The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
TARIFF LEAGUE
 AGAIN GETS BUSY More Excuses for Not Re- yising the Tariff MIR. WILSON'S SERVICE Gossip About Probable Resignation Recalls His Long Years of
 Service and Importance
 of His Work
BY WALTER HARPER

BY WALTER HARPER
 Washington. october H.-(SpeclalJ- rne American Protective Tariff league is getting busy to prevent tariff revision at the next sesison of Congress If possible The league has just issued a statement In which its course is outlined.
 The plan in nutshell is to try to bes, persuade or foTee the President and Con gross to let it alone
 The excuse will be that the entire 14 schedules should be revised at once if at all. It is claimed that it will not be prac- ticable to revise the tariff schedule by schedule, as such course. it is claimed, would cause confusion, as the various items are more or less connected
 Only two months ago the American Protective Tariff league and the standpat republicans were urging the President to veto the tariff legislation of the special session on the ground that it would be wise to wait until the tariff board re- ported. At that time it was known that the tariff board could report only on two or three of the schedules in time for ac- ton by the next session of Congress.
 Now that the tariff board seems to le about ready to report on these two CT three of the more important schedules the American Protective Tariff league and the conservative republicans are sounding an alarm against any "tinlering with the tariff during the coming special session. They will make the plea now that Con- gross should wait till the tariff board has reported on all the schedules.
 Anything for delay This seems to be the last straw and it is one of extreme desperation.
 The tariff league has discovered that flair and intelligent adjustment of tariff duties is a practical impossibility when dealing with one schedule at time, for the obvious reason that each and every schedule is more or less correlated with some other schedule or schedules"
 A wonderful discovery. But it had to be made.
 The league then declares that the bus mess of the country ought not to be subjected to the folies and blunders of piecemeal tariff revision.
 The pronouncement of the protective league is of intense interest to members of Congress and others who are interested In the democratic programme for tariff revision at the next session. But the an- nouncement Is not a surprise Such Q move was expected.
 Now what will be done?
 President Taft has declared that the wooen and possibly the cotton schedules should be revised immediately and nas Indicated that he will recommend on the report of the tariff board at the open- ing of. the next regular session in Decem- her. He is so far committed to piecemeal revision of the tariff and cannot avoid it gracefully.
 The standpat republicans in the Senate are expected to accept the suggestion ana contention of the American Protective Tariff league that if the tariff is to be revised at all it should be done in lump and not by piecemeal.
 oscar Underwood chairman of he ways and means committee of the House, desires and will work for the revision of every schedule of the tariff. but has chosen to take it up schedule at a lime. It is only q matter of method that ap- peals to the practical business man and the man of order like Mir. Underwood. | MT. Underwood is supported in his meth cd by the democrats in the House and Senate, It looks very much as though another hole is digging for the President But the digging cannot be charged up to the democrats. If he recommends a revision of one or two schedules of the tariff and the standpat interest stand for a revision of the entire list or none he will be put in an uncomfortable position. He cannot g well change his position now and declare N against the revision of schedule K, the l x Sf''indefensible schedule'' The discontinue of the republicans | grows more and more apparent. It has again been announced and again | denied that Secretary James Wilson of the agricultural department will resign. | Srcret3TV Wilson C xppx tt,hh it, 1, lie denial of the last runor that his resigna- | ton is in tho hands of the President. | There is no special demand for the resg- nation of the dean of the Presidents s cabinet. but there seems to be a general impression that the secretary would vol | untarily leave the cabinet some time this | winter The recent controversy in the | bureau of chemistry in which he took a | decided stand in his recommendation that Dr. Wiley be removed and which the | President ignored. seemed to put the az | fricultural adviser to the President in q | most embarrassing position It has appeared that either Wilson orl Wiley must go. There is no intimation | Of what the President may do. but it | seems very certain that Mr. Wilson res mains as firm in refusing to resign as is Solicitor MacCabe. There is still belief | that Secretary Wilson will leave the cao- fnet before the roses of summer bloom again.
 But withal he will leave the cabinet end | the head of the department of agriculture with great credit. He has accomplished bis work and could now retire with good | grace. There is nothing more that he can | accomplish that would add to the moHu- | < nent he has built for himself in improved | farm methods of the country. : Secretary Wilson has made two envia- bc records in the Presidential cabinet of the government The one for length of | service is insignificant in comparison | with that other record for having built up l