The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-07-20

General View Of Taft's Dec
laration on Tariff.
CONSERVATIVES AROUSED

IN Confidence Many Talked Freely
and Predicted That the Presidents
Stand Meant Defeat for the Bill.
standpatters Will Now Become In
surgents and Outcome ls in Doubt.
Washington, July 1l-President
Taft's emphatic declaration that he
regarded the Republican platform as
meaning, and the sentiment of the
whole people as demanding, "revision
downward" eclipsed in interest all
minor and specific details of the tariff
struggle in all circles here.
The statement issued after a dele
cation of congressman had appealed
to the president for the maintenance
OF protection upon raw materials, par
ticularly iron ore, wool, hides, oil and
lumber, pSSHorted to be an outline re-
port of the discussion which took
place during the visit of the delega.
ton and especially of what the presi-
dent said to the visitors; but the very
fact that such statement was issued
at all and. in particular, the emphatic
conclusion of the remarks Of the pres
1dent thus reiterated made it clear to
all who studied the announcement
that the president intended it virtually
as an ultimatum.
Many read into the statement a
barely concealed threat on the part
of the president that if the bill
| reached him in form which he re-
earded as unfaithful to the promises
OF his party and disobedient to the
sentiment of the mass of the people
he would veto it.
Talk Freely In Confidence.
Few Of the prominent members of
| either house Of congress would dis
oalss the statement for publication and
fhost of the utterances intended for
quotation were of a perfunotory char
| aater; but in confidence many talked
| freely and some of the conservatives
very bitterly; some went so far as to
say that the presidents stand meant
nothing less than the defeat of the
bill altogether. One man saids "Now
the standpatters will become the in
snrgents; the lines will all have to be
reformed and nobody can forecast the
outcome"
Those less excitable inclined to the
view thet the president had simply
made long foreseen move essential
to the 'logic OF the game and that it
would mean the speedy dissolution of
the opposition to downward revision
and the termination of the long fight
with the bill at last in the presidents
hands substantially as he has all
along desired and intended it should
be.
The conferees of the two houses are
adjusting their differences with rea-
sonable degree Of rapidity. They have
been in session for about a week and
have made quite as much progress as
the more conservative of them had
expected they would.
Shifts Scene Of Controversy.
The fact that the president has
taken so positive stand has had the
effect Of shifting the controversy from
the two branches of congress between
themselves to the president and con
gress as whole. From this time for
ward it looks as If the question would
be, not what the house will concede tC
the senate or the senate to the house
but how much the president will de-
mand and how much the conferees
can concede and still make sure of the
acceptance of the conference report
by the two houses of congress. It ie
q good natured fight, but it Is a fight
The great difficulty of meeting the
presidents demands, if they are as
extreme In the direction of free raw
material as is feared by those inter
ested, will be encountered in the sen
ate, where the raw material states
have greater proportionate representa-
ton and where there ia no cloture
rule. In the house, as a, WHOLE the
tendency is toward the presidents
position, but some of the house con.
ferees lean toward the senatorial
| Wow