Evening star., 1909-03-09
Ways and Means Committee.
men on the Defensive.
EMPLOY FURTIVE LOOKS
Dodge Through Capitol to Escape Be.
ing Buttonholed.
GUARDING THE TARIFF BILL
Information Lacking as to Recon-
mendations in Measure-"On to
Washington" the Cry.

Washington" the Cry.
| See that furtve-looking person with the
wary apprehensive air. lodging through
| the Capitol? Watch him as he fits eau
| tiously from pillar to post, peering about
as he leaves one vantage place and tacks
| for another. He is a member of the
| ways and means committee. one of the
republicans responsible for the new tariff
| bill
| lie is trying to escape being button
holed by one of the New England dele
CATION asking for free hides and well pro-
tected shoes; or by one of the westerners
protesting against free hides; or by
| Pennsylvania coal miner who is willing to
have reciprocity with Canada on coal; or
a West Virginia or Colorado or Kansas
miner who objects to reciprocity; or by
one of the simon-pure gen-oo-ine tariff
reformers from the south, who wants
everything scaled down to the bone-ex-
cept the tariff on rice, sugar. sea island
| cotton, citrus fruits and Alabama pig
| iron
| Or perchance he is avoiding newspaper
men, who are desirous of communicating
| to a waiting business world, with mil
| lions of dollars of investments in sus-
| pense, the result Of the Iabors of the
tariff revisionists in committee as
sembled. for the bill has been COM
pleted, is even now in print in the first
draft. and committeeman are fearful of
| being overwhelmed with demands for
changes In the schedules from the rates
| they may have decided upon.
Bill Is Carefully Guarded.
| No tariff bill prepared within the MEM
ory of the present generation of persons
interested in that class of legislation has
| been so carefully guarded from publicity
| during the period of its incubation. This
| course has been followed by committee
men to protect themselves from pressure
from their colleagues dissatisfied with the
rates agreed upon.
| So far as reliable Information can be
| obtained from the committee as to the
| present status Of the bill the recon-
mendations Will include material rsduc--
| tions In a. number Of schedules which
have hitherto enjoyed high protection.
Steel, steel rails and other products of the
steel industry will be recommended for a
considerable cut. Report places the re-
duction as high as 30 per cent in some
items of the schedule.
Hides. it Is reported, will be on the free
| list, with reduction on manufactured
products of leather. including shoes. The
shoemen Of New England are more inter-
!
the reduction of tariff on shoes. because
| they are, in a measure, protected from
| foreign competition by patented shoe
making machinery, by skilled labor and
the preference for American styles. If
| they can get their raw material cheaper
and have free coal they will worry along
with the foreign competition somehow.
Cheaper Coal for New England.
Report also says that cheaper coal for
/ r,ofa &c
procity with Canada on COAL That plan
will enable the soft coal of seaboard Can
ada to be fioated to the American sea-
board The Pennsylvania miners will be
compensated by being able to ship Penn
sylvania coal to middle Canada The
| scheme is all right except for West Vir-
ginia, Kansas and Wyoming miners. Lum-
ber Is in for reduction, it is reported,
probably as high as 30 per cent. Protec-
| ton to American forests by allowing the
Canadians to denude their forests and
ship the lumber here is a part of the
program urged by some republicans.
| Discussion of the probable recommends
| tions of the forthcoming bill is rendered
more or less tame at this time by consd-
Grafton OF the fact that 1t does not after
| all, make much difference what the bill
provides at the outset 1T will have to un-
dergO amendment in the House will GER
tainly be amended by the Senate commit
| tee on finance, will again be amended in
|
| preparation, shaping up in conference
committee.
! That is where the vital work will be
| done, and to that conference will be
pushed up all the knotty problems in
connection with the new tariff law, Six
men will make the tariff Of 1909.
Things in the Reckoning.
| How long will all this take? Only d.
vine prescience could frame an adequate
answer. 1t depends largely upon how OBJ
stinately the House resists the wishes of
| the Senate. 1t depends also upon the tenn
per Of the insurgents in the Senate
A feature of the tariff legislation sure
| to cause extended debate will be the
revenue-raising provision. 1t Is as GER
| tain as death and taxes that more rev.
enue will have to be raised. What will
| supply it?
Coffee will be asked to provide some
$40. 900, 600. A tax of four five cents
| pound will be proposed on coffee. That
will bring the tariff home to every,
| mans breakfast table and remind him
| at his MONDAY luncheon of the neces-
stiles of government 1t is an i'll wind
| that blows nobody good. however, and
those wise old owls who have optioned
| Porto Rico coffee lands-since Porto
| Rican coffee will be duty free-will study
! the European tour lists and look around
| for models of 1910 automobiles.
| Some of the war taxes of 1898 may be
re-enacted. Income tax will be proposed
and discussed at length. Whisky and
beer will be suggested for increased
| taxation, but probably will go scot free.
Reporting the Bill.
| AS soon as the House is organized
next week the ways and means commit
tee will be appointed by Speaker Can
non. He will reappoint the present COM
mittee. filing two vacancies, one repub-
lican and one democrat. Chairman Payne
| will then produce from his inside pocket
| the draft of the tariff bill. which will be
| introduced and referred to the new COM
| mittee. which will hold formal session
! and the democrats given opportunity to
vote against reporting the bill.
! 1t Will be reported and debated and be-
yond this statement, man, with he limited
foresight of mortal is venturesome indeed
TO predict what will happen to it.
| This mornings mail brought Mace
| donian cry from the organization of the
stand -patters, the American Protective
| Tariff League. 'On TO Washington is the
| watchword. and manufacturers are ad-
monished 10 camp out at the Capitol until
the tariff bill is passed.
| Substance Of Circular.
! The circular of the league. addressed to
manufacturers. says in part:
In our judgment the executive head of