The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-06
THE TARIFF BILL.

4 SOAAAuACuI 10 OClAlS
throughout the country over the fact
| that the debate on the tariff bill in
I, the house OF representatives is not at
| tracing much attention. Reports
from Washington. have it that only a
! handful of the members are present
during the sessions of these days to
listen to the remarks which are being
made on it and that this number is
largely made up of the congressman
who are slated to deliver their tariff
speeches on that particular day. This
leads to the conclusion that the tariff
legislation is already cut and dried as
far as the house of representatives is
concerned; that the Republican lead
ers have the votes to jam the measure
through in pretty much the form in
which it was reported by the ways
and means committee.
But probably there is another rea-
son, which may be efficient but which
is not good and sufficient. 1t is that the
senate is now recognized as the real
power in framing the tariff legislation,
although the constitution probably has
in mind that this role should be
played by the house in which. accord
ing to constitutional dictation. a tariff
bill must originate. During the past
several years. in fact since the sem
ate during the Cleveland administra-
ton killed the Mills tariff bill. the
real and final work on tariff revision
has been done by the senate. The
senator's have taken the tariff bills as
passed by the house and fixed them up
to their own satisfaction and the
members of the house have generally
accepted the verdict of the senators
as the best they could secure in tariff
legislation, disagreeable as it might
be to many of them.
That an effort will be made to make
the history of tariff legislation repeat
itself in this regard with the Payne
bill is beyond reasonable doubt.
And the friends of an honest tariff re-
vision downward which is provided
for in the Payne bill regardless of it's
several glazing defects and incon-
sistencies and provisions which are
decidedly unacceptable to the con-
sumers of the country who will have
to pay the freight, have reason to be
fearful of the fate of the bill when it
reaches the senate. For stand patters
of the first water are in the senate
crowd which has the control of things.
Still there is no use of crying over
the possibility of spilled milk and
really things are not quite as bad in
the senate as they might be. There is
lots of new blood in that body, par
ticularly from the central west; which
is not in sympathy with the oligarchy
in control of the senate. This new
blood is made up of men, fighters all,
who are in sympathy with the de-
mands of the people in respect to
tariff revision. The disposition of the
tariff bill will give them fine chance
to test their strength with the powers
that be in the senate, and whether
they can win their fight or not, they
will make things interesting. 1t is to
be presumed that Vice President
Sherman will help them all he can.
They certainly will have President
Taft behind them for his views on
tariff revision are of known.
quantity. In fact he will not hesitate
to veto tariff bill which does not
do things in the proper way and the
of this fact will probably
help the Payne bill over many hard
senatorial hill.