The Hattiesburg news., 1909-07-21
RAW MATERIALS
WILL give TROUBLE
There May Be Trouble in the House
over the Corporation Tax, Though
Both Cannon and Payne Favor the
Measure.

WASHINGTON, July 21.-President
Taft's announcement of his so-called
free raw material programme has re-
lieved the tension of congress, even if
it has pushed more than twenty Re
publican representative to the politi-
cal wall The President spoke as it
happens, at just the moment when
the conference committee has worked
out most of it's own problems and is
about agreed on the main features of
the bill. The sessions have become
reasonably harmonious and no doubt
the report could be mapped out in a
few days, if it were not thought adj
visable to defer it to give the Presi-
dent time to bring the directors to
his programme into line. The report
is not expected by the conferees them
selves before the last Of the week,
and week would be a generous but
not unreasonable allowance of time for
getting the bill through congress. Ad-
journment is calculated from the 2Sth
to the 31st.
While the Presidents plan is an ap-
parent move against the high protec-
tionists and might be counted an inn
portant victory for him if it wins, it
is not displeasing to the larger inter-
ests which have most at stake in tariff
legislation. The producers of hides,
ore, lumber. coal and oil cannot, by
any sophistry or argument, make the
country believe that the free admis-
sion of those products would put them
out of business or interfere with more
than a small slice of their profits, if
that.
The manufacturers of textiles, iron
and steel, pottery, glass and other
fundamental products in many cases
face real competition from abroad.
AS the President says, the distinction
is one Of fact, not Of theory and in
insisting upon reductions upon ore,
coal lumber, hides and oil, the Pres
dent is not disturbebing the great
duties upon manufactu rers. On the
contrary he is helping the manufac-
uring industries, as far as reductions
can, by studying the market in which
they buy. The conference commit
tee, on the other hand, is standing by
the high duties of the Aldrich bill.
Most of the concessions have been
made by the house. In its essentials.
the Aldrich bill will stand. The con-
ferees regard the Presidents items as
of little economic effect Politically.
they will benefit the Republican party
in the long run, although the immedi-
ate effect of the Presidents activity
may be to embarass a score of Repub-
lican's and to keep the leaders busy
for week or two smoothing out mat
ters for the inevitable successes of the
Presidents programme. The men on
whom the President is working are
seasoned Republicans, accustomed to
discipline, and congress will not be
permitted to adjourn or a vote to be
taken on the conference report until
it is certain that the Taft revision will
go through
Free hides has been as good as as
sured for several days. but the Pres
idents statement has clinched it. Sen
ator's Burrows and Cullo have been
won over to free hides and Penrose
and Hale stood ready to vote for it if
Aldrich would. The house, of course.
wants the duty off, and for several
days the issue has hinged on the two
New England senators, Aldrich and
Hale. Now the President has thrown
his word into the scale, and the issue
is won in the conference committee.
1t is now the Presidents task to
take care of" the western senators
like Carter and Warren. who have
threatened to keep the bill in the sen
ate a month if the duty came off. With
the President silent, they would have
done this. With Taft going to the
country, as he has done, in his owr
quiet but effective way, they must face
the responsibility of breaking with
their party leader. with his party be
hind him, if they combat with a loca
issue. This is also the situation will