The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-02
TAFT AG'|N THE BILL
PRESIDENT NOT WHOLLY IN LOVE
WITH TARIFF MEASURE.
1t Is Currently Reported That He
Does Not Like the Tax on Tea;
What He Would Do to Raise
Revenue; Why Payne Production
Is Dishked Generally; What the
Senate May Do.

Washington, March 3l.-Reports that
President Taft is wholly satisfied with
the PAYNE tariff bill as it stands are
discounted somewhat by the conferen-
ces Mr. Taft has held with members
of the senate financial committee, who
are engaged in framing a bill of their
own that may be of an entirely an
ferent complexion from that presented
by the house.
The president talked with Senator
Hale of the finance committee, Repre-
sentative Dalzel of Pennsylvania and
REPRESENTATIVE Hinshaw of Nebraska.
Ii is said that he is letting it be
understood that he strongly favors a
reduction on all of the necessaries of
life
The Payne bill has been attacked
repeatedly in the house debate as inn
posing too heavy burden upon the
poor and as favoring the richer classes.
The impression created by this talk
has been anything but gratifying to
the administration, il is declared, and
matters have not been improved by
the criticism that too much cOnsidera-
ti0n appears to be in prospect for the
special interests and not enough for
the consuming public.
Opposes the Tax On Tea.
President Taft is known to be strong
w opposed to the tax on tea. 1t is
stated that this tax would yield about
SS,000000 annually. The president be-
lieves that this amount could be made
up by excise tax on the dividends of
corporations or by stamp taxation. He
does not believe that the burden of
raising this additional $S.000,0O0 should
be placed upon the rank and file of
consumers The president also is said
10 believe that the ways and means
committee will not insist upon the
countervailing duty on coffee.
The principal complaint against the
Payne bill has been that it distributes
its favors mequally. Producers are
not wholly satisfied and the consumers
in many parts of the country do not
seem TO be satisfied at ALL Only one
inference was TO be drawn from Mr.
Taft's--terif rren,,nee'aents prior to
the nomination, during the campaign
and after his election. 1t is the gen.
eral understanding that his revision
views are those of the ultimate con-
sumer There has been no sharp indi-
cation that Mr.. Payne, Mr.. Fordney
and the Others have succeeded in
making him look at the tariff in n
new light.
May Change One Provision.
There is still strong belief that the
finance committee of the senate will
change the maximum and minimum
provisions of the Payne bill. Under
the terms OF the house measure the
rates established are the minimum and
20 per cent is to be added as protest
or as a club-as you will-to be
raised against that country which does
not give the United States the benefit
of favored nation provision. If the
senate leaders should fix the established
rates as the maximum, the surface in
dications are that it would work for a
revision downward on some of the
necessares of life. This may be APP
pearance only, and the arrangement
would have to be tried before definite
conclusions could be reached.
The president is not tariff expert,
according to his own admission, but
when confronted with the law, whether
it relates to the tariff or to any
thing else, he can Judge its effect. Be-
fore any senate committee measure
is introduced as a substitute for the
Payne bill. it can be taken for granted
that he will have put it to the lawyers
test If the administrations influence
can avail anything, the provisions of
the senate bill will contain no ambig-
uity of language and will be as direct
as it is possible to make them. The
president has declared so frequently
for real revision and has so much at
stake personally and politically in the
legislation that it seems folly to doubt
that he will attempt to guide legisla-
ton so as to force it to bring the
70 Snlts ha nIS