River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-05-01
THE UNDERWOOD TARIFF BILL
(By James A. Frear, M C. from the
10Th Wisconsin District

Washington, April 28-The I'm.
derwood tariff bill has been report
ed to the House and is being dis
cussed in day and night sessions
From present prospects it will be
passed on to the Senate this week.
As the bill contains 200 pages Of
printed matter with thousands of
different items, this simple state
ment OF it's size and character shows
the mpracticability of careful con-
sideration by any Congress. Under
Supreme Court decisions Congress
cannot delegate to a commission
power to determine tariff rates al
though the right is conceded in the
supervision of railway rates, sub
ject to otner rules Of law. A tariff
commission that could fully ascer-
tain the facts and present them to
Congress would however afford
much needed information in the
preparation of tariff bills.
Republicans and the Third Par
~ contingent will not get even the
core of the tariff apple. An over
whelming Democratic majority will
not waste time to advise with polit-
ical opponents and as the result is
a foregone conclusion it will be
for the business interests of the
country to have tariff matters set
tied without delay.
Through secret caucus methods
the Democratic organization has
whipped rebellious members into
line for the Underwood bill. Free
sugar, free flour and other free COM
modities have been forced upon the
Democratic insurgents who de-
manded some protection on specific
items or higher rates than are
given by the bill. All discussion in
caucus and on the floor is perfume
tory. The result was predeter-
mined months ago. No Wisconsin
Legislature ever had a steam roller
that made a shadow compared with
the Underwood machine 1t fattens
out its own membership and then
irons out all opposition. No
amendments will be accepted, for
pride of authorship goes with the
bill.
believe this will be one of the
last attempts ever made by an
American Congress to pass a polit-
ical tariff bill. Revision by a Sec
ret caucus, without hearings, par
ing down schedules under the ad-
vice of influences, political rather
than equitable, is as unsound and
unsafe in practice as the efforts of
an itinerant tinker to adjust the
sensitive mechanism of a watch
with his tinsmith'S hammer and
shears.
Without offensive criticism of the
Democratic procedure, which has
been borrowed from Republican
presidents, the system cannot be
justified and instead of being made
a political foot ball hurriedly thrown
together, tariff schedules in the
future, probably, will be carefully
prepared, based upon exhaustive
Investigations by a non-partizan
commission. The i'll fate that over
took the Wilson tariff bill, passed
under Clevelands administration,
the record of the Dingley bill sur
charged with unused reciprocal
rates, and finally the protes;
against the Payne-Aldrich bill are
all signs of what may happen to
the Underwood bill or any other
measure passed for political ex.
pedience. The pendulum swings
from one extreme to the other
through such methods and the
fault lies with the system rather
than the political party.
In the Republican caucus, held
openly for the first time in a half
century, the minority has united in
advocating tariff commission with
power to investigate and repor,
findings on which to base future
congressional action. The las,
tariff commission had limited pow.
ers, but its investigations into the
wooden schedules were so exhaus
tive that the Republicans of this