The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-18
TAFT IS GETTING TARIFF FIGURES Early Message, However, Will Avoid Subject DEMOCRATIC PLANS Ways and Means Committee Has AL ways Heretofore Initiated Tariff Legislation-The Means of
 Gathering Information
 
DEMOCRATIC PLANS
BY WALTER HARPER

Washington, November 17.-(Special.)- While the reports of the tariff board on the woolen and cotton schedules have not yet been submitted to the President, he has made himself familiar with the gen. eral import of the findings of the board. It has been announced that he is already familiar enough with the general out line of the report on each schedule to know that he will be able to recommend to Congress substantial reductions in these two big schedules
 With the formation of this government and the writing of it's constitution the lower house of Congress was given the sole right to initiate and write laws look ing to the providing of revenues for the expense of the government The ways and means committee was formed to have charge of this particular public duty.
 The committee on ways and means has initiated all the tariff legislation that has been enacted since the establishment of the government. It has it's means and methods of gathering data and informa- tion on which tariff legislation is based.
 A tariff board or commission to gather data for the information of the Presi- dent and Congress is all right, but many people will ask the question: Has the present board justified itself?
 The ways and means committee of the last special session, after long and care full investigation. found that the woolen and cotton schedules of the tariff could and should be revised downward. Chair man Oscar Underwood and his associates on the committee and in the House framed bills revising these schedules and put them through Congress after various revisions and amendments which is never uncommon. and the bills were sent to tho President.
 The President vetoed the bills, giving as his excuse an ignorance of tariff ques- tions. He said that he did not know that the facts justified the reductions made in the bills. He further made the charge that the ways and means committee had not taken time to investigate and could not have the facts and information that would justify tinkerng with the tariff. He declared that he would wait until he had information and would depend upon
 
 In an effort to override the Presidents vetoes, Chairman Underwood and his col- leagues contended that they had informa- tion on the tariff and that the reductions were justified by figures and facts in the hands of the ways and means com- mittee
 The forthcoming report of the tariff board will confirm the position of Mir. Underwood and his colleagues. Mir. Under wood and his committee had the informa- tion that justified them in passing revised MT. Taft admitted in his veto messages that he did not know and at the time his tariff board could not enlghten him. This same tariff board has spent upward of $475,0OO, and will be ready to report on two and maybe three schedules by some time next spring.
 The board may, and probably will, pro- duce some facts and figures that have not already been secured by the ways and means commmittee, but the board has answered the purpose for which it was created. It has delayed tariff re- vision and will still further delay action.
 It udS dlTeduy peeu SeInl-OTlClally dn- nounced that the Presidents message to Congress at the opening will not take up the matter of tariff legislation, but that that question will be left for later messages. It is believed that the policy of the administration will be to minimize the importance of tariff legislation and try to overshadow it with other ques- tions
 How long the tariff messages are to be delayed is not stated, but 1t Is very prob- able that Congress will not have the Presidents views on the question until after the holidays
 However, the ways and means commit tee will not wait for the Presidents mes- sage. The democrats are pledged to tariff revision. Their position in the special session has been justified, and will be more thoroughly Justified in the report of the tariff board and it will probably proceed just as though an organization of clerks under the direction of the President is engaged in spending s5O0000 to find out something that the ways and means cCmmmittee already knows