The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-04-20
DRAWN UP TO PERMIT REPUsLI-
CAN LEADERS TO FRAME
TO SUIT THEMSELVES.
Entire Character of Bill Depends Upon
Two Sections Left Blank by
Finance Committee.

WASHINGTON, April 20.-(SpeciaD
THE new senate tariff bill contains
the prize joker of tariff history.
The bill is so drawn as to practical
Iy permit four republican leaders to
frame the administrative features of
the measure to suit their fancy, and to
keep the revenue producing provisions
from being known to congress and the
people until after the cOnfereeS have
reported the measure and it is ready
to be passed 1t will then be too late
for public wrath to interfere with any
program the leaders have decided
upon.
The man who first pointed out this
colossal joker was Representative O.
w. Underwood of Alabama, member
of the ways and means committee, and
one of the foremost tariff experts In
congress.
The Joker this time exists through
the omission in the bill reported from
the senate finance committee of sec
tions and Of the Payne bill. The en-
tire character of the tariff bill de-
ponds on what these sections provide
They have to do with the maximum
and minimum rates and all admins
trative features.
1t was in one of these sections of the
Payne bill and inheritance tax was
provided BY reporting a bill with
these two important sections blank,
the country, and even any member of
congress not having the confidence OF
the finance committee of which Sena-
tor Aldrich is chairman, is left abso-
lutely in the dark as to how the bill is
to raise revenue AS the bill stands it
fails to bring in as much revenue as
the Payne bill. In some manner the bill
must bring in to the national treasury
$780, 100000 annually.
If Senator Aldrich can succeed in
having the new bill passed by the SEN
ate as it now exists it will go to the
conferees with sections and 4
blank The conferees will be free to
construct these sections as they see
fit.
To understand the situation COM
pletely, it is necessary for the reader
to become better acquainted with the
conferees. who will, according to the
Aldrich program, be in position to
legislate for both houses.
The tariff bill has passed the house
of representatives. 1t is now before the
senate After the senate passes the
measure it goes to six cOnfcreeS, one
democrat and two republicans from
the house and one democrat and two
republicans from the senate. The re-
publican conferees from the house will
in all probability be Payne and Dali
zell, or two men who will carry out
their personal wishes.
The republican conferees from the
senate will likely be Aldrich and Hale,
or two senators whom they will name,
and whom they will be satisfied will
carry out their personal wishes.
These four men, if they adopt the
regular working methods of the re
publican organization, will meet Sc
cretly and decide what they wish to do
with the tariff bill. They are free to
change the bill in it's entirety if they
wish. This would be discourteous to
both houses, and would not be called
for.
However. if the senate bill passes as
it was reported the conferees are not
only free to fill in the blank sections.
but under obligations to the senate to
do so.
The administrative features of the
OIL Apply 10 every rate, anu Wulle OH
their face, when considered separate
from the provisions of sections and
4, the rates on certain commodities
may appear satisfactory to the con-
sumner, they may be materially adj
vanced by the administrative features.
In other words the bill will be
SphinX-like mystery until the admin
istrative sections of the bill are known.
Fairness to the public as well as
both houses of congress- says Rep.
Underwood, demanded that the
finance committee of the senate report
tariff bill with no blank sections.
The committee only reveals art of it's
bill The public has no chance to judge
the missing sections because it doesn't
have the least idea what they are BY
keeping their intentions in the dark
the republican leaders will be in a pO-
sitiOn to prevent honest criticism by
both the public and minority until it is
too late for such criticism to do any
good.
Il think the average person under
stands that after the cOnferees decide
on q certain piece of legislation it is