Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-01-14


Ever since Mr.. Wilson came bach
from Bermuda the Democratic leaders
have been comforting with him.
The trains between Washington and
Trenton have been heavy laden with
passengers of national prominence go
ing to the source of knowledge, to
come back again with very little
knowledge about the things of great
esq personal interest. Mr.. Wilson, the
returning Democratic leaders admit.
is not of mind ID commit himself in
any way de6ni.e upon the subject oil
the composite of his cabinet until
he is certain -hat he has weighed all
the recommendations and all the OBJ
jections and has found out to the
nicely of fraction all that he wants
to know about the men whom he
would Like to invite to membership in
his official family
1t must not be understood from
this that Mr. Wilson has declined to
talk freely with the Democratic lead
ers. He has lad and is having con-
ferences lasting for several hours with
the men of greater prominence in his
party. 1t is known definitely in
/ Washington. however at nine
tenths of the time consumed at the
! conference is given over to the dis
cussion of policies rather than men.
Mr. Wilson is anxious to learn from
the men of his party of long expert
ence in congress just what chance leg
islation which he may propose has
of being enacted into law
Expects Artagonism in Senate.
The president-elect has a keen APP
probation of the fact that the Dem
ocratic membership in the senate is
an uncertain quantity in certain mat
| ters of party policy He knows that
there are ulrra-conservative Demo-
| Gratis in the senate whom their more
progressive, or radical, If you will,
| brethren go So far as to call Repub-
, ilcans with a little veneer of Democ-
racy. 1t is known from what the lead
! ers say that Mr.. Wilson fears that
| some of his policies upon which he
! viii make strongly progressive recon-
| mendations are not to the liking, in
| their outlined form, of some of the
| Democrats in the senate So It is
| that Mr.. Wilson is anxious to learn in
| advance from the members of his
| party just how much antagor'sm he
may expect in the senate ana what
/ if anything he must concede in order
to insure united Democratic support
of such legislation as he may pro-
pose.
There is some fear, it is known, on
| Mr. Wilson's part, that the Democrats
in the senate will decline to sanction
/ tariff revision in the form Of some Of
| the provisions which will be put into
the bill by the house of representa-
/ tives which, under the constitution,
must initiate all tariff legislation.
Must Travel Old Road.
Representative Oscar w. Under
wood, chairman, and his fellow mem
bers Of the ways and means com
nittee, are about to begin the hear
ings which always come as a pre-
Jude to the passage of new tariff legis-
lation. The road which stretches be-
! fore the chairman and his fellows is
a much travelled one. The Republic
1 uncontrolled ways and means COM
mittee went over it at the extra ses-
sion called by Mr.. Taft In 1909. A
| mocratic-cOntrolled ways and
means committee went over it in
part when reciprocity was under con
sideration; then the same committee
went over it again at the last session
Of congress, and now the ways and
means members stand at the tape
ready for the signal to begin the
march once more.
Cynical laymer in Washington say
that if the committee hears anything
new on the tariff question during the
coming weeks of patient or impa-
tient attention to the arguments OF
importers and manufacturers, it will
be one of the miracles of chance.
The printed public reports of the tar
if hearings during the last four
years make many volumes. Every
subject from acetanelid to zinc has
been exploited for all that was in it
to bolster up the cause of either
standpatism or downward revision.
Cuts May Not Be Very Deep.
1t seems to be the belief of most
students of legislation, and of the
political trend, as 1t viii affect legis-
lation, that the tariff hills, which will
be passed by a congress controlled
by the Democrats and signed by a
Democratic president viii not repre-
sent "a cut to the bone policy" 1t
seems likely that the measures
which finally will come out of con-
gress will be considerably above a
free basis. Democratic leaders have
said that they do not want to do any
thing which will upset business. or as
some of them put it, which will give
business a chance ito upset itself"
The ways and means committee will
report downward revision tariff bills.
but Just how deep the cuts will go
must depend entirely upon the results
Of the conference between leaders of
the different schools of Democratic
thought on tariff matters.
A new ways and means committee
will be appointed as soon as the new
congress gets together. but nearly all
the Democrats in the present commit.
tee are certain Of reappointment.
Because of the increased Democratic
membership in the next house one or
two additional members of the party
( viii be put on the ways and means
committee, but there is not even the
remotest possibility that any change
of the committee from one Demo
cratic school of thought to another
can occur. The influence of the pres
ent committee therefore will extend
into the next congress, and in large
measure. IFS personnel will be the
same.
jects OF home. motherhood, child life
and the quiet ways Of ordinary mar
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