The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-04-04
PRESIDENT HOLDS THE
PARTY TO THE PROMISE


a special from washington to the
New York World says President Will
son has asserted his leadership of the
democratic party and began the fight
for tariff reform.
The president and Chairman Under
wood Of the ways and means commit
tee conferred at the White House for
wo hours. Mr.. Wilson told the major
ity leader that the bill prepared by the
democratic majority of the ways and
means committee was not thoroughly
democratic bill and that IL must be re-
written in parts before he would lend
II the backing of the administration.
President Wilson, since March GATH
when the bill was laid before him for
inspection. discovered that the prom
ises Of the party to reduce the cost of
living by putting the necessities Of
life on the free list had not been car
ried out in the bill, and told Mr.. I'm
derwood that he would not accept it
because Of that reason.
After minute inspection of the bill
the president found that in most cases
there had been a genuine. honest eff
fort to take prohibitIve rates off many
manufactured articles, especially the
products of trusts. and that the effort
had succeeded fairly
When it came to the foodstuffs, Mr..
Wilson found there had been a sudden
change Of front and that the policy of
a tariff for revenue only had stopped
short. He showed Mr.. Underwood that
there were evident signs Of "log-roll-
ing" and trades throughout the sched
ules covering the necessities of life
Mr.. Wilson's examination of the bill
developed that the necessities of life Of
the poor were the things which the
tariff makers had overlooked.
Mr.. Underwood told the president
that he had done the best he could un-
der the circumstances but that he had
been unable to hold the committee
when 1t came to interfering with the
products Of the farmer He told the
president he would gladly take the bill
back to the committee and ask for
reconsideration.
The president reminded Mr.. Under
wood that the democratic party already
had passed four tariff bills and sup
ported the Canadian reciprocity pact
and that the proposed cuts in the food
Stunts did not measure up with the i'm
piled promises carried by the party in
it's attitude on the reciprocity pact.
At the conclusion of the conference
Mr.. Underwood assured the president
that he believed the committee would
do everything required to bring the
bill up TO the standard outlined.
The silk schedule has been so cut
that members Of the committee are
satisfied that 1t will result in enough
importation to force American manu-
facturers to market an article that
win stand up against foreign compe-
tition or get out of business.
The wooden schedule has been cut
far enough to bring about a reduction
on American clothes or steady influx
Of foreign materials of better quality
at low prices.
The duty on felt has been reduced
far enough to scare the hat manufac-
turers to such an extent that they are
swarming in Washington and making
strenuous efforts to bring pressure to
bear upon the president TO save them.
Two copies of the tariff bill have
gone over the presses at the govern
ment printing office. The first print
shows that the committee, in the effort
to reduce the cost of living, placed on
the free list virtually every article
that goes to the dinner table. Under
the present law virtually no plain
foodstuffs enter the country in normal
years.
The second copy that went to the
printing office showed an entirely diff
ferent free list, so far as the foodstuffs
are concerned. Virtually all the most
important articles had been shifted
back to the dutiable list. In many
cases the rate was reduced greatly un-
der the present tariff, but experts as
sert that such reductions are valualess
as factor in the cost of living.
Between the times that the commit
tee voted upon the first bill and the
second, pressure" had been brought to
bear by farmers and cattlemen. The
livestock men have been especially
active during the tariff campaign
Many of them have been housed here
in hotels and have worked constantly
upon members of the House. who in
tp-n have pressed members of the
ways and means committee to recon
slider the first action.
Cattle, pigs, sheep ard all other ami
mails used for food were on the first
free list. They were all put back on
the dutiable list in the second bill In
the first bill poultry of all sorts was
placed on the free list, but they have
been shifted back to the dutiable list.
nay straw cOWpedSs wheat rye
oats. barley, buckwheat and corn were
on the free list. but they have been
taken from it and subjects to duty
IN this class everything that livestock
lives on and everything that enters
bread. pastry and other bakery pro-
ducts were put back on the dutiable
list.
Every vegetable. from white potatoes
to eabbages, was on the free list, and
the same was true of virtually all the
fruits and lemons. The second bill
changed all this All the products of
the creamery were on the free list, but
they have been removed. Oysters, fish
and Holsters suffered the same change.
All sorts of sailed and prepared
meats were left on the free list. as
were cereal products.
With the exception of the house
keepers free list, the cuts in the tariff
bill are general and in many cases
drastic.