The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-07-12
THE PRESIDENT
AND PAYNE ARE
PRIME FACTORS
Revision Downward Depends
Upon Their Position on the
Conference Report
OHIO DELEGATION WILL
= STAND BY THE PRESIDENT

house Nay JOIN Chairman payne i'm
Opposing the Report Should II BE
Too Much in Favor Of the Senate
Schedules.
Washington, July 12.-Revision up
or down depends upon two men. i'm
the opinion Of Washington. President
Taft, by public statement or threat
to veto the pending tariff bill if it is
not a revision downward, is one of
these men, and Chairman Serene Il.
Payne of the house committee on
ways and means is the other. Mem
bers OF the house today expressed
their belief that il Mr.. Payne comes
BACK to the house from tie con .erence
and reports that he does not agree
with his own colleagues, who were
packed against him by Speaker Can
non, the house will follow him for a
revision downward.
Activity mt White House.
The white house was a scene of ac-
tlVlty today as senators and repre-
sentatives poured in to present dele
cations or to urge the president to
clarity the atmosphere by making
public statement of his position.
Most of the callers have been num-
bered among the rank high pro1ec-
tlonists in congress, while Senator
Burkett and Representative Tawney
were the only two downward revision
lists there. Senators Smoot. Ledge,
Crane, Dupont and Wetmore We're
early callers, Senator Lodge present.
ing delegation of shoe manufactur-
ers, urging free hides, who got no
satisfaction out OF the president.
1t was learned today on the high
est authority that if President Taft
concludes the pending tariff bill is
unworthy of the campaign promises
of the Republican party he will have
the solid vote OF the Ohio delegation
in congress against the adoption Of
the tariff conference report The
Ohioans take the position that they
cannot afford to go contrary to the
wishes OF the president in the slight
est degree without losing their seats
They frankly say that the members
| from other states successfully get
away with Il disagreement with the
wishes of the president, but they can
not. In this connection the speech of
Representative Douglas of Ohio in the
! house in which he said the house con-
ferees could better refuse to pass a
tariff bill at all than accept the SEN
ate bill, is regarded as highly signifi-
cant.
MacVeagh as Presidents Adviser.
Just what method President Taft
tol- ,s,,s,,
as to the merits of the tariff bill are
not yet apparent. Secretary Mac
Veagh, who has been at his summer
home at Dublin, N. H., will return to
Washington today and remain near
the president as his adviser until the
tariff bill is passed by congress.
Every expert in the treasury depart
ment. including the appraisers at New
York who fix classifcations and inter-
pret the tariff law. can be summoned
at moments notice if the president
| wants advice. AS was pointed out to-
day, however, practically all of these
experts have seen service with the
senate finance committee in framing
the senate bill and Information tend
ing to revise the tariff downward is
not abundant among them.
Executive Hears From People.
On the other hand the president is
beginning to hear from the country
asking that he seize upon this crucial
moment to carry out the platform
pledges of his party as interpreted by
himself. 1t is expected that this mail
will grow daily during the next two
weeks. The president is getting all
the information he wants on the other
side of the question from high pro.
lection members of congress who keep
the white house trail hot. The friends
of the president here regard this tar
iff legislation as the crucial test of
the Taft administration, which will
make it either popular or unpopular
with the country. Unless the presi-
dent takes decided stand at this
time they profess to fear that he will
lose his influence for good along 9TH
er lines of reform legislation to
which his administration is pledged.
Conference Matters
That cotton bagging, which was put
on the free list by the senate is not
to remain undutiable is one of the
first predictions made in regard to
the proposed action of the confer
ence committee. The house con-
ferees contend that number of
American manufacturers of cotton
bagging would be compelled to shut
down if that article should remain on
the free list. and it is said that the
senate conferees will not need much
urging to agree to return bagging to
the dutiable list.
Jute and jute bats, from which
cotton bagging is made. have been
transferred to the dutiable list by the
senate, but as jute was ON the free
list in the Dingley bill as we'll as in
the Payne bill, the duty probably
will be taken off in conference.
Another prediction made with re-
gard to the action of the conferees