The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-03-22
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATION.

! With Cannon reelected the repub-
leans remain in control of the house
! organization, and congress is ready
for the work for which it was called
by President Taft. In some particu-
| lars the rules are to be modified. The
| procedure will not be quite so expedi-
tious as it has been for the past twenty
years. AS the republicans are In
charge of the machinery Of the
house. however, there will be no es-
sential change in results. The i'm
portant fact is that the man who was
speaker in the three latest congresses
is chosen to that position once more
All the committees will be framed in
he interest of the republican party.
The demonstration made by the in
surgents was far less powerful than
they and their democratic allies boast
ed that it would be. They polled few
err votes even than in advance, the reg
uIars credited them with. In their prin-
cipal purpose, which was to defeat
Cannon, they were easily beaten.
When Mr.. Taft sent his message
to congress recently he found each
branch ready to proceed to business.
Apparently the house will be able to
make as quick work with the revision
bill as it did in 1897, when it met on
the same day of March that it did
this year The bill passed that cham
Der on March 81. There was long
delay in the senate. 1t was not taken
up in that body until May 25, and it
did not reach the president until Ju-
ly "a Mr.. Taft however, is likely TO
ley got it. Apparently the senate Is
far more impressed this time with the
necessity for speed than It was Il
years ago. Although Mr.. Aldrich was
the leader in the senate them as he is
now, no such appeal for promptness
as was made by Taft in his
message and as The leading repub-
lican journals have been making ever
since the Inauguration. Mr.. Taft is
undoubtedly correct in saying, as he
did in a recent interview, that tariff
revision is now the only obstruction
restoration of business confidence.
The tariff is dis urbing factor in the
situation because of the uncertainty as
to what duties will be changed and
how far the changes will go. President
and congress want repub lean revision,
which will leave a sufficient margin of
protection to all important industries
which need any protection, but which
will not leave the duties high enough
on any articles to allow them to erect
themselves into monopolies, and thus
20 Cypress the smaller producers ana
make the protection equitable as well
as ample. AS the ways and means COM
mittee has given more time to arrang-
ing the schedules than ever before, it is
fair to presume that it's bill will be
found to be in a fairly satisfactory
shape when it starts into active work
today.
But congress will have A much
larger task on its hands in 1909 than it
had in 1897. This time revenue will be
revisers The principle of protection
which has been present in every re-
publican tariff, beginning with Nor
rill's of 1861, viii be Kept constantly in
view in every change in the schedules,
but the demand for increased revenue
A deficit met Mr.. Mckinley at the out
| set, but it was small, as we view
things today. In the fiscal year 1897,
which closed four months after he en-
tered office. the governments receipts
fell $1S,000,000 short Of meeting its
expenditures. The shortage in 1909
will be $12O,O00,OOo. Unlike the stu
alton a dozen years ago. new sources
of taxation may have to be created
now. This possibility makes the work
of the tariff trainers a little more diff
ficu.t than it was on the previous oc-
casion when it met for tariff revision
But as congress has had this short
age in sight all along it has undoub ed
ly taken it into calculation. The
president in his message made some
suggestions which should aid congress
in shaping its revision bill. All the
republican leaders are impressed wi
the necessity of working harmonious
ly. In serving the country they serve
their party. In their platform of 100,
the republicans were pledged to do thu
work which they set out today TO per