The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1913-07-10
REPUBLICANS PLAN
ATTACK ON TARIFF
FIGHT ON NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
BILL TO BE LAUNCHED LATE
IN WEEK.
TO AssAIL IMPORTANT PARTS
Senators Smoot and LaFollette Ready
With Substitutes - Democratic
Leaders Hope to Pledge Fol-
lowers to Unit Rule.

Washington, July S.-Republican
members of the senate quietly have
been preparing for some week for
the attack to be made on the Under
wood-Simmons tariff bill, when it gets
back in the senate late this week.
While a program of tariff policy has
not been laid out by the Republicans,
leading representatives of the party
| nave prepared amendments, substitute
schedules and protection arguments,
directed at many of the important
sections of the Democratic bill.
Five Weeks for Discussion.
Senator Simmons, chairman OF the
| finance committee, who will bring the
bill in from the committee with the
seal of Democratic caucus approval,
estimates that five weeks will be
enough to wind up general debate and
discussion and to obtain a vote on
final passage. Prominent Republican
senators doubt whether the tariff can
be disposed of in the senate in that
time.
The Democrats are not yet in COM
plete harmony over the measure, be-
cause of the insistence of some west
ern and southern senators that he
free sugar and free wool plans of
the administration be modified. An
attempt will be made to put a bind
ing rule through the caucus, pledgingi
! every Democrat to vote down amend
ments in the senate and to support
the bill in its entirety. Pronounced
opposition to this plan exists within
the party ranks.
Root and LaFoliette Plans.
Two views of the Republicans atti-
tude are shown in the work that has
been done by Senator Smoot of Utah
and Senator LaFollette of Wisconsin.
Senator Smoot has prepared amend
ments to scores of the Democratic
items, and will offer a substitute for
the Democratic wool tariff plan. His
proposal will be for a substantial re-
duction in raw wool and on manufac-
tured goods, but on such a basis hat
a reasonable protection would be re-
tanned. =
Senator La Toilette has been at
work for weeks with the aid of ex-
perts, preparing substitute schedules
for many section of the Underwood
Simmons bill. He also has again at
tackled the wooden and cotton schemes
and is prepared to make a long and
stubborn fight, in the effort to rally
Republicans. Progressives and some
Democrats to the support of a wooden
tariff that will be much below the
present rates, but will preserve some
protection. 1t is expected, however,
that the LaFollette proposal will sug-
gest much lower rates than those to
be made by Senator Smoot.
Lobby Investigations interesting.
Lobby investigations, which grew
out OF the tariff revision bill, and
have gone far beyond its realm, prom
Use to engross the attention Of con
gress this week. The senate's investi-
eating committee will begin hearingst
today that are expected to last two
weeks or more. interest will center
about the activities of officers of the
National Association of Manufacture
ers, who have been charged by Mar
tin Nj. Mulhall, one of their former
employees, with being engaged in a,
general attempt to influence legisla-
ton and to control the election OF
members of congress.
Edward Lauterbach, the New York
lawyer, about whom centered the ex-
traordinary activities of David La
mar" appeared today and the senate
committee resumed its probe hear
ings.