The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-04-04
President Starts Canvass of
Membership of Senate to
See What Chance There Is
for Free Sugar and Free
Wool in Bill to Be Passed
Through the House
RADICAL MEASURES
ARE NOT POPULAR
Vast Sums Invested in the
Factories of Louisiana
May Be Loss if Business
Is Menaced by Laws That
Will Give Europe and
Others Chance to Compete
tsnecial Dispatch to The cal)

tSnAcfa Dispatch to The Call)
WASHINGTON, April 3.-President
Wilson today started to canvass the
membership of the United States senate
to see what chance there is for free
sugar and free wool In the admins
tration tariff bill. which is to be damned
through the house at the extra ses-
sion OF congress-
President Wilson, who is posing as a
tariff expert and all round boss of con-
gress. has the whole tariff bill under
his care. He has undertaken to direct
the revision of schedules, and Leader
Oscar w. Underwood of the house and
Senator Simmons, chairman of the
senate finance committee. have will
ingly relinquished responsibility.
Henceforth the wilsonian idea is to
reign supreme. both In the senate and
house.
It may be said there is nothing GER
tain is to tariff rates Last night the
White House favored free wool, free
sugar, free steel rails and iron ore and
drastic reductions on various other
shift and instead of free sugar the
president is now said to have advised
the Louisiana senators and members OF
the house from Louisiana that he will
recommend to the democratic caucus
next Tuesday that sugar carry cent
pound for three years and after that
go on the free list.
WILL KILL INDUSTRY
This may all be changed, however
within the next three days, for the
Louisiana delegation and representa-
tives from the beet sugar states say
that unless there is real protection. as
carried in the Payne law, the manufac-
turers who have 10000, 900 invested in
the industry might as well go out OF
business. Free sugar won't satisfy
them and they will fight when the tariff
bill comes to the senate.
Senator'S Simmons, Stone and Hoke
Smith, all members Of the finance com
mittee. had long conference with
President Wilson tonight AT its con-
clusion Senator Simmons, chairman OF
the committee, said the conference had
been in every way satisfactory to the
senate members. A sweeping canvass
of the senate has been undertaken to
determine just how far the democratic
members OF that body will go in sup
port of the policies laid down by the
president.
The decision to put raw wool on the
free list and the threat OF free sugar
have stirred up the democratic forces
Of the senate to such an extent that
members of the f1nance~committee told
the president tonight some important
changes would have to be made In the
present draft OF the bill if it Is to meet
with a cordial reception when 1T
reaches the senate.
SEES SENATOR HUGHES
The president also saw Senator
Hughes of New Jersey, another mem
ber OF the finance committee, and a
radical revisionist, and Senator John
w. Kern. the democratic leader of the
senate. His conference with Senator
Kern, which followed that with the
members Of the finance committee, is
understood to have given the president
a fairly accurate idea of the sentiment
that prevails in the senate over the
proposed free wool and reduced sugar