Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-03-13
FOOD DUTY FREE
HOUSE DEMOCRATS WILL MAKE
AS NEAR APPROACH TO THAT
AS POSSIBLE
FARMERS SURE TO OPPOSE 1T
Compensations, However, Will Be Of
fered Agricultural interests in the
Way Of Reductions On Articles
That They Must Buy.
Ey GEORGE CLINTON.


viii continue TO hold membership in
that body in the new congress, that
the first and great effort of the new
tariff legislation will be TO reduce the
cost OF living" This is Interpreted
as meaning that among other things
there viii be as near an approach to
duty free food as is possible. The
house unquestionabIy will put sugar
on free list. but also unquestionably
the senate will decline to agree and
viii make a compromise on the pres
ent duties The cane and beet sugar
makers are protesting to congress,
Just as they protested last summer,
that free sugar would kill their indus
tries.
A tariff for free food means that
the duties viii be taken off many
eatables that now pay high rates, al
though it is known that the rates will
be maintained on such foods as come
under the head of Injuries, the pal
ate ticklers" of the present customs
laws.
The Democratic leaders know of
course that if an approach to free
food is attempted there will be oppo-
sition from the agricultural interests
Of the country or from large part Of
them. The intention of the Demo
Gratis, therefore, is to Offset with com
pensations any damage which will be
done to the farmer. the truck garden
er and the fruit raiser. Their agu-
ment is that if a man gets a smaller
price for his products he can afford
the loss provided the things which he
buys for his home use, clothing and
other articles. are reduced in cost.
Provide for Compromise.
1t is a delicate table of balances
which the ways and means committee
members will have to prepare. and
they must prepare it with full knowl-
edge that changes unquestiOnably will
be insisted upon by the senate. The
chances therefore seem to be that the
house will make greater cuts in some
of the rates than it would have made
did it not know in advance that the
senate would insist upon raising them.
The plan of the house majority, and
it is a very human plan, is to make
the rates so low that the basis of com
promise will be CORRESPONDENCE low;
in other words, that they can yield
considerably more than they would
have yielded if the rates had not been
put cry low with the full knowledge
that it was necessary to prepare in
any call for a margin of compromise.
The Democrats say they understand
fully the opposition which may come
to efforts to put certain kinds of foods
on the free list or make them almost
free. They declare they are going to
make an effort in their tariff bills to
so reduce the cost of other articles
that the men who raise food stuffs for
the markets will find they are better
off at the end of the year even under
reduced prices for their products than
they are under the present tariff ar
rangements.
All this the Republicans, of course,
say remains 10 be proved and they
predict for the Democratic party great
trouble in bringing down the duties on
manufactured articles to a point to
offset the losses to the farmers be-
cause of free food, and to do it with
out putting the manufacturing con-
Germs out of business.
Tariff Hearings Hold Good.
There has been some curiosity ex-
pressed in letters received in Washing
ton as to how the last congress could
go ahead holding hearings and making
|
which must be passed by an incoming
congress. The matter is simple
enough in itself because the majority
of the members of the ways and
means committee of the present house
will continue to be the majority il
the next committee, and of course
their findings and their preparations
will be endorsed by the same men
who have just endorsed them, al
though their findings will have TO be
passed upon by a house differently
constituted in its personnel than was
that of the last session.
1t is of course possible that the
great influx of new members, mostly
Democrats. could by a combination
ings on tariff measures and pass an
entirely different kind of bill than it
is the present intention of the ways
and means committee to recommend
for adoption. There is not one chance
in ten thousand. however, that this
will occur.
Extra Session Program.
When congress gets together
April / the house Immediately
ly will elect speaker to succeed
Champ Clark. and the chances are
that the man to succeed will be Mr..
Clark himself. Then when the COM
mfttee memberships definitely are as
signed the members will get down at
once to tariff tinkering.
1t is pretty generally expected in
Washington that the administration
will ASK congress to take up currency
legislation at the extra session, but it
NAV be that the advice of some of the
elder members of the banking and cur
rencv committee of the house and of