Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-01-16
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
MusT HOLD MORE HEARINGS
ON THE TARIFF.
NO NEW FACTS EXPECTED
Democrats Are Not Likely to Cut
Schedules ITO The Bone" Because
Leaders Do Not Desire to Upset
Business.
Rx eEoReE cLINToN.


committee, are about to begin the
hearings which always come as pre-
lude to the passage of new tariff legis-
lation. The road which stretches be-
fore the chairman and his fellows is
much travelled one. The Republic
uncontrolled ways and means COM
mittee went over it at the extra SEES
sion called by Mr. Taft in 1909. A
Democratie-controlle ways and
means committee went over 1t in
part when reciprocity was under cons
sideration; then the same committee
went over 1t again at the last session
Of congress, and now the ways and
means members stand at the tape
ready for the signal to begin the
march once more.
Cynical laymen in Washington say
that If the committee hears anything
new on the tariff question during the
coming weeks of patient or impa-
tient attention to the arguments of
importers and manufacturers, it viii
be one Of the miracles Of chance
The printed public reports of the tar
in hearings during the last four
years make many volumes. Every
subject from acetanelid to zinc has
been exploited for all that was In it
to bolster up the cause of either
standpatism or downward revision.
Cannot Decline to Listen.
Every member Of congress in Wash
ington, regardless of party, admits
freely enough that 1t would be folly's
height for the Democratic chairman
Of ways and means to decline to list
en- to the denewed pleas Of protec
tionists and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. on the
ground that everything worth know.
ing is known, because If no hearings
were to be granted the Inevitable com
plant after the passage of the tarifi
bills would be from all parties I'VE
were given no chance to explain or
to protest"
So it is that the country may make
mp its mind that for the next six or
eight weeks it will be furnished with
a lot of familiar reading. The wool
growers are coming here from the
middle west the west, the northwest
and the southwest, and they win tell
the members Of the committee for the
third or fourth time within the span
Of one administration how sadly the
Aocks are In need Of the guardianship
of that gentle shepherd Protection
The free wool advocates win tell
their side Of the story and how It is
from their point of view that there il
no reason TO temper the wind Of down
ward revision either to the shorn OF
the unshorn sheep. The "pros" and
the cons" on every article listed In
the schedules will have their way, and
when it is all over the tariff bills will
be prepared, and it IL probable that
they win show no variation from the
views on the tariff expressed by ma
jority members of the ways and
means committee long before any
hearings were held.
Cuts May Not BE Very Deep.
It seems to be the belief of most
students Of legislation, and of the
political trend, as it will AFFECT legis-
lation, that the tariff bills, which will
be passed by congress controlled
by the Democrats and signed by .
Democratic president will not repre-
sent "a cut to the bone policy" 1t
seems likely that the measures
which finally will come out of con.
gress will be considerably above q
free basis. Democratic leaders have
said that they do not want to do any.
thing which will upset business, or as
some Of them put it, which will give
business chance ito upset itself"
The ways and means committee will
report downward revision tariff bills,
but just how deep the cuts will go
must depend entirely upon the results
of the conference between leaders Of
the different schools of Democratic
thought on tariff matters.
A new ways and means committee
will be appointed as soon as the new
congress gets together, but nearly all
the Democrats in the present commit.
tee are certain of reappointment.
Because of the increased Democratic
membership in the next house one or
two additional members Of the party
will be put on the ways and means
committee, but there Is not even the
remotest possibility that any change
of the committee from one Demo
cratic school of thought to another
can occur. The influence OF the pres
emit committee therefore will extend
into the next congress, and In q large
measure, its personnel will be the
same.
There are at present saven Repub-
hcan members of the ways and means
committee. Four of these at least
will not be members of the next house
OF representatives. John Dalzen of
Pennsylvania, high chieftafn of pro-
lection; Samuel w. Call of Massachu-
sets, moderate protectionist; Ebene-
zer ]. Hill of Connecticut, nearly as
staunch protectionist as John Dali
zell, and Nicholas Longworth of Ohio
will be missing from the halls of con-
gress. Serene E. Payne, formerly
chairman Of the ways and. means
committee and author of the Payne
tariff bill which is to be superseded,