Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-18
CAUCUS To PASS
ON TARIFF BILL
Senate Democrats to Have
the Final Say Regarding
Notifications.
FREE WOOL AND SUGAR
ARE EXPECTED TO STAND
Chairman Simmons of the Finance
Committee Expects to Have Bill
Ready for Senate by June /.

III the present plans Of the democratic
| leaders in the Senate are carried out the
democratic caucus OF that body will have
the nnal say as 10 whether the sugar and
| WOOL schedule OF the Underwood tariff
Dill are TO be modified I'm any way be-
| fore the bin is reported from the finance
1 committee TO the Senate. Other inn
portant schedules will be subject TO eau
Gus action. and, matter OF fact, so
| will the entire bill
| The course which. il is said. will be
pursued contemplates the completion OF
| TIE work of the subcommittee OF the
1 majority members OF the finance COM
mittee which is now passing upon the
| various schedules OF the BILL its report
| TO the majority members of the commit
| tee and the final completion of the bill
! by the committee. Then, before the re-
| port is made TO the Senate the demo-
cratic caucus will be held and the bin
gone over carefully and perhaps amended.
Schedules Expected to Stand.
| The democrats from the western states
| which are vitality interested in wool and
beet sugar. and those from Louisiana. in
terested in cane sugar, will be permitted
to thrash out the matter Of free wool and
| free sugar in the caucus. Every oppor-
tunity will be given them to present their
side OF the questions. 1t Is the opinion
| today. however. that these schedules will
not be changed by the committee, or by
| the caucus. And when the caucus has
passed upon the measure IL Is believed
| that the democratic senator's, with the
! exceptions of the Louisianans. will stand
firmly for the measure.
| In other words, they are invited to make
their fight in the caucus for any amend
ments which they consider just, and when
the bill reaches the open Senate, to stand
solidly for il against the republicans. or
pec'ed to vote for the measure II it pro-
vides for free sugar at the end OF three
years. as il does at present.
Notwithstanding the fact that the demo-
cratic majority is small in the Senate.
there being only fifty-one democrats as
opposed to the forty-four. republicans and
one progressive. and that this majority
is made still smaller from The fact that
the two Louisiana senators will vote with
! the republicans against the bill on &C
. count of the sugar schedule. IL appears
at present that the majority is better in
. line for a big tariff fight than has been
any majority i'm the Senate I'm recent
years during tariff legislation.
Fridays Vote Pleases Leaders.
The leaders are pleased with the result
4 of the vote taken Friday the question
as to whether public hearings should be
given by the finance committee on the
tariff bill, which was opposed by the
democratic members OF the committee.
On this important vote the entire demo
cratic strength OF the Senate was united
| against the proposition, with the excep-
tion of the two Louisiana senators. The
democratic senators are showing n dispo-
| sition to fight out the contested points In
caucus and then abide by the caucus de-
cision.
| Senator Simmons. chairman OF the
| finance committee announced yesterday
that he expected to call a meeting OF the
full committee for Tuesday.
We will try to have the bill ready for
the Senate by June l.. said Senator Sim
mons last night, but IL probably will be
a little later than that. owing TO the fact
that the subcommittee have agreed TO
give a little more time TO the manufac-
iurers who are protesting against the
rates in the Underwood bill They have
decided 10 do this owing 10 the insist
ence and persistence of some of the in
terests affected by the bil We already
have lost whole week because OF the
prolonged debate on the reference mo-
tions but the work will be pushed as
rapidly possible.
Republicans See Point Won.
The republicans expressed the belief
that their fight for public tariff hearings
though defeated. has borne fruit. since
| the democrats are now going 10 allow
more time for hearings before the sub
| committee and since these hearings
20 he recorded and the press permitted to
attend them.
Advocating administrative changes IN
the tariff law which would revolutionize
the existing customs system, Assistant At
torney General Dennison and Assistant
Secretary OF the Treasury Curtis yester-
day afternoon appeared before sub
| committee OF the Senate finance commit
fee consisting Of Senator's Williams. Cor.
| and Shiyely. They suggested that the
| Secretary of the Treasury be authorized
| TO proclaim the dutable value OF import
| ed merchandise and that custom attof-
{ news be prohibited from accepting con-
| tingent fees in appealing from decisions
| Of collectors.
| They also urged that appeals for the re-
taken from the board OF the United
States general appraisers and lodged
| with a board of examiners to be com
posed of six or seven members appointed
| under the civil service. This board would
be an investigating body, they said. and
would constitute an aggressive safeguard
against fraudulent undervaluation. The
board Of general appraisers. acting "A
judicial body, is not in a position, they
, hold 20 conduct adequate Investigations
| to determine reappraisements.
/ Representatives OF the life insurance
| companies appeared before the same sub
| exempted from the provisions of the in
come tax feature OF the tariff bill