The Washington times., 1913-04-12
WI. SON SCHEDULE
IN DIRE. DANGER
House Democratic Radicals Are Eager to Place Staple Free
* List Immediately on Passage Of New Tariff Bill.
Leaders of Party Alarmed.

sugar went to the White House yey-
terday to ascertain the views Of the
president regarding the proposed amend
ment.
Wilson Will Not Interfere.
Mr.. Wilson gave that member to un-
derstand that he would not Interfere
in the House caucus. He would neither
advocate nor oppose the free sugar
amendment. notwithstanding the fact
tnat the sugar rates in the Underwood
bill are of White House making.
In other words. the President will
keep his hands of of the Democratic
caucus and the rates in the bill must
be defended by members Of the Ways
and Means Committee. The Chief Exc
cutive las brought no pressure to bear
to prevent the offering Of a free sugar
amendment, nor will he assume respon-
s.bility If the amendment carries.
1t Ii conceded even by the supporters
of the Ways and Means Committee.
whose members are attempting to pre-
serve the Underwood bill intact. that
the vote on free sugar will be close.
Underwood makes arsonal appeal to
the rank and file to stand by the COM
mittee, whether or not its sugar rates
are In accord with the opinions OF in
dividuals.
Underwood Embarrassed.
Mr.. Underwood, however, is in a
somewhat embarrassing position. The
Underwood bill Of the past session put
sugar on the free list, and 1t was
strongly defended in caucus and on the
floor Of the House by the majority lead
er. Today Mr.. Underwood finds him.
self in the attitude Of defending the
Wilson-made rates for; a. 9 per cent
reduction in existinr duties and free
md -nf
Under the Underwood bills of the Six
ty-Second Congress raw wool carried
20 per cent duty and sugar was
free. Under the new Underwood bill
complete legislative somersault. This
Is the argument which confounds the
Ways and Means Committee members
in caucus today.
Close Vote Is Predicted.
The free sugar Democrats will draw
from the middle Western members, who
are opposed to the free listing Of agri-
cultural products; certain New England
members who are resentful over the
summary free listing Of boots and shoes
and the raw wool members who profess
no sympathy with a policy which gives
ugar three years of gace while wool
is swatted forthwith.
THE vote on free sugar VIII be close
according to talk in the caucus cham:
ber," said a Democrat today. 1T would
not be surprising to see the Hardwick
amendment carry.
In putting shoe machinery on the
free list, the caucus made its hrst
change in the bill as 1t came from the
Ways and Means Committee. Forty
odd pages had been pasesd over with:
out change when Congressman Boriand
proposed to make shoe machinery nom
dutiable.
The support by members Of the ways
and Means Committee of the per cent
duty in the bill was lukewarm. and
Mr.. Underwood expressed . Willingness
to abide by the caucus dictum- The
amendment carried on q viva voce vote
after Congressman Borland, MCCOY.
Howard and Og1esby had assailed che
monopoly of the shoe machinery trust.
CONGRESSMAN Howard proposed an
amendment putting machine tools on
the free list and 1t almost carried. The
vote was 80 to GS. and only the pleas
of Ohio Democrats, who claimed that
free machine tools would confiscate
millions of capital in their State pre-
vented the adoption Of the Howard
amendment and made possible the re-
tention Of the Is per cent duty Of the
Underwood bill.
The caucus finished Schedule D.
woods, and then postponed until TO-
day the sugar fight.