New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-31
Passes the Wool Bill Back to
the Senate Without Asking
for Conference.
REJECTS ALL AMENDMENTS
Democrats Ready to Confer on
Sugar and Excise Tax Meas
ures, Hoping to Put Pres
ident in Hole"
From The tribune Bureau.

fter five hours of partisan debate, re-
.acted the Senate amendments to the WOOL |
iii. the excise tax measure and the sugar
iii Representative Underwood, the ma
GRITTY leader. for political reasons de-
lined TO ask for Il conference on the wool
Ill. The House requested conferences on
he other measures.
The votes by which all Senate amend
nents We're rejected were mainly along
arty lines, although twelve Democrats
orsook their party leader and voted Tor
ne rider on the excise tax bill providing
or the creation Of a permanent tarin
commission.
The most heated interchanges in the de-
bate occurred when Representatives.
Mann. Hill and other Republicans as
allied the Democrats for their failure TO
embrace an opportunity to create tarIn
commission after repeated Democratic
.Irotestations that the party sought scleh-
dfc information on the tariff.
In an effort to defend the Democratic
,ttitude Mr.. Underwood asserted that the
,ronosed bureau of foreign and domestic
commerce provided for in the legislative
nil would meet the needs OF a tariff
board.
81 understand" said NIr, Underwood
that the Senate conferrees have agreed
to the retention of this item in the legis-
Iative bill, and this new bureau VIII make
unnecessary such a permanent tariff COM
mission as is proposed in this rider to the
excise tax. bill
Playing a Political Game.
. . ,.,.;ul Tho refosal Of the
House TO ask for a conference on the
wool bill. Mr.. Underwood and ms Demo-
cratic colleagues have heard there Is
movement among Senate regulars TO ac-
cept finally the Underwood wool bill thus
side.racking the hybrid La Toilette meas
ure which recently passed the Senate
through a Democratic insurgent coalition
Notwithstanding the hurried manner in
which II was prepared and the fact that
the measure in no way agrees with the
recommendations OF the Tariff Board. the
House is willing to have straight-out
Democratic wool bill sent 10 the White
House one OF the House leaders said
privately to-day;
III the Senate regulars want to play
foxy and accept our wool bill eventually
We are going 10 give them the chance. we
will not disown our own child We de-
cided not TO ask for a conference on this
bill. thus giving the Senate an opportunity
tn recede from its amendments and TO
pass the House wool bill, sending our
bill to the President
This carefully devised scheme OF the
Democrats indicates that the House, al
though working at apparent odds with
the Senate insurgents, hopes to send
half-baked tariff measure Of some sort
to the White House in the hope Of putting
the President lin hole
BY a vote of 1O7 to III the House reject
ed the rider to the excise tax bill re-
pealing the reciprocity agreement. The
rider 10 create a permanent tariff com
mission was defeated by vote Of 9S TO
49,. Representative Payne sought in each
instance TO have the House concur in the
Senate amendment, and he made a SINH
lar attempt to obtain the concurrence on
Senate amendments to the sugar bill. |
Payne Offers Minority Bill.
In lieu of the acceptance of the Senate
amendments to the wool bill Mr.. Payne
moved the substitution of the wool bill
presented by the minority members OF the
Ways and Means Committee. The motion
was defeated, and Mr.. Crumpacker then
moved to concur in the Senate amend
ments, or the La Toilette bill. This was
defeated--56 TO l72.
Answering the charges of Mr.. Under
WOO that the Senate had inserted the
reciprocity and tariff commission amend
ments TO the excise tax bill solely to jeop-
ardize that measure, Mr.. Mann said:
If the Democratic side really seeks
light upon the tariff there can be no ex-
Gu e for voting against this amendment
to create a permanent tariff commission.
The Senate is in favor Of II, the Presi-
deut-to-be is in favor OF IL. and yet the
specious argument is made that THIS
amendment might jeopardize the bill.
The tariff commission proposition is the
same as that reported from the Ways
and Means Committee by unanimous I
vote in the last Congress. But now the
gentleman is afraid of his own shadow
and fears he will jeopardze the excise
bin by adding an amendment all Repub- |
licans are in favor Of"
Both Hill and Payne scored the La
Toilette wool bill, reminding the House |
that q year ago the Wisconsin Senator |
nae HckDONltuetu ne was WOI hllS hiNb |
bIacksmith's tools" on a tariff measure |
Senators were in somewhat of a guam |
Diary tonight as TO the programme TO !!
be adopted in further consideration of !
the three tariff bills. The regular Re- !
publlcans were reported TO be favorable |
20 a plan under which they would abb |
sent themselves from the chamber, thus |
giving the Democrats a chance TO pass |
the measures and send them along for !
the Presidential veto, The Republican |
insurgents. however, opposed this scheme |
and insisted that the differences. where |
they were reconcllable, be thrashed out
in conference.
Congress in a Tansle.
Only heroic measures will relieve Con-
gress Of the legislative tangle in which 1t
finds Itself. according to admissions made
at both ends OF the Capitol to-day.
The situation appears to be almost hope
less The House is standing pat on its
tariff measures and the legislation il has
Incorporated in the appropriation bills
and is waiting for the Senate 20 make the
first move The Senate is waiting on the
House. Both branches. lacking in lead
ership. are in the doldrums, and the date
OF adjournment is still far of, according
TO predictions made to-day Apparently
,ha only yyay I'm which Congress- can ex-