Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-26
Democratic Leaders Confront
ed by Business Worth Many
Millions of Dollars.
VAST ALLIED INTERESTS
ALSO DEEPLY AFFECTED
President Wilson and Congressional
Committee Chairmen Carefully
Scanning the Situation. 5.

| It's twenty-billon-d dollar goose-of-the-
solden-egg which the tariff revisionists
are operating upon. hence their caution
| and care lest its laying qualities be de-
| stroyed.
mat Is to say. the value OF the products
| OF American manufactures possible of
| being affected by tariff revision amount
| to the stupendous sum of So, G52, 600,
according to census figures The bust
| ness affects the direct employment OF
more than seven millions of wage earn
ers. and also their wages of more than
| four billion dollars
| These are the direct and frst-contact
| interests affected. In addition, there
must be considered the vast allied inter
ests of transportation affecting another
army of wage earners: the collateral well
| fare of the food producers whose market
for their products is at stake: the smaller
| army of middle men" and their en-
| ployes. dependent entirely upon volume
! of food and manufactures to be dispensed
/ by themselves, the gO-betWeens of the
| ultimate consumer and the producer.
And in the background, the helpless
| group of the dependent women and chill
| dren of those legions of men whose avO-
| cations and earning powers are in the
| issue.
Leaders Feel Responsibility.
Thus do President Wilson. Chairman
| Underwood and Chairman Simmons feel
the great patriotic responsibility for
| legislative action resting upon the party
! in power, aside from the political conse-
| quences Of congressional action While
| the fortunes of the democratic party and
| the present administration will rise or
| fall with the success or failure OF tariff
| legislation, these men realize that the
country's prosperity is also to be taken
into account, and the material welfare
of many millions Of men, women and
children is in the balance.
In the new Congress- vested with the
power to loose and bind, the high power
and the low, so to speak, over the welfare
Of the nation will be many new men I'M
acquainted both with tariff legislation
and with the extent of the interests
involved.
In fact, it is doubtful If the country at
large realizes the extent of the manu-
featuring industry which has grown by
leaps and bounds in the last two decades
until 1t has reached proportions that
| staggers the ima gination to picture. But
the men who are now dealing with the
tariff bill, and President Wilson, who is
to be the arbiter of inevitable disputes
between the factions. are posted on the
details.
The census figures which enter into
calculation in considering the extent Of
the manufacturing industry were taken
| for the year 1909 The pc cent Of in
crease in the output for five years prior
to 1909 was nearly 40 per cent, and as
| business has not stagnated, there must
be large increase in the four years from
1909 to 1913, SO that the figures above
presented must fall short of the actual
volume of the business Of today.
Tariff and Business.
The object of the men who are leading
and directing the effort at tariff reduc
ton is to lower the tariff without Grip
ping the enormous business OF American
mills by subjecting them to undue COM
petition OF cheaper foreign labor and
methods.
| President Wilson and Chairman Under
wood believe that this object can be &C
| complished. They are proceeding to it's
achievement with confidence, as they
hold q warrant from the voters to at
tempt it. a warrant issued by individuals
| in the last election.
| 1t is significant that the ten states
which lead in manufactures. and, in fact.
produce more than four-f1fths of the total
| output of manufactured articles, went
democratic in the last election. or. at
| east, repudiated the republican party by
| voting for a third ticket.
| Those states are New York, Pennsyl
Sanla, ILLINOIS, MdSsdcNuSettS onlO, New
Jersey Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and
Missouri named in the order Of the value
| Of their manufactured output. New York
produced over three and one-third billion
| dollars worth of manufactured goods,
employing more than a million Workmen:
| Pennsylvania produced two and a half
| billions, with 100000 workmen: Illinois
nearly two billions, Massachusetts and
| Ohio a billion and a half each. New Jer-
| sew more than a billion and the others
| from five hundred millions to nearly a
! billion.
| AS the support Of those states is es
| sential to the life of any political party
| the present administration, while pro-
posing to enforce the verdict of lower
| tariff, will at the same time attempt to
safeguard inf1icting injury to business
which will ALLEVIATE them in the future.
Conditions Require Caution.
Nothing will be done hastily. therefore,
about the tariff. but every step will be
taken cautiously and with full considera-
ton of the possible result. AS has been
said before, there was never tariff bill
which has received such careful attention
as the one now approach ching completion.
1t represents in reality two years of I'M
RENTING study by men on the ways and
means committee. awaiting themselves of
every possible source of information, and
especially practical information. secured
by patient hearing to the interests to be
affected.
The next task of the committee will be
to explain to the uninitiated in Congress
and to overcome selfish contentious Of
local interests.
NINA Tnn NrITY MEKDCDc