The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1912-01-18
win The Tariff Be Altered?

activity Of Congress throughout the
present session. The country need
not get excited over these stories.
Possibly the wool bill, which the Pres
ident urges, may be enacted, but this
is far from certain. Il is reasonably
certain, however, that none Of the
other bills which are limited at will
reach the statute book. The Tariff
Board has made an investigation into
the wool schedule, the President has
sent its report to Congress, recon-
mending legislation along lines indi
Gated in the report, and the RepubG-
can members of the Ways and Means
Committee are framing bill TO carry
out the boards suggestions. There
is believed to be a general desire
among the republican members Of
both branches Of Congress TO crafty
the board to please the president, and
10 send 10 him a bill which he would
feel at liberty TO sign. In his special
message and in talks with republican
leaders Of House and Senate, he has
told the kind Of a bill which would
meet his ideas.
But what will become Of this repub-
lican bill il the House democrats vote
against it? Chairman Underwood has
announced that the Democrats OF the
House will deal with several schedules
before they take up the wool bill, He
declares they will pass bills revising
the iron and steel, the chemical and
the sugar schedules before giving any
attention whatever 10 the matter on
which the Tariff Board has been work
ing for neary a year. and which takes
shape in the measure in preparation
by the republicans for the overhauling
Of the duties on wool and WOODEN goods
The Democrats have a majority oI
more than sixty-fiye in the House.
They are absolutely masters Of the
situation in that chamber. II they SET
about baking the president and the re-
publican members Of the Ways and
Means Committee no power can halt
them. More than once Messrs. Clark
and Underwood have said that they
place no confidence in the work oI
the Tariff Board, and that they and
their party will disregard its wishes,
They have ideas Of their own regarding
the revision OF the wool schedule,
which they will attempt to carry out,
and which they can carry out SO far a:
regards their branch Of Congress. They
can pass their iron, and steel and sugar
and chemical revision bills through the
House, regardless Of what the repubh'
can members OF that chamber and the
Republican president may say or do,
The time Tor the republican president
to act will come when those measures
reach him, if they ever get that far,
He will undoubtedly veto them as be
did the popgun bills which were hand
ed to him during the special session
The result will be that there will be IC
Legislation on those schedules, which
is probably what the Democrats ex
pect and want.
But this procedure will not be cal
culated to expedite favorable action OIL
the republican wool bill, and on til,
revision Of iron and steal duties whicl
the president is now understood t
favor. According TO late reports Her
bert Knox Smith the commissioner G
corporations, is to rush an investigation
Of steel conditions and to make a re
port upon which the Republican mem
bers Of the Ways and Means Committe
can draw up a revision bill. But
the present Democratic programme
carried out in the House the Demo
cratic iron and steel bill will be hande
, over to the Senate long before the co
poration commissioners data can
placed before Congress. The DEM
e Gratis Of the House have even less r
gard for Herbert Knox Smith than The
:, haee for the Tariff Board. While Il
c Tariff Board is partly Democratic al
a thus as non partisan, or as bi-partis;
as any body can be, Smith is whol