The Washington herald., 1912-07-28
SENATE PASSES
COMPROMISE BILL
Possibility that President Will
Sign Sugar Revision
Measure.
G. o. P. FACTIONS GET
TOGETHER IN TARIFF FIGHT
Lodge Bill, with Changes Submitted
by Bristow, Progressive Re-
publican, Passed.

Republicans in the Senate united their
forces again yesterday against the COM
mon enemy. the Democracy, and passed
compromise bill revising the sugar
schedule. The bill abolishes the Dutch
standard and eliminates the refiners' diff
ferential. and reduces the duty on the
commercial grades of sugar from 9-10
cents per pound to 6-l0 cents per pound.
Senator Lodge is the author of the bill
that passed but II was modified by an
amendment proposed by Senator Bristow
of Kansas. which reduced the duty pro-
posed in Mr.. Lodges bill from sl70 to
81 go per 100 pounds, the rate at which II
was finally passed.
The bill was passed by a vote Of 81 to
Is. Every regular Republican and every
progressive Republican voted for II, as
well as two Democrats, Foster and Thorn
ton of Louisiana The bill was adopted
as a substitute for a measure reported
from the Finance Committee as a sub
stitute for the Underwood bill that passed
the House, giving free sugar. Subse-
quently, the minority bill was offered as a
substitute for the bill that had passed.
In proposing II, Senator Simmons, leader
Of the minority of the Finance Commit
tee. declared that IL reduced the ad va
loren duties on sugar one-third and
would diminish the revenues of the gov
ernment on the sugar tax to the amount
of s1I. 80. .si5. saving that much to the con-
sumer. The minority bill was defeated
by a vote of 36 to "a. The two Louisiana
Democratic Senators, Foster and Thorn
ton, voted against it.
Three in Opposition.
On the final passage Of the BILL after
1t has been perfected in the Senate, every
Senator recorded voted for IL except three
Foster and Thornton. Democrats, and
Hepburn. Republican
Senator McCumber of North Dakota
tried to have an amendment repeating
the Canadian reciprocity act added to
the bill, but il was rejected. II was evi-
dent that Senators were getting impa-
tient with the efforts of certain Repub-
lean Senators in the Northwest TO con-
tinue to add to every bill that passed in
the Senate a rider" repeating Canadian
reciprocity. One such amendment was
added to the steel bill and another was
added Friday to the excise bill. Sem
ators who were In favor of repeating the
Canadian reciprocity act. and had voted
for II. labored with Senator McCumber
not to press his amendment. but he in
sisted. whereupon the Senate voted him
down.
Taft May Sign Bill.
Leading Republicans assert that If the
bill goes TO the President in its present
form he will approve 1t. Senator Bris-
tow made this assertion in the course of
the debate in the Senate yesterday. say
ing that 1t was absolutely certain that
Mr.. Taft would approve the bill. Some
of the Democratic leaders believe that
Democrats in the House will accept the
bill. Others think that they would not
want to give to President Taft the op-
portunity to put himself on record in
favor of tariff revision and reunite his
party by approving a bill that had been
passed by a union OF regulars and in
surgents in the Senate.
BY its action yesterday the Senate dis
posed of the last of the pending tariff
bills. 1t passed the steel bill with an
amendment repeating Canadian reciproc-
ity and defeated the chemical bill. For
some time thereafter the wool bill. the
sugar bill, and the excise bill lay dor
mant. Finally an agreement was reached
for their consideration by unanimous
cona.nt. The Senate passed the La Fol-
lette bill as a substitute for the Under
wood wool bill. 1t adopted the Demo-
cratic excise bill, after adding a number
of amendments, and yesterday 1t substi-
tuted a Republican bill revising the sugar
schedule. That the tariff work for the
Senate is not over for the session was
indicated yesterday when word came to
the Senate that the House expects to pass
a bill revising the cotton schedule early
next week and send 1t to the Senate.
Few people believed three weeks ago
that there was remote possibility for
the enactment Of any important tariff
legislation. Now It is conceded that one
or more of the tariff bills will go to the
President, and 1t is not unlikely that he
may find 1t possible to approve some of
the legislation that has been passed.