Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1909-07-22
THE TAFT DINNER.

President Taft entertained the repub-
lican tariff conferees and few Others at
q roof garden dinner at the White House
last night aud followed it with general
conference covering the entire tariff sit
ustion. Senator Crane and Represen-
tative Dwight we're present to report the
progress made by them in counting the
noses" In Congress, Attorney General
Wickershsm was on hand as the admin
istration's legal adviser.
When the gathering broke up soon
after IL O'Clock, the situation In the
Senate and House bad been pretty
plsinly laid before the president, bu; no
rates had been fixed and no understand.
ing entered into between the president
and the cOnferees other thau that the
rates which it is proposed to write into
the conference report must be such as
can be passed through CoDgresa.
The impression of some of the high
protectionists that the president would
accept any kind of tariff bill he could
get has been shown to be erroneous.
The conferees we're told yesterday
afternoon OF an occurrence on Tuesday,
when Speaker Cannon saw the president
aud said something about "standpstism"
that provoked this pointed remark from
MI. Taft: "Some things may look like
Jelly from the outside, but you will fad
that there is hard core within"
The presidents programme, So out
lined to various members Of the confer
ence at frequent meetings, and to all OF
them last night, is as follows:
Free hides, free coal reciprocity with
Cansda), free petroleum, free iron ore.
free lumber, cotton goods reduced, boots
and shoes reduced to Is per cent sd va
loren; gloves, Senate rates, lower than
House rates; hosiery, Senate rates, lower
than House rates.
Of these the president has practically
won free hides aud free iron ore, and is
still battling for free petroleum, free
coal and tree lumber. The House wants
dollar lumber and the Senate 81 80.
The president did a great deal Of work
clearing the decks for the dinner. He
FIST made a raid on the Senate insur-
gents and captured Senator Borah, who
has been "off the reservation" because
OF the corporation lax and free hides
He was expected 10 make the eleventh
insurgent who would vote against the
adoption of the conference report. Bat
the president got him into camp.
At the dinner there is understood TO
have been very plain talk IS to the party
situation and how it would be affected if
this or that thing we're done or not done.
And there was very plain talk as TO
whether some Of the things desired by
tie president were possible of accom-
plishment when thrown into the Senate
and the House.
The Senate conferees proved their viii
lingbess to concede free lumber, free
hides, free iron ore, free coal and free
petroleum, but expressed doubt whether
all these commodities could be voted on
the free list in the Senate. Senator Bur
rows wept furtive tear when free iron
ore was mentioned. Representative
Payne was strong for the lower duties
made by the House, but still could not
be convinced that the Senate duties on
gloves and hosiery we're not personal
reflection on himself.
Mr.. Aldrich tod the president plainly
that no report providing for free raw
materials in accordance with the presi-
deu's plan possibly could be got through
the Senate This statement, he declared,
was made upon a thorough canvass Of
the Senate and talks be had had with
senators who we're vitality interested in
these items. The chairman of the finance
committee, however, said that there was
a spirit of compromise, and that the men
who opposed the president were willing
to meet him half way and would abide
by the action of the committee If there
we're a compromise over the rates that
reduced in some measure these fixed by
the Senate on these raw msterials.