New-York tribune., 1909-04-13
THE sEEATE'S TARIFF BILL.

The Senate Finance Committee is to be com
mended for the promptness with which it re
ported the House tariff bill. The complaints
made in the Senate yesterday by Democratic
leaders that they had not been allowed TO dis
cuSs the measure In committee have only
narrow and personal interest. The country at
large was anxious to know what changes in the
Payne bill were to be recommended by the ma
iorty of the Finance Committee, representing
the party in the Senate responsible for tariff
legislation. It was little concerned about the
suggestions likely to be made by The Democratic
minority. The minority party is as hopelessly
divided in the Senate as ii is in the House OF
Representatives. Its contribution TO the task
of reframng the tariff will he slight. 1t would
have served no good purpose 10 give the mi
nority free hand in the committees delibera-
tons Under the rules there will be more thln
ample opportunity to discuss all phases OF the
proposed revision in the Senate itself
The changes made so far in the House bill
do not greatly alter its scope and character
There are many alterations in both the free list
and the dutiable list. but they are mostly of Il
technical nature The reductions exceed the
increases. The Senate committee has dropped
the increases in the glove and hosiery schedules
which have caused much comment and aroused
acrid criticism. It has also abandoned the duty
on cocoa. put on in the House for revenue pur-
poses only. 1t has shown a tendency to keep
the Dingev rates intact in the W00llen and cot
ton schedules. although il somewhat Increased
the protection on certain manufactures of cot
ton. In the iron and steel schedule iron ore
has been put back on the dutiable list, and
duties OIL iron and steel products have been
increased q little over those in the Payne bill
A heavier duty has been laid on wines 4 set
Element of the disputes over hides. lumber oil
and other troublesome items has been post
poned.
The Finance Committee, in fact. has not
shown its whole hand The administrative
narts of the bill. the Instrumentation pro
Visions the Inheritance tax and other devices
for enlarging the governments revenue are to
be dealt with later 1t is impossible, therefore.
10 say whether or not the Senate bill would
raise more revenue than the House bill. The
changes made in the House including the omis-
sion OF the tea tax, of the countervailing tax
on coffee and of the tax on oil products and the
remission of the internal revenue tax on to-
bacco growers who use their own product. have
reduced the original expectation OF /
revenue from the Payne bill by S12Opo.oO to |
S15OnO 600 The Finance Committees changes /
probably about balance one another so far as (
revenue is concerned. 1t is intilnated that the /
inheritance tax. to which many of the states /
seriously object as either causing double taxa
ton or taking from them a valuable source of
revenue may be dropped. Where the revenue
10 make up the losses from these reductions IS
70 come from is not yet explained Undoubt-
edly the Senate has made good start Debate
on the tariff bill will probably run for six
weeks In that time the Senate's attitude will
be developed and its share in the elaboration of
a measure which left the House sound in prin
cIple but with many admitted imperfections IN /
detail will be more easily appraised