The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-01-27
STEEL REDUCTION
BILL FACES VETO
DEMOCRATS PLAN TO RUSH NEW
MEASURE sTARTLEs THE
REPUBLICANS.
DIVISION OF SENTIMENT
Understood Taft Declared He Would
Oppose Revision Downward No
Matter How Il May Go
Through House.

Washington, Jan. 25. - Although
their steel and iron tariff reduction bill
confronts a veto when it reaches
President Taft, no matter how the bill
may go through the house and how it
may be changed in the senate, Chair.
man Underwood and his colleagues of
the ways and means committee are
preparing to press the bill through the
house.
The Republican members of the
committee were startled when a re-
port was circulated that Mr.. Under
wood was preparing to rush the bill
through before Saturday night and
that every amendment which might be
offered by the Republicans would meet
with vigorous opposition by the Demo.
Gratis. Representatives Payne, Dalzell
and Mccall of the Republican minor
ity end of the committee went at once
to the White House to confer with
President Taft and to ascertain in ad-
vance just what the president thinks
Of the Democratic steel bill and the
plan to rush it through without await
ing report from the tariff board
1t is understood that the president
assured the Republican committee
men that any iron and steel tariff re-
duction bill of the kind and complex
ion now proposed by the Democrats
would meet the same fate at his hands
as did the wool, cotton and other tariff
bills passed at the special session last
summer, unless it shall be approved
by the tariff board.
The Republicans are preparing to
attack the steel and iron tariff reduc-
ton bill even harder than they did the
wool and cotton bills last summer
They are expecting greater divi-
sion of sentiment among the Demo
Gratis of the senate on the measure
than was shown among the members
of that body in the special session and
in the consideration of the iron and
steel provisions of the Payne law
three years ago.
Washington, D. enquiry into the
operation by the United States Steel
corporation of it's subsidiary railroads
in the Lake Erie, Lake Superior and
Birmingham districts is to be resumed
next week by the house "steel trust"
Investigating committee.
Freight rates on ore and manufac.
tured products alleged to operate TO
the disadvantage of competitors
against the corporation are to be IN.
ouired into exhaustiyely,
A witness before the committee
probably on Monday, will be Attorney
Louis d. Brandeis of Boston. who has
been making study of railroad rate
problems, particularly the steel corpor-
atoms transportation trades and
methods.
Representative Stanley announced
yesterday before departing on short
trip to Kentucky, that Mr.. Brandels
had agreed to appear.
Richard H. Gray, a San Francisco
iron and steel dealer, related trans
action whereby he was forced by the
Shelby Steel Tube company to default
on a government contract to re-equip
the Inflated gunboat Bennington,
which blew up in 1906, and to pay
more than $1,10O forfeit after part Of
the contract had been given to the
Shelby company.
He was cross-examined by Represen-
tative Gardner of Massachusetts,. This
resulted in the production Of letter
to him from then Secretary Of the
Navy Metcalf, showing that the de.
partment had declined to refund him
the forfeit money because OF the dis.
covery that he was a middleman and
had forfeited on his contract because
of carelessness in bidding without be.
Ing assured he could procure the
necessary materials to carry out the
contract.
The witness charged the Shelby
company and other concerns with con.
spiracy against his business in 1906
and told how his business correspond
ence with big dealers, asking for
prices on seamless tubes found its
way to the Shelby company.