Arizona republican., 1913-04-09
TARIFF FIGHT
 ON IN CONGRESS
Conference and Party Plans Which Held Stage for a Week Give Way to First Open Steps for Passage of Proposed Bill
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcH1

WASHINGTON, April Slight on the democratic tariff revision began in congress today. Conferences and party plans. which have held the stage for weeks gave way to the first open steps toward the passage of the new tariff bill. The presidents personally deliv- cred messa ge. calling the party asso- ciatas of both houses to speedily enact the partys pledges on tariff revision, were followed by q caucus of the demo- cratic. house members, which will con tinue for several days and in which the dempcr.ss. $. iN attapnp' 70 sott}e. differences and agree upon the support for the Underwood bill Criticism of many of the features of the law de yelOped today in democratic circles in 1 the senate. In short a caucus of the senate democrats was held to consider other matters and criticism was voiced by one or two of the western senators against free wool provisions and the sugar schedule proposing to free sugar in 1916. House democrats settled none i of the general tariff questions today 1 Senate leaders are still insistent that 1 the Underwood bill be subdivided so ] sired on the sugar and wool schedules. l One plan has been proposed to the president that the schedules be grouped l in such a way that the tariff will be i comprised of four separate measures. These proposals are based on a grow ] ing belief that opponents of the sugar
 and wool provisions may muster 1 strength enough to threaten the
 defeat of the bill Many progressives
 and republican senators expressed their | opposition to the democratic bill be- i cause of it's sweeping character and | proposed reductions. Democrats are
 counting little if any of progressive
 and republican support in the senate 1 should the tariff provision go before
 that body as a single bill. Tomorrow the caucus will probably adopt the ways and means committee majority recommendations that only committees be created at this time to reach a tariff program with the new tariff hand l books in the pocket of every member
 as guide.
 | Senate democrats are agreed today to
 the policy designed to prevent the con- trol of senate affairs by members and
 to distribute the powers lodged in the
 committee chairanm. Resolutions will | be accepted by the caucus to give a ma ajorty of the members of any commit tee the right to call a meeting and des- ignate the members of the conference as committees and sub committees Democratic senators expressed their
 opinion that the caucus and it's new policies will prevent the burying of
 legislation in committee through action
 of any chairman who might be opposed
 to it. A further change was advocated
 by Senator Lea giving the committees
 power to elect their own chairman and it will be taken up later at party
 conference.
 Senator Works re-introduced today
 his bill for the constitutional amend
 ment of the limit of presidents tenure
 to one and for a six year term; Sen ator Sutherland reintroduced the workmens compensation bill; Senator Jones introduced a bill for an inheri- tance tax The tax proposed by Sena- l tor Jones in the bill ranges from one I per cent on estates of $25.000 to thirty
 five per cent on fortunes of s30,O00,00(
 and more
 1 An inheritance tax that would run as F high as fifty per cent on fortunes O 3 over fifteen millions proposed in bil
 introduced in the senate today b! I Jones of Washington. The measure l would impose an inheritance tax on al l estates except where there is beques
 to members of the immediate faminl,
 in which case there will be an exemp = ton of twenty-five thousand in re
 l duced tax rate.