Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-22
Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WASHINGTON, MAR. ~.

Y ~
| Senator Billy Hughes is opposed
to the proposal for lump revision OF
the tariff, and his efforts, as a MEM
Der of the important finance commit
tee of the Senate, are being eXerteu
to secure revision schedule by sched-
ule.
This question of whether the Demo-
cratic Congress shall follow the old
Republican method and rewrite the
whole tariff in one omnibus bill, or
shall make each schedule TO be re-
written the subject of different Dill,
is the main topic of speculation ana
interest Just now, outside} of the pat
ronage question,
President Wilson has not yet eX-
pressed himself on the subject OF
which method shall be employed IN
writing the new schedules 1t Is
thought by many members OF Con-
gress that he will not attempt to ad-
wise how revision shall be made. but
will merely suggest the extent to
which ii shall be carried, and leave
the legislative branch TO work out the
plan for itself.
Chairman Underwood, of the ways
and means committee, with Senator
Simmons, chairman of the Senate i'm
snce committee, and other prominent
Democratic leaders In Congress, who
are generally regarded as high tariff
Democrats, or near Republicans
are in favor of an omnibus bill which
can be made a party measure. 1t is
understood that a majority OF Abe
Democratic mem bers of the ways and
means committee have already taken
this stand.
Low tariff men are opposed to this
on account of the inevitable log-roll-
Ing they say will result to get votes
for the bill. and which will make it
impossible to secure proper revision
on any certain schedule. Even the
high tariff men who favor the omni-
bus plan are not at all certain that
they will be able to carry 1t through.
Nobody questions but that any kind
of a bill agreed upon by the ways and
means committee will secure the
sanction of the Democratic caucus,
and have almost solid party vote in
the House. In the Senate, however,
the Democratic majority Is not so
large, and 1T is not at all certain that
enough Democratic votes can be held
together to put through an omnibus
bill which will meet the desires of the
leaders.
Free sugar, for instance, is to be
one of the features of the new tariff,
according to the Democratic program.
1t was shown in the making of the
Aldrich bill that the tax on refined
sugar benefited nobody but the sugar
trust and that the Sixteen Dutch
standard" color test was the secret
of the trusts power to extort high
prices from consumers. Despite this,
the tax on sugar was retained in the
Aldrich bill, and was retained with
the help OF Democratic votes in the
Senate, while Republican progressives
voted to take it off.
The same condition now exists in
the Senate. Both senators from Loui-
siana nave made public pledges, in
their campaign for election, to vote
for the duty on sugar They will not
vote for an omnibus bill which con-
tains free sugar provision. So il the
effort is made to put the whole revi-
sion into one bill these two Demo-
cratic senators will vote against the
bill. That is a foregone conclusion
And it is not at all certain but that
other Democratic senators will be
forced to bolt the caucus and vote
against the bill if the entire revision
is attempted in lump as party
measure.
Members OF the Progressive party
and some progressive Republicans