The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1913-07-08
PLAN ATTACK ON TARIFF
MANY SUBSTITUTE SCHEDULES.
Republicans Will Bombard Bill With
Many Amendments on the
Floor of the Senate.

Washington, July 7.-Republican
members of the senate have been
quietly preparing for some weeks for
the attack that is to be made on the
Underwood-Smmon tariff bill when
It gets back into the senate late this
week. While a program of tariff
policy had not been laid out by the
Republicans, leading representatives
of the party in the senate have pre-
pared amendments, substitute sched-
ules and protection arguments, di-
rected at many of the important
sections of the Democratic bill.
Senator Simmons, chairman of the
finance committee, who will bring
the bill from the committee with the
seal of Democratic caucus approval
upon it, estimates that five weeks
will be enough to wind up general
debate and discussion of the meas
ure, and to secure a vote on its final
passage. Prominent Republican SEN
ators doubt whether the tariff can be
disposed of in the senate in that
time.
The bill has been in the Demo-
cratic caucus for more than two
weeks. While the party members
were practically agreed upon the
general scope of tariff revision before
the caucus began, it has taken much
longer than had been expected to
smooth over debated questions, and
to bring about an agreement on tar
ifl rates, income tax and other i'm
portant features carried in the big
bill.
The Democrats are not yet in COM
plete harmony over the measure, be-
cause of the insistence OF some
Western and Southern senator's that
the free sugar and free wool plans of
the administration be modified. An
attempt is to be made to put a bind
ing rule through the caucus, pledg-
ing every Democrat to vote down
amendments in the senate, and to
support the bill in it's entirety. Pro-
nounced opposition to this plan eX-
lists within the party ranks.
FOR UNIT RULE.
Even though the Democrats may
adopt the unit rule and attempt to
stamp out all opposition to the bill
that might come from sugar and
wool districts. the Republican lead
ers will use every effort on the floor
60 break the strength of the Demo-
ceatic ranks. Advocates of protec-
tive dutie, on these articles, anu on
n4Jy otr"rss that rae been greatly
reduced by the Democratic bill, will
seek to muster strength from the
sugar and wool states to effect de-
sred changes.
Two views OF the Republican atti-
tude are shown in the work that has
been done by Senator Smoot of Utah
and Senator LaFollette of Wiscon-
sin, in preparation for the approach
inf fight in the senate. Senator
Smoot has prepared amendments to
smores of the Democratic items, and
mil off LOTT hGt f,Nfn fnr
the Democratic woool tariff plan. His
proposal will be for a substantial re-
deuction in raw wool and on manu-
factured goods, but on such a basis
that a reasonable protection will be
retained
Senator LaFollette has been at
work for weeks with the aid of eX-
perts, preparing substitute schedules
for many sections of the Underwood
Simmons bill.
He also has again attacked the
woolen and cotton schedules and is
prepared to make a long and stub
born fight, in the effort to rally Re
publicans, Pregressives and some
Democrats to the support of a wool
en- tariff that will be much below the
present ratss, but will preserve some
protection. 1t is expected, however,
that the aFollette proposals will
suggest much lower rates than those
to be made by Senator Smoot
Other Republican senator's have
been working upon various features
of the tariff revision, and will insist
upon discussing at length, and from
every angle, reductions they think
threaten the life OF American indus
tries. 1t is believed that the tariff
debate, even should ii start the first
of next week, as the Democratic lead
ers now expect, will not be conclud-
ed in the senate before the last week
OF August.
Lobby Investigations, which grew
out of the tariff revision but have
gone far beyond it's realm, promise
to engross the attention of Congress
again this week. The senate's inves-
tigating committee will begin today
series OF hearings that is expect
ed to last for two weeks or more.
Interest will center about the actiy-
tiles of officers of the National AS
sociation OF Manufacturers, who
have been charged by Martin NJ.
Mulhall, one of their former em-
ployes, with being engaged in a gen
eral attempt to influence legislation
and to control the election of mem
bers of Congress.
Should the house succeed Wednes
day In adopting the resolution de-
bated in that body Saturday. the
Mulhall investigation will be a. dou-
ble-barreled affair, with committees
working upon IT at each end of the
CanSfoI