The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-04-08
FIGHT WILL CENTER
ON LUMBER AND OIL
Lines Drawing Close for Tar
if Battle in House
Tomorrow.
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
face the organization after a course in
rccalcitrancy
Lumber is set down for a very close
vote Friday, but the expectation is that
on oil the proposition for free oil will
win by strong vote. Oil viii have a
much poorer chance to win duty in a
recorded vote than in the Committee
of the Whole. The sensational fight in
which the Speaker. the Rules Commit
tee, and the Ways and Means Commit
tee were all turned down and the oil
duty reduced to 1 per cent, has inspired
the Opposition with new determination
and zeal 1t mas had the taste Of blood,
and found it good. 1t thirsts for more,
and II there were any possible chance
of opening UP new schedules, under the
rule. 1t would open them up and get
more gore. But the one chance was on
the oil schedule, and there 1t won all II
could carry away.
over lumber and oil which IS giving
concern to the high tariff people in both
houses. The lumber people as well as
! the oil people are worried over the pos
sible effect of being defeated at this
time in the House. They count on the
Senate to take care of them by restor-
ing their duties; but after that the
House must give way to the Senate be-
fore the Senate's conclusions ccss be-
come law. The question is. viii the
House ever give way? As TO OIL, the
men who made up the majority in
favor of practically free oil say il
never will give way. They are not
enamored of the Payne bill IN any case,
I and think they would be perfectly safe
| to XIII the whole tariff legislation in
the cause Of their opposition to the oil
duties rather than to yield to the
Senate
Political phase.
This is TIC political phase that must
/ be kept in mind There are probably
/ fifty Republican members of the House
whose constituencies are entirely dis
affected with the Payne bill. and would
not care IL the whole revision sch eme
| failed. Such constituencies as these
would feei honored If their Representa-
| tives Should be parties to killing the
! whole tariff legislation rather than given
| protection to lumber and oil It would
/ be a fearful and an unheard-Of thing
TO do, but there has never been a tariff
/ revision under such conditions as sur
| round this one. The volume Of protest
| which comes from the whole country
! day by day has been putting nerve into
public men who personally would like
| to take extreme measures, but who,
| without an unmistakahle support from
! home would not think OF going so far
| as to contemplate the defeat of the
/ entire measure
This is an outcome which OF course
| IS not at all likely to happen. But the
I fact that il is now beng talked about
1 IN all seriousness; that Republicans are
/ willing TO consider taking such an ex-
/ IRENE position in order &C force con-
/ cessions from the Senate-is evidence
/ of new state Of affairs with which
| tariff makers have not often had &c
/ deal Development Of sentiment, during
/ the weeks Of the bilIs consideration in
| the Senate, will largely determine how
! the House shall act when the bill comes
| back to IL.
Members To Go Home.
After the bill gets to the Senate and
the center Of political gravity shifts
| sharply to that end of the Cauitol, the
House members viii begin planning foI
the interim. Many of them will &c
home and wait until about time for tht
bill to get back to the House other.
lSre planning d big excursion to Pan
anna. various schemes being under con
sideration looking 70 either the charte
Of a vessel or the engagement OF quar-
| terS on one of the Government trans
ports, and making trip which viii in
clude Cuba, Porto Rico, and Panama
The House Will be pretty thOrOugnl7
| dispersed within a few days after tn,
bill gets TO the Senate II win hav,
nothing 10 do for two or three months
In all probability, bot meet every third
legislative day to comply with the Con
stltUtion, and adjourn tor three day
more.
During their visits home the -HOus
! members will inform themselves ac
2 curateIy OF the condition OF publ
T / opinion about the pending bill, and III
| things they learn will go far to deter
mine their course when the bill come
J back from the Senate.
Broadly speaking, all factions an
/ parties admit that the demand tina
| something be done for tie Ultimate con
sumner IS getting more menacing. In
! / surgency has been breaking out in ney
/ spots. Mr.. Parsons of New York rep
resented one unexpected manifestation
, ! Mr. Wilson of Illinois, though one o
! Uncle Joe's boys from Illinois vote
? against the previous question on tn
! rule for consideration OF The bill
/ Scores Of men who have committed n
Z overt act Of rebellion are grumbline
{ The future Of the bill has some seriou
| storms in it.