The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-03
Agreement Reached as Re-
suit of Conference With
House Leaders
BRYAN STRONGLY
FAVORS ACTION
New Schedule to Take Place of 10
Per Cent Duty Agreed Upon by
ommittee-Attitude of the
Senate Unknown

upon between President wilson ana
members of the House committee on
ways and means as the result of con-
ferences that ended today. The present
plan. which will have the unanimous
Endorsement of the democratic men,
bers of the committee provides that
wool shall be placed on the free list,
an end for which the free wool demo-
Gratis of the House have fought for two
years.
The concession TO President Wilson
and the free wool advocates takes the
place of the 15 per cent duty which
the committee had agreed upon. This,
in turn, was a reduction from the 20
per cent duty of the democratic woolen
revision bill which passed the House
last summer but failed to become a
law. The free wool agreement, 1t was
claimed by democrats tonight, is ex-
pected to bring Secretary of State
Bryan into full accord with the tariff
revision programme.
Move Backed by Bryan
The free wool democrats have pressed
their fight before President Wilson in
conferences in which Representatives
Harrison of New York and Rainely of
Illinois, both members of the ways and
means committee, have been the lead
ing figures. Representative Harrison,
, backed by Mr. Bryan, made an ardent
fight in the last Congress to secure in
dorsement of the free wool policy.
The understanding arrived at today
is that the ways and means committee
will present its bill with the free wool
provision Incorporated and with a
unanimous report from it's democratic
members and that the President will
make known his thorough accord
with it.
The reception that may be given the
free WOOL plan by the Senate leaders
is still matter of conjecture. Presi-
dent Wilson is to meet Senator Sim-
mons chairman of the finance commit
tee, and Senators Holxe Smith and
Stone tomorrow night, and IL is ex-
pected that the attitude Of the Senate
win then be made clear.
Under the existing law wool carries
duty of approximately il cents per
pound or about 60 per cent when fig
ured on the ad valorem basis. 1t Is
estimated that the abolition of the duty
will cause a loss of approximately
$20,000,000 to the present government
revenues, but democratic tariff leaders
claim it Will bring about a substantial
reduction in the price of wooden man
ufactured goods This reduction in
revenue and the possible loss of ap-
proximately $53,000,000 of revenues
should sugar be placed on the free
list would be made up, the demo-
Gratis say, by the income tax, the de-
tails of which probably will be settled
tomorrow by the ways and means COM
mittee.
President Wilson is tonight face to face
with the most serious phases of tariff re- !
vision.
With the work on the House ways and
means. committee before him and the ex-
ira session of Congress only few days
off the President had proceeded deep
enough in his study of the tariff bill to
realize that before the democratic caucus
met there We're many points upon which
he himself must take a definite stand. 1t
was admitted at the White House that
he would do so 'in a day or two
1t was declared also that the President
had not finally made up his mind as to
whether the tariff should be revised
schedule by schedule or in single bill;
whether sugar should be put on the free
list or given a reasonable amount of pro-
lection and whether the income tax
should be by fiat rate or graduated. These
and kindred questions the President mas
not yet decided absolutely. but from what
he told his callers today there was a well
defined impression of his inclinations The
President leans toward revision by a
single bill He thinks the income tax
question can only be decided after an
agreement has been made upon tariff
rates He believes that sugar should go on
the free list. but is open to conviction
on that point. The President has been
hearing arguments that people In Louis
~ - ~. .tr 1trcf tn aat
the new conditions imposed by the re-
moyal of the tariff on sugar.
Confers With Ewing
But Col Robert Ewing, national COM
mitteeman from Louisiana, has been pre-
senting the other side of the question,
and when he left the White House yester-
day he Lad laid the case in full before
MIR Wilson. Following upon his confer
enee last night with Mr.. Underwood the
first thing the President did today was
to send for Colonel Ewing. He canvassed
the possibility of getting common agree
ment on the sugar question. Tho Louis
lana national committeeman told the Pres
dent that the business Of the sugar grow
ers of his state, with millions of dollars
invested, would be ruined IL sugar entered
free. but that they were willing to stand
a "a per cent cut. Mr.. Wilson agreed 10
study the question further.
Tonight the president talked over the
tariff situation with Senator William
Hughes of New Jersey, a member of the
new finance committee. Senator Sim
mons chairman of the committee, sought
an appointment with the President, and
tomorrow will bring with him Senators
Stone and Hole Smith, also of the finance
commmittee. for a discussion of the tariff
bill.
Discuss Wool Schedule
The President devoted most of the day
to talking tariff. He discussed the woolen
schedule with Representative Rainey OF
Illinois The latter Is an advocate OF free
wool, and on coming away from the
White House said he was perfectly we'll
satisfied with the Presidents attitude. 1t
Is known that the President believes In
a big reduction on wool. but whether II
extends to removal of all the duty Is
point that has not oeen definitely dis
closed
Members of the ways and means COM
mittee. after an all day session today,
spent In perfection of tariff bill details.
declared there was no substantial diff
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