The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-03-24
MODERATE REVISION
FAVORED BY, WILSON
President Will Confer With
Underwood on New Tariff
This Week.
TENTATIVE DRAFT READY
Income Tax Is Expected to
Prove the Most Trouble
some Feature.
TENTATIVE DRAFT READY

WASHINGTON, March 23.- President
Wilson is now giving deep study TO the
tariff with view to communicating
views on the subject to leaders upon
| whom Will devolve the duty of present
| ing and passing the revision programme
session OF Congress that will begin on
April :.
1t Is the general understanding thai
the President will in the main uphold
those Democrats who are urging
moderate revision Of the tariff as OPP
posed to those who advocate sharp cuts
In the rates In every schedule of the law
and ample ampliticatiou OF the free list.
To date the President In speeches has
discussed the tariff only in very general
terms lie will get down to cases in
conferences to be held this week with
Representative Underwood and other
Democratic members of the Committee
on Ways and Means. Both sides to the
controversy In the committee have pre-
sented their respective stories to the
President and the radicals are inclined
to the belief that on some features of
the proposed revision they will have the
support VI the Administration
II IL understood that a copy OF the
| tentative draft OF the tariff bill prepared
| by Chairman Underwood and his asso-
ciates will bs placed in the hands of
the President this week. He Is expected
| to examine the bin carefully and make
known his views concerning II, There
appears ia be "A general disposition to
make the hill an Administration meas
ure With this end in view members of
the tariff making committee of the Sem
ate have been taken into the confidence
OF the House committee and there is
| reason to believe that conference will
be held at the White House soon with
q view to reConciliug differences on the
subject, Whether or not 1t is praC-
ticable to make a tariff bill an Admin
istration measure remains To be seen
! Old legislators say the task will prove
difficult
| 1t has become known within the las,
few days that President Wilson will in
all probability make some strong sug-
/ gestions relative TO the agricultural
| schedule. This IS the schedule that
provoked lively row in the Committee
on Ways and Means. Radical members
insisted that practically all farm prod
| acts should be transferred To the free
list. but they were beaten on this propo-
| sltion. Representative Hammond of
! Minnesota, spokesman Of members from
the central West who want some pro-
lection for farm products, led the fight
for moderate revision OF this schedule.
| The radicals intend to renew the
fight on the agricultural schedule in
i H. l.. l. i
in April, unless they are called off by
the Administration. There Is some rea
son TO believe that President Wilson
may side with the radicals on the agri-
cultural schedule. Friends of the agri-
cultural interests fear the President has
already made up his mind that many
agricultural products are no longer in
need of protection.
| The income tax feature of the new
| tar!n law IL proving troublesome In
committee The lines of division on
this proposal are clearly marked one
group in the ,oininittee Is adyoI at.ns d
graduated tax that will hit big incomes
hard Another group insists on a fiat
rate for all incomes Those who argue
that the burden should be laid heavily
on large incomes want TO levy n rate of
|
less than $1,000 year, running up TO
or 5 per cent. on incomes OF sl00,
900 and an increasing scale OF rates
on incomes beyond the last named fig
ure. Some want to fix the minimum
| income to be taxed at 81 900: 'others
urge that the minimum bs fxed at
81, 900 or $4,000
The exact form OF the income tax
will not be decided until the committee
has received from experts an estimate
as to the amount of revenue that would
be yielded by the tariff bill completed
in committee last week. At the outside
the House committee will not attempt
to raise more than $3.50, 900, 600 through
the medium of the income tax. II Is
realized by all concerned that there
must be a strict limitation in this re-
gard
Important developments concerning
the tariff are expected this week. The
Committee on Ways and Means will
resume its sessions on Tuesday. The
income tax section will be given first
consideration. ON this matter President
Wilson will be consulted.