The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-12-12
Mutilation of Payne Tariff to Be At
tempted Over Executives Request
for Trust Reforms.
WOOL IN LIST TO BE REVISED
House to Put Measure Through and
Turn it Over to the Repub-
lican Senate.
BY WINFIELD JONES.

Washington, D. c., Dec 12.-
tSpeoiaD-The Democrats of the
House, fighting for a record which
will stand them in good stead in
1912, are determined that the tariff
shall be the paramount legislative
issue of this session, to this extent
disregarding the message sent in by
the President who dealt exclusively
with the trust question.
Accordingly, the Ways and Means
committee of the House, headed by
Representative Underwood, of Ala
bama, a presidential possibility, has
already begun on the work of tariff
revision. The report of the tariff
board will be received and laid before
the committee in all it's details, but
the report will end there unless the
tariff board recommends in line with
Democratic tariff principles.
Representative Underwood says
that the Democrats of the House are
willing to treat the President fairly
and that they will await any reason
able length of time for his tariff
board report Beyond this, however
the Democrats do not commit them
selves, for they have ideas of their
own regarding the revision of the
tariff and these ideas will be carried
out regardless sof anything the tariff
board may say or do.
To Revise Payne Bill.
1t is practically certain that before
the session ends the Democratic
house will pass bills revising the
following schedules of the Payne tar
if law:
Wool, cotton. iron and steel, and
chemicals.
If the session drags along until
next October, as is predicted by some
of the more pessimistic members Of
the House, the Democrats will tackle
other schedules and will practically
revise, so far as the House is con-
cerned, every schedule in the Payne
law before the presidential cam
paigns begin.
When the House has done it's part
it will be up to the Republican Sen
ate and Repu blican President to
party.
Fight is to Be Bitter.
The fight over the tariff in both
branches of Congress during this ses-
sion is destined to be bitter. The
Senate contains one man, Senator La
Toilette, who is an avowed candidate
for the Republican nomination for
President and the Wisconsin Senator
will overlook no opportunity to put
President Taft in a hole
At that time the President pleaded
that he wanted to await the report
of the tariff board before signing any
bills revising the tariff, although the
executive did not deny that there
tariff law that were bad Now
that the tariff board is about ready
to report, Mr. Taft cannot fall back
on this plea, although he might re-
fuse to veto subsequent bills On the
theory that they did not coincide
with the findings of the board. This
however, would be a dangerous poll
tical step for the President to take,
and it is not believed that he would
dare to again veto bills sent him BIT
Congress.
Two Senators Want to Be President.
On the House side, there are two
tentative Presidential candidates.
Speaker Champ Clark and Represen-
tative Underwood are both being
doomed for the Democratic nomina-
ton land it is not beyond the range
of possibility that one or the other
of them will be the opponent Of the
Republican nominee.
Aside from tn economic question
involved, therefore, it is necessary
that the Democratic House watch pc
litical fences closely. q The House
wants to go to the country on a
tariff revision downward ISSUE and
if leader Underwood has his way this
will be the dominant note in the next
campaign.