Weekly journal-miner., 1909-02-17
SLOW TARIFF REVISION.

Tae outlook for early tariff legisla- 4iea following the. inauguration of President Taft on March 4 is not at al encouraging, according to the pres en. view of party leaders in congress. Developments of the past week have served as an estoppeI to the predie- tSSn that congress will have finished the job and left Washington by the middle of July. From present indica- IiOns, the statesmen will be lucky if they are enabled to spend Thanksgiv- ing day at their several homes.
 The Republican party has never be- fsre undertaken tariff legislation with so little unauimity of opinion as exists today. This does not necessarily in dicate that there is unwillingness on the part of any party leaders to shirk the pledge of tariff revision contained in the national platform of last year. The crux of the tariff plank of the platform upon which MT. Taft was elected was the declaration that "In all tariff legislation the true principle of protection is best maintained by the imposition of such duties as will equal the difference between the cost of pro- auetion at home and abroad, together with a reasonable profit to American industries. Candidate Taft endorsed this plank in speech at Columbus, Ohio, and if congress is to carry out the spirit of the platform utteranee it must determine, first, the difference in cost of production at home and abroad, and, second, what is a reason- able profit to American industries.
 It requires no especial discernment to see that here is opportunity for as many different opinions, almost, as there are men in congress. It is gen .eraIly understood around the capitol that the Republican members of the ways and means committee are wide apart in their views as to the form tariff legislation should take It goes without saying that there will be still wider differences in views in the house itself. By no means all the tariff stu dents in the house hold membership on the ways and means committee.
 The Republican leaders would like to agree on a program which would permit of the bill being reported out of committee to the house within 6 day or two after the extra session con- Tenes, limit debate in the house to not more than two weeks, pass the meas ure and send it on to the senate But they are not strong enough to put through such program. The house -'insurgents have made up their minds that they are going to debate the tariff bill until there has been reasonable opportunity for every man to nave his say, and the Democrats, of course, will join them in their stand. Their combined strength is sufficient to prevent the adoption of any rule that does not give a reasonable time for debate.
 The constitutional provision that measures for raising revenue shall orig mate tn the house has in the past been observed more in the letter than in the spirit. On some of the former bills the house committee after con dueting extensive hearings, has framed up and put through the house a bill which was not much more than a dum- my. It is in the senate the schedules l nave been given exhaustive considera- tion and whipped into final shape. l This was true of the Wilson bill and l the Dingley bill, the two most recent | general tariff measures passed by con- gress.
 This year there is a strong senti- ment in favor of the house perfecting its bill, and while the right of the senate to "eoncur with amendments" {" is conceded, sentiment is decidedly ad- Verse to allowing the upper house to