The Washington times., 1909-08-06
Many Republicans Are Co
ing 10 Denounce Meas
ure This Fall.
WILL BE ISSUE
NEXT CAMPAIGN
President Taft Hopes to Get I'M
portant Results From Clause
Providing for Experts.
By ]. C. wELLIvER.


/ After 1H days Of almost exclusive coz.
sideration Of the tarin-most of it in fas
senate-Congress has passed the Payne
Aldrich bill. 1t became law under ms
signature of President Taft a few min
utes after s O'Clock last evening. and
marked the first great feature in me
/ program Of the new Administration
/ On signing the bill. the President is
sGed a statement in which he made
cleer that he appended his signature
W. - reservations as 70 the character
of the bill and no misgivings as to the
propriety Of his act: He suffered no
pangs Of uncertainty such as afflicted
/ Grover Cleveland when he allowed a
tariff bill to become law without his
I signature.
The President makes clear that Re-
publican revision is not to be ex-
pected to be free trade revision.
The bill is not a perfect BILL" he
saws, "or complete compliance with
the promises made, strictly inter
preted, but ful1llment free from
criticism IN respect to subject-mat-
ter involving many schedules and
thousands Of articles could not be
expected.
Goes to the Bottom.
The Chief Executive goes to the
bottom of the thing by declaring his
beli7f that 'in a great majority the
rates are such as are necessary TO pro-
tCet American industries. but are low
enough. in case of abnormal increase
Of demand and raising Of prices, TO
permit the possibility Of the importa-
ton Of the foreign articles. and thus to
prevent excessive prices"
Whether in fact the bill viii ac-
! rnmnflEH This. has nnRO the II fFfrF
theme of the long debate IN the sen
4 ate. There has been high Republican
/ authority for the declaration hat It viii
not accomplish this purpose, and there
has been equally good authority, OF
the same political persuasion, for the
declaration that it does achieve this
end
The statistics of the subject. compiIed
| by people with varying views, have
varied In their conclusions; but thcS
agree that, whether the revision : Il
the aggregate. upward or down -
the net change IS insignihcantly s.a Al.
Now that il is the law OF the -r,.-
al the authorities agree that only -
per.ence, the testing OF the enactul,
under the influence OF all the varying
forces which bear upon the questions OF
tariff and industry, can give the firaI
answer.
Not Satisfied.
That President Taft is bv no means
satisfied with the enactment is made
especially plain from the fact that he
has assured many public men in the
last few days that he. win institute at
once an inquiry TO determine the facts
about the much-discussed cotton and
wOolen schedules.
These have been befogged by con-
ffcfing statements until nobody save
original investigators has been willing
to speak confidently. But the country
and most OF Congress have reached the
decision that these schedules are high,
and that more than almost ANYTHING
in the measure they need downward
revision. intelligently conducted, after
full information shall have been Sc
cured.
The Presidents Meditation is to agree:
and therefore he has promised that IL
his Investigations shall demonstrate the
need of changes here. he viii recon-
mend that these schedules be taken up
next session and reOrganized-
Vito this pledge Of the President;
with a large number OF Republicans 60
ing home to denOunCe the law in order
to Justify their own course IN voting
against il. and with the Democrats de-
termined TO make an active and aggres-
sive tight for the next House, mainly
on the tariff issue-lt becomes pretty
apparent that the tarih Is not 10 be al
lowed to be forgotten at once.
G. O. P. At War.
The great Republican party, long
united on the tariff question and long
/ dependent for its popularity and power
on the strength of that issue with the
country, is plunged into an acrid joint
debate with itself. There has developed
a sharp schism between extreme East
and Middle West. The men who voted
against the bill are determined to criti-
else It vigorously in order TO sustain
themselves with their people.
There have been many expressions OF
regret that the bill as it came from con-
ference could not have been subjected
to such searching analysis as was given
to the Senate committee measure The
conference was apparently dominated
very largely by President Taft. with de-
termined purpose to accomplish a larger
concession TO the expectation OF down.
ward revision
During the long and trying conference
period most Of the comment and dis
cussion related 10 those matters IN
which the President had personally in
terested himself and as 10 which he
stated terms which amounted 10 an
Gets Concessions.
He won important concessions as to
these things. But it develops, on ex-
animation Of the conferences work.
that In many regards the conference.
while NOBODY was watching II ana deal
/ ing with items not much in the lime
/ light. succeeded in undOing the work
{ of revision previously achieved in one
house or the other.
The glass and glassware schedule is
/ an excellent illustration Nobody was
making much noise about glass; nobody
/ knew the COnferees were giving them
/ selves concern with it, But iuvestiga-
/ ton OF the schedule as II has become
/ law shows that Taost Of the lower duties
that were granted by the Senate, have
sLz5 to Baltimore and Return,
Saturdays and Sundays via Pennsylvania