The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-03-03
House Will Revise the Tariff
Schedule
AT THE EXTRA SESSION
Committee Making Will Begin Monday.
WAYS and Means Members to Make
Assignments Under New Rules.
Republicans in Quandary

Washington, March g.. Extra session
Of no extra session, the Democratic
members Of the House ways and means
committee will hold meeting next
Monday at the House office building and
win proceed to consider the business
OF making up the committees for the
siXtv-second Congress and OF preparing
the way for tariff revision
Chairman Underwood of the commit
tce-that Is, he will be chairman as soon
as the committee is organized has
called the Democrats together and
means to lose no time getting down TO
business. 1t Is expected the discussion
Monday viii be largely preliminary and
will range over a wide field, both with
respect to how to 60 about tariff reyi-
sion and the selection OF committees.
If it is absolutely settled by Monday
that there is to be an extra session, OF
course the Democrats viii have little
time left in which to determine the
committee membership and TO get ready
to report one or more tariff bills to the
House,
As a matter of fact, the House Demo.
cratic leaders are convinced the extra
session is coming. They are making
their plans accordingly All the com
mittees are to be made up, The big
committees, such as ways and means,
are to have fourteen Democratic mem
bers and seven Republican members,
That is, the proportion viii be two to
one. This is sad dish of crow to the
Republicans. who for SO many years
have been plucking at all the nice, juicy
morsels about the House IN the way
of committee assignments.
Representative Underwood talked yes
terday about the situation as respects
tariff revision lie said it was impossi-
Bile to say how far the Democrats Of
the House would 60 with respect to
passing bills, revising different schedules.
He said much would depend on develop
ments, on the situation that developed
in the Senate, and the like. 1t would
be the policy, he said, to introduce a
bill for revision Of one schedule and fol-
low it up with bill for the revision
of another schedule How far this proc
css would 90, Mr. Underwood said could
not be definitely foretod at this time.
The allegiance of Mr.. Underwood and
the House Democratic leaders generally
to the system OF revision schedule by
schedule is unwavering.
Mr.. Underwood would not discuss the
question of what the Senate Democrats
might do with the tariff bills sent over
from the House Ii is the purpose of
the House Democrats to 20 ahead in
their own way fulfilling their pledges
TO the country as they interpret them,
and not to bother about what may be
done at the Senate end Of the capitol.
The Republican leaders have been
asked by the Democratic leaders what
they are going to do about filing the
minority places on the committee. The
Republicans have worked out no plaus.
As matter of fact. it is a most diff
cult problem for the Republicans, di-
yided as they are between regulars and
insurgents.
While none Of the Democratic leaders
assert il openly, there is no doubt that
What they expect to do is to hurry the
tariff bills along through the House as
rapidly as the ways and means COM
mittee can act upon them and report
them out for the consideration of the
House. In the process of doing this,
they expect to pass bills in the House
revising each one of the schedules. The
plan which has been generally talked Of
until very lately is to revise only q few
Of the chief schedules, as wooden, cotton,
iron and steel, and food products. But
a more comprehensive plan win be car
ried out. Separate schedule bills will
be put through and every schedule win
be tackled This may mean a prolonged
extra session.
The House Democrats will pass the
Canadian reciprocity agreement. They
will pass it unattached to any other
tariff proposition, if there is an extra
session President Taft has been given
assurance Of this What the Senate
will do is as hard to forecast as to
predict the course Of a jury. 1t doubt
less will pass the reciprocity agreement
il it comes to a vote, but whether the
agreement will be amended, or whether
tariff revision bill will be attached
to it cannot be foretold.
President Taft has given the Demo
cratic leaders no assurance he viii sign
any Of their tariff revision bills But
there is strong impression that he