The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-04
Sounds Them on Chances Of
Free Wool and Free Sugar
to Pass Chamber
FORM OF REVISION
STILL INDEFINITE
May Be Done in One Bill or
Schedule by Schedule and
May Be Passed as Com
mittee Measure

WASHINGTON, April 3.--President
Wilson undertook today to ascertain
just what concessions he may expect
to get from the United States senate
In framing the tariff bill He sum-
moned several Of the senators and
sounded them on the probability OF
the senate accepting a bill containing
free wo6l. free sugar, and a lost of free
foodstuGs that go into the ordinary
market basket.
The senator's who called at the
White House have made an earnest
effort to ascertain what would be the
attitude Of the upper house of con-
eress towards these propositions The
result Of their investigation showed
that the vote would be very close.
They were NOT able to assure the
president that free wool and free su-
gar could he put through the senate.
nor were they prepared to say that
such a. program would not meet with
success
The president il trying to avoid the
appearance Of riding rouEh-shod over
the senate in the matter of tariff leg
islation. Personally he favors free
wool and free sugar. and the removal
market basket" food products, but
he is not prepared to jeopardlze the
tariff program by insisting ON these
Form of Revision
Two things hinge upon the outcome
Of the presidents negotiations with
the senate: First, the form in which
the tariff revision Will be submitted
to the house caucus whether In one
bill or schedule by schedule and sec
hn i
to whether or not the hill shall be
submitted to caucus fatty as an adj
ministratfon measure, or simply as
the bill of the ways and means COM
mittee
If the president is unable to reach
4 satisfactory agreement with the SEN
ate leaders before next Tuesday there
IS strong reason to believe that the
tariff revision will be submitted to
the caucus in separate schedules So
much Of the program as is acceptable
10 both the house and the senate. may
be embodied in an administration bill,
and other features, such as the wool
and sugar schedules. may be intro
duced in separate bills
Plan of President
If the senate will not agree in ad-
vance to q bill which the president
would feel justified in calling an ad-
understood, stand away from the
house bill. and will use all the con-
ciliatory tactics in his power TO get
the senate support for as many sched-
ules as possible
Senator F. NJ Simmons, chairman
OF the finance Committe and Sena-
tors Ifoke Smith and William r.
Stone, also members of the committee,
were the members of the upper house
yth ia =
After the conference Chairman Sim
mons announced;
We discussed the tariff revision bill
in general with the president and ex-
changed views on practically every
schedule. The president desired 10 be
Informed on the senate's views on the
rates 10 he carried by certain sche-
dulles. The conference between the
president and the senate committee.
and between the house and senate triff
committees will probably be continued
this week.
Views on Wool and Sugar.
The president found the three MEM
hers IF the senate committee willing
to accept his views on the woof and
sugar schedules. He found the sem
ate C0mmitte as ready to accept his
suggestion as l'nderwoods and the
ways and means committee had
shown themselves to he. He was con-
WINGED that the question which he
must solve with the aid of the sena-
tors was simply one Of determining
just what the majority of the senate
could he prevailed to do. The sena-
tors found AIr Wilson very willing to
concede that the situation might de-
mand concessions on his part.
It has been practically agreed that
the maximum and minimum provision
Of the Payne Aid Lch law shall he re-
pealed,
Another proposition under consid-
GRAFTON is designed to uphuild the mer-
chant marine Ii is an enunciation of
the old doctrine of discriminating du-
ties lt will provide for preferential
rate an al commodities carried in
= American hnttnme'