Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-06-26
Washington Letter
from Geo. w. Summers. J

from Geo. w. Summers
The Underwood tariff bill. as amend
ed by the Senate committee on Finance
is now before the Senate, where it is
likely to remain for about two months
before the Senate is ready to pass it.
When it passes the Senate it win not
be in the same shape it was in when it
left the House and the concurrence of
the House in the Senate amendment
will be requested. Should the House
not see fit to concur in the amendments
the bill will go to conference and weeks
will elapse before an agreement can be
reached. In the meantime. the bill,
both as passed by the House and as
amended by the Senate does not effect
any West Virginia product materially
and eyery producer in the State can
support the billwith the full knowledge
that he will not be injured by any of
its provisions. A little of the tariff
duty on wool is cut off and little of
the duty on glass and pottery, but
aside from these slight reductions little
change is made in any duty in which
West Virginia is concerned except as
its citizens are consumers and the dut-
les on articles consumed in the State
are generally reduced, which will result
in general reduction of the cost of
living. There has been for years a
contention upon the part of coal opera
tors in the State that the removal of
the duty on coal would ipjure their
business but it is noteworthy that in
all the investigation which the Senate
committee on education and labor has
been making in West Virginia of tronb-
les connected with the miners strike in
the southern part of the State, no eff
fort has been made to show that the
tariff duty on coal in any way affects
the selling price of COAL Coal opera
tors fearing disaster to their coal from a
reduction of the duty could have it
made plain to this committee in some
way what the effects would be but not
an attempt has been made to do it, and
the public still believes largely as form
er Senator Watson believes that free
coal would bea benefit to West Virginia
rather than menace TO the coal bust
ness of the State. The fact seems to
be that the consumer in West Virginia
will be greatly benefited by the pro-
posed tariff law while no one in the
State will be injured in any way. Those
who have products to sell will get al
most as much for their products and
can buy cheaper, while the general
consumer will find the purchasing price
of almost everything he has to buy re-
duced by the new law. West Virginia
Democrats here believe the bill will be
very beneficial to all persons in the
State and injurious to none. 1t will
provide just what the people have been
clamoring fora reduction in the price
artiicially raised by the tariff and there
fore reduction in the cost of living.
Boys and girls in the second Congress
ionai districts of West Virginia will
have an opportunity to come to Wash
ington next winter without expense
Congressman John W, Davis has of
fered a prize of trip to Washington
to the boy or girl raising the largest
quantity Of corn on an acre of ground
in the first Congressional district and
Congressman w. G.-Brown has offered
a similar prize to the second district
The contests are to be managed by the
Boys Corn Clubs of the State under the
supervision of authorities at the West
Virginia University. Last year Mr..
Brown offered prize for the boy rais-
ing the largest yield from an acre in
the State. The prize was won by a
Morgantown boy. This year the two
Democratic Congressman have each
offered prize for their respective dis
trict.
Congressman Brown was guest by
appointment at the White House last
week, he being invited with other
members of the House committee on
Banking and Currency to confer with
the President regarding the bill to be
considered at this session of Congress.
Congressman DAVIS was the only
member of the West Virginia delega-
ton except Congressman at Large
Sutherland who got to Wheeling for
the Semi-C Centennial celebration. He
was one of the specially invited guests
and was the recipient of much atten-
ton while there.
Congressman Brown has for distribu-
ton among the people of his. district a
of copies of the Agricultural
Department Year Book for 1912, a Ralu-
able addition to the former yearbooks
of the Department He also has copies
of the pamphlet entitled Fifty Com
mon Birds of Farm and Orchard" which
is handsomely illustrated and valu-
able publication. Copies of the metric
system in charts are also in Mr..
Browns possession for the use of
teachers and pupils in his district, He
will be glad to send copies of any of
these publications to persons in his
district upon request so long as the
supply holds out.
Maps of the battlefield of Gettysburg.
which will be of special interest to old
soldiers who attend the reunion on-the
fiftieth anniversary of the battle of
Gettysburg, may be had by the consti-
tuents of Congressman Davis and