The Washington herald., 1913-04-04
MIR. Wilson and the Tariff.

The new Congress will understand
the Presidents position TO be, that if
an omnibus tariff bill is decided upon,
passed, and then presented for his ap-
proval in radically different form or
carrying special privileges for favored
industries, he will oppose the entire
programme and appeal TO the country
for support This should have a clari-
flying effect upon the political atmos-
phere. which at this stage envelopes
the tariff question.
President Wilson is perfectly willing
to sanction an omnibus tariff bill if he
can be assured that the Democratic
leaders in the House and Senate can
prevent log-rolling on their bill. But
these assurances must be strong, in
deed. before the President will risk
the necessity of vetoing the entire
tariff programme, in order to prevent
the retention of special privilege in the
law. Unless he can be so treasured
he will insist upon schedule by sched
ule revision, knowing that with his in
fluence thus greatly increased, with
special privilege proponents deprived
OF their power TO jeopardize the entire
tariff programme, the chances for log
rolling will be minimized i'll the first
place. and log-rolling itself completely
nullified in the final analysis If the
bills arc served up to the President one
schedule at a time, he can separate the
sheep from the goats and send back to
Congress whichever ones he sees fit.
The responsibility for these will then
rest where it belongs
Under ordinary conditions, the ques-
ton would be more complicated than
at present If grave 'oubt existed as
10 the strength of the Presidents fol-
lowing in Congress-if the Democratic
party were so divided factionally that |
every opportunity to embarrass the
President would be taken advantage
OF, schedule by schedule revision might |
be strung over many months, leaving |
the business interests of the country !
IL: an uncertain condition. These con-
ditions, however. do not exist. The !
leaders OF both House and Senate are |
willing, nay, anxious, to make their |
programme conform TO the Presidents |
ideas. Whether the programme is put
through in one bill Or schedule by
schedule, it is assured of most SYM
pathetic treatment in the House, and /
comparatively early settlement in both
branches of Congress.
Chairman Underwood. OF the WAYS
and Means Committee, though his free
list was much more brief than the one
Mr. Wilson decided upon, is deter
mined 10 do everything in his power
TO put through the Presidents pro-
gramme. In the Senate conditions are
not so favorable to the Presidents
programme. but this much is assured
with the exceptions of the wool and
sugar schedules, both of which Mr..
Wilson wants under the free 1ist-thc
tariff programme can be put through
with almost no interference. In fact.
such are the conditions in both Houses
that it would seem perfectly safe to
put the programme through in three
bills-one embracing all features ex-
cept wool and sugar, and one bill each
for these products.
Moreover, as the country could know
in advance Just how the entire bill will
shape up, industries interested in par
ticular schedules would not be kept
upon tenter-hoolls of uncertainty bend-
ing the disposal of their schedules. So.
whichever form of revision is deter
mined upon, the country almost GER
tainly will have a complete new law
from the extra session-unless. under
an omnibus bill, Congress breaks loose
and forces the President to veto the
entire programme Log-rolling on
Schedule X helped defeat President
Taft and split the Republican party