The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-07-10
Serious Task of Harmonizing
the Differences on Tariff
o,,e., ~ Began Today
CANN0A's COURSE ON THE
C0NFEREES SEVERELY CRITICISED
President Taft Consulted as to Many
Changes in the House Bill Made By
the Senate-Democrats Have No Say
in Conference.

Washington, July 10.-All of the
conferees on the tariff bill were pres
ent today for the first of the many
sessions that must be held to harmon
lie the differences between the house
and the senate. Before proceeding
with the bill. motion was adopted
admitting to the conferences the
clerks OF the house and senate COM
mittees which framed the measure
originally. 1t is customary in con-
ferences relating to tariff legislation
to take up first the amendments of a
character not likely to provoke
serious conflict, but this procedure
was varied today. 1t was agreed
that many of the more Important pro-
visions should be submitted to SUBJ
conferees and other subjects will go
to members of the committees on
ways and means and finance. who
were not named as conferees. AS
sistance will also be given the con-
ferees by members of the senate and
house who had no official part in
framing the bills in committees. Of
been apportioned in the manner sug-
gested, it will be necessary for the
entire conference committee to ap-
prove the findings of sub-conferees.
Following the plan of dividing the
work, the conferees will be able to
plunge Immediately into the consider
alton Of the most veXatious questions
In the bill.
Although the differences between
the two bodies are represented by SAT
amendments, many of them like
ly to be contested with bitterness.
Chairman Aldrich of the senate
finance committee, and Chairman
Payne Of the house ways and means
committee, agree that it may be pos
sible to reach an agreement within
ten days.
The two leaders, however, are not
so sanguine Of their ability of getting
the conference reports adopted speed
lily after they have been presented
to the house and senate. The man.
ner in which the house conferees were
selected by Speaker Cannon is occa-
sioning much criticism in the house
and an effort is being made to have
President Taft take a part in the
threatened controversy.
An explanation was made today on
behalf of Speaker Cannon that the
controlling motive with him in select
ing house conferees had been the
question of location. His chief desire
was that all sections of the country
especially interested in the tariff
should have representation on the
committee. Finding that the middle
west had half the population, half
the wealth, half the volume of produc-
tion and especially that half of the
Republican representation of the
house hailed from that section, he de-
cided that it should have larger
representation on the conference than
it possibly could have if the confer
ence committee had been selected ac-
cording to the rule of precedence
among the members of the house
ways and means committee If the
conferees had been selected accord
ing to that system, the Mississippi
valley country would have been rep
resented by Mr.. Boutell alone, while
the eastern states would have had
four representatives, including two
from New England. This, the speaker
considered, would be an unequitable
distribution. He therefore passed
over Mr.. Hill of Connecticut and
placed on the committee Mr.. Calder
had of Kansas and Mr.. Fordney of
Michigan. Mr. Needham of Califor-
mia was left off according to this ex-
PLANTATION because the Pacific coast
has very few interests which are in
volved in the pending bill. Fruit is
the principal item with which that
section is concerned and the speaker
believed that it had been adequately
cared for in both houses.
According to his theory the north
Atlantic. south Atlantic and Missis-
sippi valley sections were the prin-
cipal divisions that are concerned
about the tariff at this time His selec-
ton gave three Republicans to the
eastern states, three Republicans to
the middle west, and three Demo-
Gratis to the south.
The speakers friends declare that
in this distribution his concern was
not with reference to the character
of the bill so much as it was to the
geographical location of the con-
ferees.
AS soon as the senate adjourned
yesterday Mr.. Aldrich telephoned to-
Mr.. Payne and asked him to get the
house conferees together and to meet
the senate conferees in the finance
committee room in the senate office
building at $3.50 p. m. Senator AID
rich then went to the white house,
where no had an extended confer
ence with President Taft, who had
just returned to Washington from
New England
The president questioned Mr.. AID
rich concerning many of the amend
ments to the tariff bill made by the
senate but 1t Is said that he did not