The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-18
SENATE TARIFF
DEBATE DELAYED
Indications Are that Bill viii
Not Reach Floor Before
Thirty Days.
WILSON Is DISAPPOINTED
Insurance Companies Continue Protest
Against Income Tax Featur.
of Measure.

Present indications are that at least
month will elapse before the Under
wood tariff bill will be brought up for
debate in the Senate. President VIII
sons hope that the defeat Friday of the
Penrose resolution directing the Com
mittee on Finance to give hearings to
all persons and interests concerned
would result in speedy report to the
senate probably will not be realized.
1t is already apparent that the vari-
GUS subcommittee OF Democrats to
which the sixteen schedules have been
allotted intend to peruse the bill with
great care and the general expectation
Is that hundreds OF amendments to the
measure will be recommended to the
full committee
The leaders do not believe that the
House bill will be modified in any way
that might be regarded by President VIII
son as an upset of the administratio ton
tariff programme. II is taken for granted,
of course, that a demonstration will
be made before the subcommittee
against free wool and free sugar, to
which the administration and the House
leaders are committed as a matter of
principle. Senators of the two parties
are convinced that President wilson's
recommendation that raw wool and sugar
shall be admitted free in the final anaIy-
sis will prevail in the Senate as II did
In the House.
Administration Is Disappointed.
The certainty that the tariff bill will
remain in the Senate committee about
three weeks, and POSSIBLY longer, with
the probability that consideration in the
Democratic party caucus will consume
still another week, has caused a good
u Al.
circles. This delay on the tariff means
in all probability that the banking and
currency revision bill that will be passed
by the House some time in July cannot
be put through the Senate at this ses-
sion.
Hope was expressed by the Presidents
advisers a few weeks ago that the tariff
bill would be passed by the Senate the
middle OF July and that the leaders in
that body might be persuaded TO buckle
down to work on the banking bill at
once. The President was one of those
who at least hoped that the banking re-
vision bill would become a law at this
session.
By invitation of the Democratic MEM
bers of the Senate Finance Committee.
tsunted with star chamber methods
by Republicans in the debates of the past
week. newspaper men were yesterday
admitted TO the hearings on the tariff
schedules, which are being conducted by
the Democrats
No record of the statements made by
manufacturers before these subcom-
mittees of the majority party are kept.
Each witness comes to plead for a tar
IN on the particular item in which he
is interested, and is given a chance to
answer questions concerning II. The
Democrats contend that this method
saves time and gives the committee
members a good working knowledge
of the claims of the manufacturers.
while excluding political speech max
ing and unnecessary disputes between
majority and minority committeeman.
Insurance Companies Protest.
Before a subcommittee of the Sem
ate Committee on Finance representa-
tives of the big insurance companies
yesterday renewed the fight they made
without success in the House against
the income tax provision of the Under
wood tariff bill. They asked partic-
ularly that the proposed law be so
anne nded as to permit them to cover
under the head OF cost of maintenance
wages and salaries paid to employees
and officers. They pointed out that
such a concession had been made to all
other corporations. and. insisted that
there was no equitable reason why
they should not be permitted to de-
duct from net earnings upon which the
income tax would be levied compensa-
ton paid TO employees and officers of
insurance companies.
1t was pointed out that the compensa-
ton paid TO agents is LIBERAL amounting
in some instances to 100 per cent on the
first year of premium payments. The
insurance representatives also objected
to the provision of the bill providing for
the collection of the income tax at the
source, claiming that such a requirement
would entail great expense in the matter
of bookkeeping. They insisted that the
income tax provisions as now framed
6oubly taxes the insurance companies.
The subcommittee considering the ag
ricultural schedule has been deluged with |
briefs urging that lemons be put on the |
free list. 1t was assumed by opponents |
of reduction of the lemon duty that q
fight to this end was being agitated by |
New York importers. Because of this, |
1t was said. the California and Florida |
will wage their fight for |
the duty as. assessed in the Wilson-Un- |
derwood bilf, as against free lemons.