Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-06-20

sinister purpose lurking in his brain,
in every corridor of the capitol and
the White House and the senate office
buildings these days. Each of these
gentlemen carries concealed in his
verbal apparatus a series of explosive
arguments against various schedules
in the tariff bill. Each lurking gen.
tleman is DESTROYS of setting off these
verbal bombs under the particular
schedule in the tariff which meets the
disapproval of his employer.
Among the number is the worried
looking person of sleek aspect who is
here to save the sugar industry from
utter r-r-ruin.. Members of this class
are more numerous than any of the
others. Does a harried congressman
seek solace in the bright sunshine and
bamy air of the capitol grounds. cut
awayed gentleman leaps from behind
some nearby bush and fastens his
thumb and foretnger in the weary con
gressman's coat lapel. The gentle.
mans pockets protrude with memoran-
da and statistics tending to prove be-
yond peradventure that the sugar beet
is due for eternal demnition if the
fortress of protection is kicked from
around it as suggested in the tariff
bill From behind another bush creeps
another frock-coated lobbyist who has
tragic piece to speak about the sugar
cane plantations which will be no more
if the senate passes the bill.
When, faint and exhausted, the con-
gresham reaches his office and bolts
the doors, there skips nimbly from the
next room pleasing, open-faced gen
tleman with more statistics. He's the
representative of the sugar refiner, who
is perfectly certain that with the duty
taken off sugar, the common people
can afford two humps in coffee and tea,
and daughter can serve fudge every
night in the week, without embarrass-
ing the family eXchequer, and without
hurting the pocket of the plutocratic
sugar cane grower.
! But the sugar devotees are only
part of the army of would-be tariff bill
murderers who are here waiting an
! opportunity to kill the entire bill or
merely to relieve it of a part of it's
anatomy. There is very ardent band
of wool apostles, who can reel off at 6
moments notice enough statistics on
sheep and the wool industry to make
existence a nightmare of sheep count
ing for our legislators. The American
Wooden company, that organization
which dolefully admits it will probably
go to the bow-wows when the propos
ed tariff law becomes effective, has a
small army of representatives here
making a last desperate stand against
the new schedule X.
Then there are the cotton men, steel
and others, representing practically ev-
cry United States industry which fears
for its dividends if they are not pro-
tected by a mountain-high tariff wall.
All are adopting tactics similar to
those employed by physicians when as
a last resort oxygen is pumped into the
lungs of dying man. A national ad
vertising scheme by three of the sugar
factions Is but small part of the CAM
paign. Letters, statistics, delegations
of manufacturers from the home dis
tricts, threats of reprisals-in fact, ev-
cry method known to love, hate and
war are being put into use to stop the
passage of the schedules which the in
terested industries fear.
But, through it all, like a dread
nought sailing stormy sea, the party
leaders are steering the old Underwood
tariff measure through the legislative
waters to the haven of the presidents
signature
Recalcitrant congressman of Demo-
cratic persuasion who have been ap-
posed to certain of the schedules have
they have shown signs of becoming
skittish and overstepping the traces of
party pledges, they have been whip
sawed andspurred back into line.
The bunt of this unenviable job of
keeping the party intact has fallen on
the shoulders of the chairman of the
powerful ways and means committee,
Oscar Underwood. With a skill and
dexterity and calmness of purpose that
has evoked admiration and praise even
from his most bitter political foes, I'm
derwood has curled the lash of author
ity about the tanks of those who gave
signs of baking and the tariff wagon
has successfully crossed the legislative
plains of the house and into the road
ways of the senate with no material o,
essential ounce of freight that was on
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