The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-02
Bill Will Soon Be Completed By the Senate
HARD FIGHT IS EXPECTED
Republicans Will Carry Out Their Plans With Very Little Varia- ton From the Old Cut-and-
 Dried Programme.

Washington, July 1.-(SpeciaI. )-With the Payne -Aldrich tariff bill out of the Sen ate at an early date there was a good deal of the House today as to the attitude which will be taken by the republican House insurgents and the democratic in- surgents when the bill formally comes over from the Senate. It Is admitted that the President will be the deciding factor, that is his influence among the repub- lican insurgents will be sufficient to de- triumph as 1t has usually done or the regular order will take it's course, with the resultant prolonged debate.
 Under the rules of the House the regu- lar order will be to send the bill to the ways and means committee for consider ation. That committee would then re- port to the House. which would go in committee of the whole to consider the bill item by them. Of course there is no likelihood that Speaker Cannon and the organization will permit any such pro- ceedings.
 In all probability a rule will be brought In sending the bill immediately to con- ference and 1t is upon this rule that the fight will come. It Is reported that eff forts are being made to line up the a re publican insurgents against this rule. but the organization seems satisfied that f will prove 4bortive and that in case of . close vote the speaker can rely upor enough democratic 'bolters'' to offset re publican disaffection. In the meantime the President will be ugged to hold in line the republican members under suspicion ol voting against the rule. It will be point ed out that the defeat of the rule may result in weeks of debate. which will be a potent argument for allowing the or. ganization to have its way.
 Gag Rule Is Alive.
 Representative Champ Clark. the dem ocratic leader and Representative Under wood of Alabam, two of the three dem ocrats who are expected to go on the con ference committee have little idea thai the minority party will have any say ir the forthcoming conference. They fully expect the republicans to act almost as independently as they did in the framing of the original tariff measure, only recog- nizing that they will be called in to vote before the report Is made to the two bodies.
 There is likewise little democratic differ. ence as to what In general terms the con ference committee will bring forth.
 ''Of course.' said Representative Clark the democratic leader, this morning, If Is not positively known in what shap; the Payne-Aldrich-S Shoot tariff bill vii be when the conferees get through witt it., but enough is known to enable a rat ional creature to conclude, first, that tho Payne bill Is worse than the Dingley bill, to revise downward, the rates fol which this extra session was called. os tensibly at least; second, the Aldrich Shoot bill Is worse than the Payne bill third, the Payne-Aldrich-S Shoot bill, whef finished by the conferees will be the wors of it all; fourth. President Taft will sigr any bill sent him.
 The truth is,' added MT. Clark, ''s republican revision of a republican tarif bill Is startling illustration of falling out of the frying pan into the fire. As g result of all this pow-wow about a revision of the tariff by Its friends the last con dition of the American people is worse than their first
 AIdrch's Position.
 Now, the reason that the impending tariff bill should be called the Payne Aldrich- -Smoot bill Is that Senator Reed Shoot of Utah Is next to Senator All drich the leading exponent of the prin- ciples upon which 1t is formed and the staunchest defender of its exorbitant rates. Appearances indicate that Shoot is to be Aldriohs successor as oh air man of the finance committee. 'The Senate standpatters exploit the fact that while they have increased the rates on many items, they have also reduced them on several; but on exam ination it will be found that the re- auctions are on articles of which there IS small production and on which the import duties are hardly worth con sidering in a total of over $500, 0,000. .000,- 900. For instance here are a few sam- pies of these loudlyvaunted reduc- tions: The amount of money extorted from the people on either the cotton manufacturers schedule or the woolen manufacturers sch edule is hundred fold as great as all the reductions made by Messrs Aldrioh and Shoot Some of the most absurd theories pro- posed since the confusion of tongues  at Babel have been developed in the Senate debate.
 Lodges Discovery.
 Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Mas sachusetts, the holar in politics, made the wonderful discovery that there is no such thing as a consumer That discovery will hardly entitle hin to rank with Christopher Columb us Lord Bacon. Sir Isaac Newton, Dr Harvey and Balboa. but has at least added to the gaiety of nations. Sena tor Shoot elucidated the subject oi high prices by arguing that retail mer- chants are the arch sinners in that matter, because they charge 800 or 40C per cent profit.
 That will be news to the retailers 95 per cent of whom go into bank ruptcy. It is safe to say that the aver ~---~---~-~>--->---- --------------->-- ->------------~