The Washington times., 1909-03-28
LET THE HOUSE HELP MAKE
THE REAL TARIFF MEASURE.

The ipcapacity Of the House of Rep
resentatives TO do any real constructive
legislation was illustrated in the eX-
perience of the railroad rate law, three
sessions ago. That measure as passed
by the House bore some general rela-
tion to the one which is now law; but
the real work of shaping, framing, fin
ishing it, was done in the Senate.
That experience cost the House a
vast fund of confidence and respect in
the country's mind. The country got
the impression that after all the Senate
was the real, responsible legislative
body. The House has been losing in
public esteem, and the Senate gaining,
ever since.
Unless the House contributes some
thing worth while to the making of the
present tariff measure. it will drop
down several more notches in the COM
munity's esteem. The House needs to
pail itself together and take a more
serious view of its relations to tariff
legislation. The fathers intended that
IL should dominate this business. as is
shown by placing the Initiative in the
House. in theory at least the House
is the representative branch of the Gov
eminent.
More should be done by the lower
branch than merely to jam through
hodgepodge measure for the Senate to
reorgsnize into a satisfactory and
workable law The individual members
of the House, if they would insist on
opportunity TO express themselves,
could give some useful pointers to the
Senate on making the measure. They
viii get the chance, if they will insist
on the right TO discuss the hill and to
vote freely on amendments, under the
rule which shall be adopted for It's final
consideration.
A tariff bill ought not to b. made in
party caucus. That is tie proposal
now at the front; to have the Repub-
liCan c9..cUs decide on various PROPOSE
tions. and then vote the party strength
fer these. This course viii ;niure the
House, and VIII damage the political
prospects of a large proportion of the
House members if they assent 20 it.
Let the House pass an upward revision
OF the tariff when the comtry- expects
and has been promised downward re-
vision, and what will hap9en2 There
viii be an outburst of popular indigna-
tion. The President viii make clear
~ the Senate that he cannot sign such
a measure. The Senate viii accept the
inevitable. 1t viii reorganize the bill
into such form that the President will
sign it and the country will accept it.
Then the country, looking back TO the
House measure, viii thank its stars
that it doesn't have to depend on the
House for its legislation; and the House
viii sink lower in the mire of public
contempt
There is no good reason for such
misfortune to the House, and the
House ought not TO permit It to happen.
There are a few things which would
make The Payne bill very respectable
measure. The House ought TO do them:
if it doesn't, the Senate must do them.
If it, in turn, doesn't, the President
viii veto the measure.
The President wants free lumber.
free hides, and greater reductions on
iron and steel than are now provided
in the BILL
So does the overwhelming opinion of
the country.
The President does not want the
corntervailing duty on petroleum left
IN the bill.
Neither does anybody else except the
great monopoly which controls petro-
leum products and manufactures of
them
The President does not want coffee
end tea taxed, even on the pretext of
revenues. He would have the revenues
raised otherwise.
The country Is with the President al
most 10 man
The President regards the Payne
bills glove and spice schedules as all
wrong.
So does the country, almost to
man-snd quite 10 a woman.
The House, If it doubts where the
President stands on these matters, can
learn easily enough The President has
made no secret OF his views. He has