Omaha daily bee., 1911-09-03
TARIFF IS THE MAIN ISSUE
President Will Explain His Vetoes
and Work of Board.
BIG B1UNDER IN COTTON BILL
Provisions of Chemical Rider Would
Cut Revenue Hundred Million
and Lead TO Endless Fraud
and Litigation.
(From a Staff Correspondent)

WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 2-(Special)
Now that the president has indicated that
the tariff is TO be the main issue OF the
campaign next year and he has fearlessly
spoken out in favor of a scientific revision
Of the schedules. It will be interesting to
watch the position which the insurgents
will take on this question.
The tariff problems discussed at the ex-
ira session were comparatively simple In
contrast with what is in prospect when a
general revision is undertaken. 1t will be
quite a different task from passing reci-
procity measure already framed for con-
gress and pushing through single-shot
propositions like the wool schedule. Mem
bers Of congress having experience in tar
iff legislation are unusually scarce. In the
number OF such constructive workers the
republicans have distinct advantage. or
the fourteen democratic members OF the
ways and means committee only four-Un-
derwood, chairman; Randall. Harrison of
New York and Brantiey-were on the com
mittee In the last congress. or the seven
republican members. six veterans-Payne,
DalEell, Mccall, Hill, Fordney and Long
worth--were members of the committee
that passed the Payne bill. Payne and Dali
zell were members of the committee which
fourth congress. No members of either
house have greater experience with tariffs
than these two.
OF the finance committee which ham
died the Payne bill, five have been elm
mated by politics, retirement and death.
Aldrich, chairman; Burrows and Flint have
retired from the republican side; Money
and Taliaferro retired and Daniel, de-
ceased, on the democratic side. The new
members are Clark of Wyoming Hepburn
and La Toilette, republicans and williams,
Stone, Kern and johnson of Maine demo-
Gratis. And these men, together with their
colleagues of the house, will work over
tariff revision when the tariff board re-
ports next December
Cotton Bill Veto Justified.
In President Tafts veto OF the cotton
bill, with it's appended steel and chemical
schedules the tariff board finds ample JUS
tification. For It was on information fur
nished by the experts of the tariff board
that the president was able to base his
powerful argument, an argument that can
not fail to help the presidents cause
nightly. for there has never been so
amazing a piece of legislation passed by
congress as was the cotton bill with it's
steel and chemical riders Had the tariff
board experts failed to make the discovery
which they did make as to the cotton, steel
and chemical schedules and had the Presi-
dent approved the measure the revenues
of the government would have been re-
1 duced not less than a hundred million dol
( lars annually.
Inadvertently reduced" is the excuse
that would have been offered by those re-
I sponsible for the tariff monstrosity in
/ question. The president himself was gen
erous enough TO attribute the blunder to
'inadvertenee" But there are those less
generous than the president, who charge
IT to ignorance or worse, and who see in
this hastily considered legislation ample
| justification for the tariff board.
| A bankrupt treasury as the result Of the
"inadvertence" alluded to above-eompen-
satory duties for the high domestic tax
on alcohol in compounds Inadvertently
abolished-Sl.4O a gallon for alcohol to the
domestic manufacturer and 80 cents to his
| importing comprehensive internal revenue
system invaded and shattered beyond re-
pair-the door opened to endless litigation.
evasion and fraud-and all the results of
unseemly haste. gross ignorance and in
advertence.' A beautiful prospect for the
American people with a democratic house
and an un-republican senate. unless a re-
publican president aided, advised and as
sisted by scientific tariff board should
be on hand TO protect American interests.
Keynote of the CampaisB.
Next 10 his statesmanlke veto of the
statehood bills because Of the recall pro-
vision affecting the judiciary in the Ari-
zona constitution, no more powerful docu-
ment has been issued by. a president in
the last quarter OF a century than the veto
Of the cotton schedule. AND It seems es-
pecially timely, in view OF the fact that
the presidents visit to nearly twenty -four
states, beginning Sept. Is, to again print
what the president said in that veto as 20
tariff legislation;
'The important thing is 70 get our tariff
legislation out OF the slough Of guess work
and log-rolling and ex-parte statements Of
Interested persons and 10 establish that
legislation on the basis Of tested and de-
termined facts, to which shall be appl. ed.
(Contnued on Second PageD