The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-04-07
THE SPECIAL SESSION BEGINS.


The special session of Congress called
by President Wilson meets in Wash
ington today. The call as made did not
seek TO limit the activities of Congress
to any ono subject, or in any direc-
ton; consequently, everything is open
for the action Of Congress IN any di'
rection which that activity may take
At the same time, the general un-
derstanding is that the chief subject or
discussion and action will be the tariff
This occupies practically the whole Of
| the political field at the present time.
The dispatches from Washington vary
as 10 the position of the President and
of the Democratic party leaders on
number of the tariff schedules. As to
the actual form in which the proposed
rate revision viii be presented to the
House, there is nothing certain at pres.
ent. but il seems 20 be clear from the
iusistence OF the dispatches that Presi-
dent Wilson is disposed to carry his
academic theories farther than had been
expected from his public declarations
heretofore. that he would not favor, and
in fact would resist, any attempt TO
disturb the prosperous business coudi-
tions OF the country. IT is a clear case,
however, that if he insists upon an i'm
mediate cut in the tariff on sugar, with
the prospective putting Of sugar upon
the free List at the end Of three years;
if he insists upon free wool. and if he
agrees 10 the Underwood metal schedule
as passed by the House last summer,
there will be not only serious inter
ference with the business prosperity Of
the country. but evil results are certain
to follow.
II is not we'll however 10 anticipate
disaster; and we are still trusting that
President Wilson Will see his way clear
TO redeem his pledge of non-interferencc
with the business prosperity of the
country, and that the Senate will not
agree TO free sugar, free wool, or TO any
material reduction in the tariff on lead
pointed ont number of times the es.
sential difference between the produc.
tion Of these metals and the production
of iron and steel and the manufactures
thereof. Iron and steel are in the
hands Of the most sweeping monopoly
that we have in this country. The pro-
duction of lead and zinc is an inde.
pendent operation, divided among
thousands of producers, without the
least effort or possibility Of comblna-
tion, either in the production, the mar
keting, or the manufacture Of lead or
zinc, or in any Of the processes related
to these metals There is no reason
therefore, for considering the
production Of lead and zinc on the same
basis as the production of iron and
steel.
The process of getting the admins
tration tariff bill in shape has been so
long in operation and has reached such
a state of completion that we suppose
there viii be no delay in reporting to
the House the tariff bin agreed upon
by the House Ways and Means Com
nittce and the President When that
bill is reported, we shall all know ex-
actly how the matter stands so far as
the administration Influence is con.
cerned Until then we arc permitted
to hope that President Wilson s declar-
ations OF non.interference with the
business prosperity will be the ruling
guide in framing the revision, and if
that hope is disappointed there is still
the opposition of Senator'S to reckon
with, who will not stand for free sugar,
free wool, or destructive action as to
lead and zinc.