Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-05
SEEKING A WAY OUT
La Toilette and Underwood at
Work on Tariff Situation.
DISAGREE OVER RATES
Wool and Free List Bills Referred
to Them by Conferees.
WORKING WITH EYE TO VETO
Republican Member Claims That
Existing Conditions Make Easier
the Presidents Position.
WORKING WITH EYE TO VETO

The conferees on the wool bill and on
the farmers free list bill he'd q short
session this morning and referred both
measures 10 Senator La Toilette and
Representative Underwood, as suhcom-
mittee. to try to report an agreement to
the full conference committee.
Chairman Underwood Of the House
committee stated that he would like to
have opportunity to set record vote In
the House on the Senate amendment to
the free list bill affecting wheat and
breadstuffs. and this was enc cause for
referring that bill to the subcommittee
MIR. Underwood will report a disagree
ment to the House and asked for a voc
In the meeting Senator Bailey expressed
his Discrimination to act upon the free
list bill until the wool bill has reached
final agreement.
When the conferees assembled Mr.. Tn
derwood reported that he and Senator
La Toilette had thus far been unable to
agree upon the wool bill 1t was there
upon re-referred to them for further de-
Iteration. The same set of conferees
had been appointed to act upon the farm
ers free lis bill, and it was decided to
also refer that measure to the same sub
committee
The interesting spectacle is thus being
presented today of two men being dele
gated to report to Congress the rates OF
duty to be applicable upon articles of i'm
port the like of which ar manufactured
by American industries representing some
billions of dollars of investment and af-
fecting many hundreds of thousands OF
American workingmen
| 1t Is situation unparalleled in tariff
making. it was declared. and is rendered
! possible by the fact that underlying 1t
all is the assurance that the action of the
subcommittee will be of no avail in the
end If its work should be reported as a
finished product to the full conference
| committee. and Endorsed by that body and
| afterward ratified by the House and Sem
ate, the Presidents veto impends as a
final estoppal.
So to some of the tariff makers at the
| Capitol the whole performance seems TO
| be a kind of house Of cards affair, to
dents hand
Hope of Agreement.
Not so to Senator La Toilette and Mr.
Underwood. however, who are comforting
again during the day. in the hope Of
finally agreeing upon compromise which
can go through the final stage of enact
ment into law.
Senator La Toilette, especially, is hope
full Of bringing out wool bill which will
be so reasonab BILE that the President can
not afford to veto it. During his can
Senator La Toilette held out for much
higher rates than Mr.. Underwood was
willing to listen to, and did so on the
ground that the patriotic thing to do was
to agree upon a bill which the President
must sign. and give relief to the con-
sumers rather than let the entire case
drop in order for the democrats to make
a political record.
Mr.. Underwood is working for ultimate
relief to the consumer also, but he Is OF
opinion that the President will not sign
any wool bill before the tariff board re-
ports. In the back of his head MIR. Tn
derwood cherishes the belief that the
tariff board next December will report
on rates much lower than Mr.. La Fol-
lette is holding out for.
Some of Mr.. Underwood's friends have
limited in the past day or two that he
would be not unwilling to let the bill go
over until December, in the belief that
the tariff board will sustain the position
of the democrats. and that in the end
there will be victory for the democrats
and relief for. the consumers, though
postponed q few months.
A Republican Members View.
days meeting expressed the opinion after
the fruitless session of the morning that
the proceeding makes it easier for the
President to veto any bill that the sub
committee can possibly agree upon. He
declared that it is unthinkable that re-
publican President would assent to the
present proceeding Of two men. neither
| of whom is in sympathy with the re-
publican administration, sitting down and
fixing by their own dictum, without refer
ence to other than their own judgment,
| the rates Of duty affecting such an inn
portant industry as wool and enforcing
| free trade in a great many other impor-
tant articles of American manufacture
| involving many lines of business.
This gives the President u splendid
| opportunity" he said, Ito veto the bills
| with excellent reasons. which, in my opin-
| ion, would be sustained by the business
| interests of the country.
Hearings on the Cotton Bill.
The Senate finance committee met at
| II 80 o'clock today to take up the cotton
| revision bill which was referred to that
committee yesterday. Senator Smoot
moved to report the bill adversely. but
this motion was voted down, as was a
motion by Senator Williams to report it
favorably.
Then Senator simmons expressed MS
earnest desire to give the cotton manu-
facturers of North Carolina an oppor-
tunity to be heard on the bill, and at his
request the committee postponed action
until next week. The committee has un-
til August 10 to report on the cotton bill,
and IL the North Carolinians can get to
Washington before that time with their
grievances the committee will hear them
President Is Informed That
Fight Against Veto Will Fail
President Taft was informed today that
the wool pill and possibly the farmers
free list bin will reach the White House
some time Monday. The scout who i'm
parted this \ information was Senator
Crane Of Massachusetts, who has been
analyzing the movements of Senator La
Toilette and Representative Underwood