-
sntuents- Happy it is for that sach sys-
TEN is within our power, for I apprehend that
both these objects may be obtained from an i'm
POST articles imported into the United
States"
In closing Mr.. Madison offered a resolution
declaring il to be the sense Of the committee
0At duties should be levied spirituous
liquors, molasses. wines. teas. sugar. pepper
cocoa and spices, and an ad Valorem duty on all
other articles; and also tonnage tax on Ameri-
can vessels in which merchandise was imported
and a higher rate on foreign vessels. The first
tariff bill was passed by the House on May L.
11S9. -Four weeks later the Senate concurred
in the bill with sundry amendments. The House
agreed TO three Of these amendments and re-
3ected six. The committee on conference agreed
20 pass the bill as amended by the Senate with
some additional amendments, namely, the duty
on distilled spirits cf Jamaica proof TO be re-
duced from u to 10 cents a gallon; the duty on
beer. ale, porter cider, imported in casks.
from 70 cents a gallon the duty on beer.
imported III bottles, from - TO 20 cents a gal
lon; the duty on coal from to cents a busheI
NO PREDICTIONS BY MR.. ALDRICH
Thus it viii be seen that in the early days of
the Republic the Senate without claiming
power 10 originate legislation affecting the ma
lions revenues. welded a powerful influence
upon such legislation Senator AIdrich, chair
man of the Committee on Finance is not max
lng any predictions what the Senate will
60 this year He has not seen the Payne bill
ana may not see il until IL becomes public prop
erty His committee viii begin active work IN
gay or two and while the noise Of debate Is
Ioeoest in the House the Republicans Of the
Finance Committee will put their minds TO the
framing Of customs duties which they hope IN
see In force not later than the beginning Of the
new fiscal year
AZ al ihE history of tariff legislation I'm this
country no cornraittee Of Congress has devoted
more labor 70 the preparation Of a customs act
I'an The committee over which Representative
Sereno z. Payne Dresides a. chairman Since
november 10 last the Republican members of
mis- committee have been in almost daily ses-
IT, a.