Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-03-14
FOOD DUTY FREE
.,o,,sE DEMOCRATS WILL MAKE
as NEAR APPROACH TO THAT
AS POSSIBLE
FARMERS SURE TO OPPOSE IT
concentrations, However, VIII BE OF
fered Agricultural interests In the
Way Of Reductions on Articles
That They Must Buy.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

Waghtngt0H.--lL Is Salu Dy members
:, the ways and means committee of
,ba house at last constituted and who
r,,ll continue to hold membership In
.bat 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 will be as near an approach to
duty free food as Is possible. The
house unauestionably will put sugar
IN free list. but also unquestionably
the senate will decline to agree and
win make a compromise on the pres
emit duties. The cane and beet sugar
makers are protesting to congress.
tust as they protested last summer,
that free sugar would kill their indus
tries.
A tarif for free food means that
the duties will be taken of msay
eatables that now pay high rates, al
though 1t is known that the rates will
he maintained on such foods as come
under the head of luxuries. the pal
ate ticklers" OF the present customs
laws.
The Democratic leaders know OF
course that II an approach to free
food Ia attempted there will be oppo-
sition from the agricultural interests
of the country or from a large part of
them. The intention of the Demo
Gratis. therefore, is to Offset with COM
uensations any damage which viii be
done to the farmer, the truck garden
er and the fruit raiser. Their agu-
1nent is that If man gets a smaller
price for bis 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.
It Ia 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 1t not know in advance that the
senate would insist upon raising them,
The plan Of the house majority, and
1t is a very human plan, is to make
the rates SO low that the basis of COM
promise wiz be correspondingly low:
IA other words, that they can yield
considerably more than they would
have Yielded If the rates had not been
put very low with the full knowledge
that 1t was necessary to prepare In
any call for 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
on at the end of the year even under
reduced prices for their products than
they are under the present tariff ar
engagements.
Ait this the Republicans, of course,
say remains to be proved and they
predict for the Democratic party great
trouble in bringing down the duties on
manufactured articles to point to
onset 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.
mere 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
preparations for tariff legislation
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
VIII continue to be the majority In
me next committee, and of course
their findings and their preparations
VIII be endorsed by the same men
VINO have just endorsed them, al
though their findings win have TO be
passed upon by a house differently
constituted in its personnel than was
mat OF the last session.
is of course possible that the
great influx of new members, mostly
democrats, could by a combination
win hold-over members force re-hear-
'ngs on tariff measures and pass an
entirely different kind OF bill than it
Is the present intention of the ways
ana means committee to recommend
ior adoption. There is not one chance
N ten thousand, however, that this
viii occur.
Extra Session Program.
When congress gets together
april l the house Immediately
y viii elect a speaker to succeed
Ihamp Clark, and the chances are
tnat the man to succeed viii be Mr..
Niark himself. Then when the com
Iittee memberships definitely are as
signed the members viii get down at
Once 10 tariff tinkering.
It is pretty generally expected in
"aShihgton that the administration |