Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-05-01
NO FEAR OF PANIC
PRESIDENT EXPECTS NO BUSI-
NESS UPHEAVAL BECAUSE OF
TARIFF REVISION
BUSINESS WILL ADJUST SELF
II Any Plants Are Shut Down, Say
Democrats, 1t Will Be for Political
Effect-Expects Senate to Pass
Bill.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

! not expect any business upheavaf be-
cause of the changes in the tariff. He
| thinks that business will adjust itself
rapidly TO a competitive basis and be
! just as prosperous as it has been in
! the past. and this in the face of the
fact expected by the Democrats that
prices will be lowered TO the consum-
| ers of the country. 1t will be remem-
bered that some time prior to his in
auguration Mr. Wilson had something
to say about hanging higher than Har-
mon men who maliciously should ere
ate panics. The president was criti-
| cised for saying this and was called
to account for it by good many
newspapers.
There was no word from New Jer-
sey after this speech was made and
| the critics had been given a chance
to say what they wished, that Mr.. VIII
son was at all disturbed by what he
read and what he heard concerning
/ his higher than Hannah" utterance.
1t is known today that he thinks that
| if sugar plants or any other manufac-
III liz. p1alItS smut uONu IOIiONiIS llS
enactment of the new tariff bill they
will do SO for effect. and that they
will be glad enough to start the wheels
| going after a. short period of silent
and thoroughly understood protest.
Democratic senators and representa-
tives of the progressive kind are talk
| ing today about the possibility of the
lcLa1 - -Iz Gs1ryi+
prepense" after the tariff bill goes in
| to effect. They seem to think that
Mr.. Wilson's words before his inau-
guration and his known feeling since
| he became president. will check any
attempt on the part of the protected
industries to make what the Demo
Gratis call "a grandstand play" against
the new schedule.
Senate Will Pass Bill.
President Wilson has been receiv-
ing reports from progressive Demo
cratic senators which have given him
a more cheerful view of the probable
tariff outcome in the senate. The SEN
ators who have been cheering Mr..
| Wilson may, of course, be overhopeful.
| but they have given the president
what he apparently thinks are genuine
reasons for a belief that the upper
house will put through the customs
measure in the shape in which the
Democratic majority in congress ap.
parently desires it to go through
In talking about the tariff measure
after they had seen the president the
progressive Democrats, whose hearts
are cheerful on the subject, prefaced
their words by saying that the senate
today is known to be more progressive
than the house, "and if the house shall
pass the bill in the shape that Mr.. Will
son wishes why should not the senate.
more progressive, put it through
also?"
The obvious answer of the critic to
these PREDATORY words will be that
while the house may be more conser-
vative than the senate. as it is at pres
ent constituted. the Democratic ma
jority in the lower chamber is over
whelming and a commanding part of
their majority is willing to stick to
the party program even though it does
not meet the wishes of individual Dem
ocrats
This view of the matter was pre-
scented to the progressive upper house
man and his reply was that all but one
or two of the conservatives in the SEN
ate were going 10 be good. He named
Senator Simmons of North Carolina.
the head and front OF conservatives in
of h. =
be-good-ones,' then he added that if
Senator Simmons was of mood to
stand for Mr. Wilson's tariff measure
it could be taken for granted that the
less militant protectionists among the
Democrats would surely follow suit.
Simmons viii Be Good.
Senator Simmons is acting most
admirably said the senator. HE
was made chairman of the finance
committee and was given the place in
the face of strong progressive oppo-
sition, or in the face of what was
strong opposition at the outset. The
fact that the progressives yielded and
gave MI Simmons his place as chair
man ought to suggest that there was
hope at least that he would not at
tempt to stand in the way of legisla-
ton which the majority of the mem
bers who had honored him desired to
see given place on the statute books.
The president has been told that
there will be no material changes
made by the senate in the tariff bill
as it comes over from the house.
Some of the progressive Democrats
in the senate, men who have been in
clined to hold fast to the free-trade
faith, think that Mr.. Underwood has
kept the rates too high on some arti-
cles Of import They say that sugar
and wool and a few other things have
so occupied the attention that sight
has been lost of some of the other
schedules which they think well might
be given the surgeons treatment 1t
seems likely, however, from what
some of the progressives' of the SEN
ate say, that if they can keep the wool
and the sugar legislation intact as it
is drawn by the house, that it will be
injud;ci0us to attempt to carry the
matter much further.
To Hold Open Caucuses.
1t seems now virtually to be as
r-as,u IlrHnr7 - TIT TIHrr