The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-13
TARIFF BILL ABOUT READY,

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| It is stated that tho Democratic eau
Gus of U. s. Senators, having acted
upon the Finance Committee S version
OF the House tariff revision bill, will
submit it to the Senate on next We'd
nesday, and that the process of acting
upon it will be expedited In the speed
! lest possible manner. But it is not
| reasonable TO expect that the estimate
of five weeks for debate on this bill in
the Senate will bo enough for it, as the
bill is sure to DC strenuously contested,
and many Senators will insist upon
debating 1t, and as Senate debate
is unlimited, there can be no just idea
at this time as TO how long IL will
take TO get to the final vote upon the
passage Of the bill in the upper house
of Congress
IT has been stated that Senator La
Toilette intended to speak for three
weeks on the bill in support OF numer-
Gus amendments which he intended to
propose. Doubtless he will occupy
good deal OF the time Of the Senate, un-
less some rule restricting debate and
suppressing volubility is adopted; but
we doubt II the Democratic Senators can
afford to adopt any restrictive rule Of
this kind, for under the present rule of
unlimited debate they had their com
plete liberty Of speech; and now it
would be extremely ungracious in them
to undertake to shut off tho freedom of
debate because they have a majority in
the Senate. With large majority
against them heretofore, their liberty
has never been curtailed. and we doubt
if enough Democratic Senators to vote
for the "gag rule can be found at
this tine.
The Senate Finance Committee has
pretty thoroughly worked over the
House bill, and has agreed to report
to the Senate the bill with hundreds Of
amendments, and with large additions
to the free list. These amendments
presumably have been adopted, either
with the support of President Wilson
or without his opposition, and 1t is
likely that that will be his attitude as
to most Of them, either approving or
Indifferent; so that when the bill comes
to the House again with the Senate
amendments attached, there is not like
ly to be much delay in the agreement
OF the lower house to the Senate
amendments.
There Is general feeling through
out the country that the agony on this
tariff bill has been sufficiently pro-
longed, and that whatever the Demo
Gratis intend to do with 1t ought to be
done with as little delay as possible,
so that the business of the country can
adjust itself more fully than 1t has
been able to do hitherto by way of
discounting the effects of the tariff re-
vision. Still, the Republican Senators
are quite right in their determination
to make as good a fight as possible
against those provisions in the tariff
revision which they consider to be de-
structive, and to point out tho defects
of the bill, in general and in detail.
1t Is not only their party right to do
this, but 1t is their public duty. With
the public sentiment which undoubted-
ly exists in favor Of speedy action,
we still support the proposition that
every opportunity for free debate ought
to be allowed. in the Senate, and that
the Republican Senators should have
all the liberty that they, when In the
majority, extended to the Democrats,
when the Democrats were helpless in
that body. Let the whole subject be
fully debated IN all its details, So that
the defects and evil provisions of the
proposed bill may be fully made
known.