The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-03-13
ALDR|CH SUPREME
AS TARIFF TINKER
Rhode Island Senator All
Powerful When Measure
Passes House.
ALL READY TO ACT
WHEN BILL is OUT
Chairman of Small Subcommit-
tee Which Has Big
Say. s@3k

From this time forth until the tariff
bill has passed boJh houses of Congress
the man who Will be most in the lime
light at the Capitol is Senator Nelson
w. Aldrich of Rhode Island. chairman
of the Senate Finance Committee.
Just now, much is heard OF the power
welded by Uncle Joe" Cannon. But
the power of Uncle joe is not COM
parable, so far as the special session
of Congress and the revision OF. the
tariff is concerned. with that welded by
Senator Aldrich- He is the man who in
the last analysis will say, what tine
tariff bill will contain and what it will
not. how far it will go in the revision
direction, and where reductions will
stop.
Favored Few.
According TO all the past history Of
tariff lasv-making, at least in recent
years, the tariff has been fashioned in
the Senate Finance Committee and by a
small subcommittee of that committe
of which always the chairman is one
Senator Aldrich is not going about his
task unprepared. He has seen the re-
vision Of the tariff coming for many
months, and he has been getting ready
FOR II. On the particular subjects that
concern his committee, Senator Aldrich
Is invariably found fully prepared,
while he knows the tariff in general and
the workings OF the tariff schedules in
particular.
Senator Aldrich wants TO get rid of
the tariff as soon as possible. He real
lies the Importance Of this TO the bust
ness world. II is expected by him
uhat the bill will he in effect as early
a the beginning of the next fiscal year.
This is much earlier than IL has been
generally supposed would be possible.
Will Give No Hearings.
No hearings on the bill will be given
by the Finance Committee The copious
hearings on the House SIDE are thought
TO obviate the need for hearings. Sena-
tor Aldrich has so far not seen the
tariff bill as the Ways and Means Com
lnittee has framed il. This is not say
ing he is in entire ignorance of the
tenor OF il.
The bill will be prepared by the Re
publicans of the FINANCE Committee.
That committee proposes TO begin work
when the bill Is brought into the House
and printed. An effort viii be made
10 keep UP 10 the House in the consid-
Grafton OF the measure. The Senate
committee expects TO be able TO make
its report to the Senate lust as soon
az the bill has passed the House
When the special session opens Mon
day, the Republicans OF the Finance
Committee Will meet, and go over the
plans for the consideration of the tariff
question They viii meet in the new
offices of the Finance Committee in the
Senate office building.
Question of Vacancies.
Intense interest surrounds the ques-
ton OF who will f. the vacancies in the
Finance Committee. Senator Simmons
Of North Carolina, i is understood, will
NIL the vacancy on ne Democratic side
AS 10 the Republican vacancies. nothing
definite has been divulged The asplr-
ants are numerous. Senator Lodge, IL
Is expected will be one Of the acces-
sions on the Republican side.
Three Senators and three members OF
the House VIII have q large say i'm the
ultimate fashloDIng OF the tsriff meas
ure, inasmuch as they will be on the
conference committee They are SEN
ators Aldrich, Burrows. and Daniel, and
representatives Payne, DalzeH, and
Clark.