Potosi journal., 1909-02-17
TARIFF WRAN6LE
IS NOT ALARMING
REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS CON-
FiDENT MAJORITY MEMBERS
WILL AGREE.
FIVE weeks LEFT TO WORK
Believed Revision Bill viii Be Ready
to Submit March f5-Tax
May Be Proposed on
Tea and Coffee.

Washington, D. C-Republican
of prominence in congress refuse to be
disturbed in the least over the reports
current that there is trouble among
the majority members of the ways and
means committee. and that Payne and
his set of followers who have seen
the revision light are arrayed in battle
have not seen it.
There is one difficulty that all the
Republican members Of congress real
iZe must be overcome The revenues
Of the government are bearly suffi-
cient for it's support-not sufficient,
in fact. 1t is felt that If the schedules
are cut close 10 the roots the coul-
trys income will be cut with them.
1t does not always necessarily follow
that lower duties bring lower govern
mental returns. for increased importa-
tion must be taken into consideration.
The belief seemingly is. however, that
even though the foreigners send more
goods to US under a lower tariff, that
the money returns will not be as great
as they are at present upon many Of
the imported articles.
Tax on Tea and Coffee.
The ways and means committee,
therefore, may decide to propose a
tax on coffee, tax on tea. and per-
haps an increase of the internal rev.
enue taxation on the lighter liquors.
Tea and coffee hardly can be
classed as luxuries, though presuma-
bly, mankind can get along well
enough. if it tries, without using either
as a beverage. The Democrats say a
tariff on tea and coffee would be
tax put on the breakfast table Of ev-
cry man and woman in the land. rich
and poor alike. They claim, and per
haps rightly, that such a tariff would
be extremely unpopular and would go
far toward discrediting Republican
reform measure.
Taft Not Enthusiastic.
There is feeling however. that Taft
is not entirely enamored of the inher-
itance taxation proposition Some OF
the president-elects utterances have
been so construed. and if he feels as
some members of congress think that
he feels. it may have the effect of pre-
venting the serious proposal OF tax
ing inheritances.
1t is pretty well understood by this
time that the Democrats under Champ
Clarks leadership will not present a
complete tariff measure Of their own
as a minority proposition. If the party
should draw and present a complete
bill, it would give the country definite
knowledge of just where the Demo-
Gratis stand on all schedule matters,
and as the tariff is now recognized to
be in a large sense a local issue, some
Of the Democrats might be hurt in
their own districts if the people there
of were to know that the party was
ready to injure a home industry.
Two months ago it was stated there
was a strong likelihood that Clark and
his followers would content them
selves with the ''amendment plan
that is, they would offer amendments
to various paragraphs in the Repub-
! lican measure when it was under con-
| sideration in the house. This would
| give the Democracy the chance to pick
| it's own tragets and refrain from shoot
| ing at anything the hitting of which
might damage Democratic prospects.
| This plan of the minority still seems
| to be the one that is likely to prevail.
Only About Five Weeks Left.
| The ways and means committee ma
/ jority has about five weeks left in
which to complete its bill if it is to be
| presented at the opening Of the ex-
| trordinary session in March The task
| Of going through the schedules care
| fully with the necessary listening to
| the arguments pro and con of the COM
| mittee members has been a hard one.
| The fact that the committee is en-
/ gagged in the actual framing Of the bill
has not prevented it from receiving
pleas and counter pleas from the coun-
/ II y EoHttI llti9 SDIliS u tilS SGHSuuleS
| The time at the disposal Of the ways
! and means committee is drawing to
| an end The members do not state
specifically how far they have gone
with their work, but there is every
reason to believe that satisfactory
progress has been made and that a
bill will be ready TO present TO con-
gress March 15, bill that must run
| its chances in both house and senate.
| Dies In Jai! Of Hydrophobia.
| McAlester. Oklahoma-James Bell,
confined in the county Jail on q
charge of selling beer, died Friday Of
acute hydrophobia. He was bitten on
the lip by hound three months ago.
The malady developed yesterday.
Dies On Train.
Trinidad. olorado-Miss Martha
| Appenzellar. who was on her way
from California to her home in
Delphia. Ind, died Thursday night on
an east-bound Santa Fe train. Tuber-
cuIosis was the cause of death.
Deaf Mutes to Meet.
St Joseph. Missouri.-Deaf mutes