Evening star., 1915-01-09
WILSON'S >'SC0OP
ON POLITICIANS
Declares There Was Adroit
Handling of the Trade Com
mission Bill.
MAKES THE REVELATION
IN INDIANAPOLIS SPEECH
Says New Body Will Direct Tariff
Making-Derides Republicans and
Warns Insurgent Democrats.

President Wilson put big scoop
across on the politicians. statesmen and
newspaper men in the declaration In
his indianapolis speech yesterday that
the new interstate trade commission,
which he will soon name, will really
be tariff commission, along with its
other duties. Not only did the Presi-
dent reveal something new in connec-
tion with the commission, but he made
fun of the republicans. who are ae-
manding trade commission, for fall
tng to see the powers conferred on the
new body. He was glad to point out to
"uninstructed republicans" the author
ity they had conferred on the trade
commission. Although he did not at
tempt to foreshadow the future. the
intimations of the President were prac-
tically to the effect that II the demo-
Gratis continue to control Congress they
will make whatever revisions of the
tariff as are necessary in coming years
from information the trade commission
will accumulate.
The Presidents Interpretation Of the
law would give the commission tre-
mendous powers and make 1t probably
the most important executive body In
the country, with universal scope in
handling trade conditions and statis-
tics. Representative Underwood Is
given the credit for having adroitly
placed in the bill powers that would
practically make the commission a
tariff body also.
Are Under the Captains Eye.
This scoop" of the President, to-
gether with his attack upon the re-
publicans and his warnings to recall
citrant democratic statesmen, were to-
day considered the most significant
things in his Indianapolis speech. The
shrewdness of the President in discern
ing that there were some signs OF
party disintegration in Congress and
the necessity for lining 1t up by par
tisan speech was favorably comment
ed upon today.
The Presidents intimations concern
ing ANY group of men who should
dare to break the solidarity Of the
democratic team, however, were con-
sidered as plain notification to certain
democrats in Senate and House that
the captain of the team" as the
President describes himself, is watch
ing them carefully, and may give them
release from the team If they fail to
work in harmony. That warning of
the President will strike a number of
men in Congress. 1t is not believed to
apply to the patronage problem at all,
but to the Presidents information that
certain democrats will attempt to pre-
vent the ship purchase and other
measures from going through at this
session.
The President avoids the republican
charge that he dictates to Congress
practically everything it should do by
referring to himself the captain of
the team that is running the legisla-
tive and executive game at this time.
and he clearly indicates that as cap
tain he will not tolerate any attempt
to put authority elsewhere. He speaks
be thoroughly effective, it was agreed
today.
Informed of Opposition.
The President is known to have re-
ceived Reconsideration the Senate
especially-that his ship purchase bill
will have hard shedding, and that the
conservation bills passed by the House
are likely to find trouble in the Senate
because of the attitude of certain west
ern democrats influential on the COM
mittees in charge. He recently sent
for Senator Mark Smith of Arizona, and
indicated the importance of what is
known as the water power bill. Mr..
Smith is said not to have held out much
hope for the measure, even after his
conference with the President.
So the teamwork" phase of the Presi-
dents speech was not aimlessly spoken,
it is now known, and is intended to
reach certain places in Congress.
Former Tariff Commission,
There has never been but one tariff
commission in this country. 1t was
created at the beginning of the Taft
administration, being provided for in
the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill Three
republicans and two democrats some
of them experts, We're selected by Mr..
Taft. Congress appropriated for the
commission to continue it's work until
the democrats got in control of the
House. Then they refused to make
further appropriations and the com