The Washington herald., 1913-03-29
TARIFF MESSAGE
| BEFORE Cabinet
Communication, to Be Sent to
Congress, Discussed at
White House..
REVISION is URGED
Way Is Left Open for Consideration
Of Other Business at this
Session.
REVISION IS URGED

The message which President Wilson
will send to the special session of Con-
gress on April Z, his first communication
to the national legislature. was laid be.
fore the Cabinet yesterday.
The President does not attempt to limit
the activities Of Congress In the special
session to a revision OF the tariff. He
leaves the way open in his message fol-
the consideration by the extra session OF
the currency question and other i'm
portant matters to which the Democrats
stand pledged in their national platform.
| The President does indicate clearly.
however. that the tariff, in his opinion. is
OF first Importance, and that Congress
should proceed to the consideration OF
that subject first of all. The President
| in his official communication mentions
the currency problem and others as being
important, but he makes no specific
recommendation as to whether they
| should be taken up IN the coming spe-
cial session.
The effect of the Presidents message
will be to leave him free to exercise his
judgment as the session progresses, as to
whether or not other matters besides the
tarin shall be thrown into Congress. II
Mr. Wilson decides that currency laws
should be enacted. he will make that
question the subject OF a special mes
ge. to be sent in at a later date.
The Democratic leaders in the House
have been in favor of limiting the spe-
cial session programme to the tariff. but
1t is understood that they have approx ed
Of President Wilson's plan OF leaving the
door open for activities IL circumstances
seem to Justify such a move.
The opinion here last night. however
was that no serious attempt will be made
at the special session to enact currency
reform legislation. The Senate leaders
are opposed to such action. because they
think that the newly created Commit
tee on Banking and Currency ought to
have more time to study the problem
and ought not to have such an important
subject thrown upon them in the confu-
sion of a tariff revision session.
MessaEe short Ono.
President Wilson's message to Con-
gress on the tariff is only about 1.90o
words long. It Is understood that he
does not enter into detailed discussion
OF the subject. nor does he attempt to
set forth a detailed formula for the
framing of bill.
1t was learned yesterday that the Pres
ident's tariff message. so far as the prin-
cipl-s involved are concerned, will follow
very closely along the line OF his tariff
views expressed in his speech to the
committee from the Baltimore conven-
ton. which notified him last August of
his nomination. In that speech Mr.. Will
son said:
We do not ignore the fact that the
business of a country like ours is ex.
ceedingly sensitive TO changes in legisla-
tion of this kind. 1t has been built up.
however inadvisedly. upon tariff sched-
uies, written in the way / have indicated,
and its foundations must not be too radi-
cally or too suddenly disturbed. When
we act we should act with caution and
prudence. like men who know what they
are about and not like those in love with
a theory. 1t is obvious that the changes
We make should he made only at such
a rate and in such a way as will least
interfere with the normal and healthful
course Of commerce and manufacture.
But we shall not on that account act
with timiditv. as if We did not know
our own minds. for We are certain of our
ground and of our object. There should
be an immediate revision. and 1t should
be downward. unhesitatlngly and stead
ilv downward"
The belief is growing in Washington
that the special session which is to be-
fair. The leaders of the House are fig
urinG on passing the tariff bill up to the
Senate bv the middle OF May, and some
of the Senate leaders have hopes OF
clearing the decks on that side OF the
Capitol as early as July Is, but there
never has been a tariff bill passed with |
out final wrangle and a lot of log |
rolling and dickering.