Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-30
HOUSE LEADERS DETERMINED
TO ELIMINATE REVENUE
INVESTIGATORS.
SUPPORT FUND EXHAUSTED,
NO APPROPRIATION LIKELY
Many Take Position That Board as at
Present Constituted is Worthless
Exports Required to Interpret Find
inss-commission on Broader Lines
May BE Created.
Especial CORRESPONDENCE. ]


Washington. March 2O.-The tariff
board, headed by Professor H. c. EN-
cry Of Yale. is now generally looked
on at the capitol as doomed. Not onl!
will the house democrats refuse &c
make any appropriation for the board
in the sundry civil bill but the house
leaders are going to take determined
position against allowing any provl-
sion for the board to creep into the
measure in conference.
Inasrnuch as the board has about ex-
hausted its funds, it may fairly be
said TO be on the ragged edge of ex-
isterce. 1t is between the deep sea
OF lack of an appropriation for the
present on the one hand and certain
j Satanic designs that have been made
against it on the other.
Taft to Defend Board.
Under the circumstances. the chances
for the continued existence Of the
beard appear slim. President Taft
and old guard leaders in house and
senate are going TO stand by it. But
its opponents are going to assail ii on
the ground that II Is a weak body.
whose Investigations have been OF
little Use. except 20 hell, keep up the
tariff. They are going to charge that
its reports are susceptible Of so many
different interpretations that high tar
if men or low tariff men can extract
consolation out of them and that
when all is said and done the reports of
the board leave the tariff schedules in
as much darkness as they were be-
fore.
One OF the difficulties in the way OF
the tariff board is that somehow or
other 1t is now being endorsed by
leading high tariff men in house anil
senate whereas formerly these gentle
men utterly opposed the notion Of in
vestiga tions by tariff board or COM
mission. The democrats and low tar
If republicans are asking why this re-
nnarkable change OF heart has come TO
pass.
Different Conclusions From Same Facts.
r. The discussion OF the wool schedule
viii serve to bring out the fact that
different conclusions can be arrived at
from the facts as submitted by the
tariff board. II will be coI.tended that
the wool bill which was vetoed by the
president and has been reintroduced
by the democrats is in nearly all re-
spects in consonance with tariff board
figures. On the other hand. the wool
bill coming from the ways and means
republicans is held by these repub-
Leans to be based on the tariff board
report. A still higher senate wool bill
is expected from Senator Smoot. based
on the tariff board report. And the
progressive republicans in the senate
will have lower bill OF their own. also
based on the tariff board report.
New Plan Favored.
SO, It will be argued. that after a
report on a tariff schedule comes from
the tariff board It requires another ex-
pert inquiry to find out what the tar
if board figures mean.
The whole situation points to the
fact that II the tariff commission idea
is to stand at all 1t will have to result
in evolving strong tariff commission
of a different sort from the existing
board. a body Independent OF the presi-
dent whose reports are made to con-
gress and are public property. Some
of the democrats would consent to
such a commission but they are almost
to man against the existing board.