The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-08-01
NEWS FROM OUR
NATIONAL CAPITAL
Regulars and Progressives in
Senate Pass Republican
Sugar Tariff Bill.


gress, was adopted in the senate. De-
sorting their democratic allies, the re-
publican progressives, by an ironclad
agreement with the regulars, succeed
ed in passing tariff reduction bill
which they believe President Taft will
sign. The vote was Sc to 8.
The three lonesome negative votes
were cast by Hepburn of Idaho and
Foster and Thornton, both of Louisi-
ana.
AS enacted, the measure proposes
q straight reduction in the duty on
pure sugar from $1.82 to $1.60 per
hundredweight. In effect there is also
a further cut of 10 cents per hundred
pounds in abolition of the present diff
ferential. The senate bill also does
away with the Dutch standard of clas-
styling sugars.
Senator Bristow, republican, Kan
sas, says that If the Lodge bill be-
comes a law there will be loss of
$5,500,000 in government revenue and
that American consumers of sugar
will save more than $22,OOO,OOO year.
The attitude Of the senate demo
Gratis in finally supporting the republi-
can bill is expected to have influence
with the democrats Of the house when
the amended bill goes back there.
Republican Votes Pass Wool Bill.
Ten progressive republicans over
threw the regular republicans in the
senate and joined the democrats in
passing the La Toilette wooden tariff
revision bill as a substitute for the
democratic measure framed by the
house of representatives. The La
Toilette bill was adopted by vote of
AZ to 20.
Progressives who joined with the
democrats in adopting the La Toilette
substitute were Borah, Bristow, Clapp,
Crawford, Cummins, Gronna, Kenyon,
La Toilette, Poindexter and Works.
Senator Bourne voted against the
La Toilette bill as a substitute, but
later voted for the amended measure
on it's final passage.
Bill Returned to House.
The amended bill goes back to the
house of representatives and the re-
sulting tariff situation is exactly that
which followed the adoption of a wool
en- tariff in the special session of 1911.
The La Toilette bill is the same as
passed then by the senate, with raw
wool duty of 80 per cent and an av-
erage duty of IS per cent on manu-
featured goods.
The house bill is the same as then
passed by the house with the raw
wool duty Of 20 per cent. Out of these
two measures the conference commit
tee last year evolved a compromise,
which President Taft vetoed because
the tariff board had not completed it's
wooden investigation. A conference
committee will again take up the two
bills and attempt to frame a substi-
tute to send to the president.
Excise Tax Bill Passes Senate.
Democrats and progressives united
again in the senate and by vote Of
SO to Is passed the democratic excise
tax bill, extending the present tax on
corporations to the business of indi-
viduals, private firms and co-partner-
ships.
Attached to the measure also by the
aid of republican votes, were amend
ments for the repeal of the Canadian
reciprocity law and the fixing of two
dollar ton tariff on print paper, and
for the establishment of a permanent
non-partisan tariff commission.
The excise measure would levy
upon all persons, firms or co-partner-
ships, an annual tax equal to one per
cent Of net income in excess of $4,000.
The senate changed the excise bill
so that the tax would not apply to la
Dor organizations, agricultural associ-
atoms or fraternal insurance organi-
cations.
National Capital Brevities.
Democrats in the house are divided
over the naval plans. At a caucus
Speaker Clark voted against the bat
tleship program, while Leader Under
wood voted in favor of battleships.
An investigation to determine
whether any persons or organization
in the United States have been en-
gagged in fomenting rebellion in Cuba
or Mexico was directed by the senate.
With still another session of the gid
congress to be held, the number of
bills and resolutions already intro
duced at this congress has surpassed
all previous records. By March 4,
1913, when the 62d congress ends, it
is confidently expected a record will
have hee0 made which will stand for