Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-04-09
TARIFF QUESTION
COMING UP AGAIN
FoRDNEY OF MICHIGAN HEADS
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
IN THE NEW HOUSE.
MAJORITY TO START THINGS
viii Formulate Program, but Fact
That Administration Is Democratic
May Check It-Eseh Is to Handle
Railroad Legislation.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.
Washington.-When congress recon-
venes the committees Of both house
and senate will have Republican ma
| jOrities in control therein. Perhaps
| the chief interest in one way centers
In two or three great committees in the
house. because these particular com
mittees will formulate the legislation
which, If enacted into law, will be most
| far reaching.
1t must be remembered, of course,
| that the administration Is Democratic
while congress today Is Republican.
| Therefore 1t seems hardly likely that
any great doctrinal legislative meas
ures Of the Republican party will be
made into law, because presumably a
| Democratic president would not APP
| prove them.
Joseph w. Fordney, Republican, Of
| Saginaw, Mich, will be the chairman of
| the ways and means committee in the
| coming congress. 1t is this committee
which will formulate tariff legislation.
| Mr.. Fordney is known as a believer
IN high protective tariff. There are
some other Republicans on the COM
mittee who believe In a more moderate
tariff. but taking the majority of the
committee all in all, 1t represents much
higher tariff views than those of the
Democratic majority of the same COM
| mittee in the last house.
What will the Republican party do
with tariff legislation with a Demo
| cratic president AZ the White HOuse7
The answer is that It will do what it
can in a program way at the next
session or two, and then may have to
lei the program go over until a Re
publican president is elected in order
to see 1t put into effect.
Higher Tariff May Be Prevented.
It is within the range of possibill-
ties, or as some would prefer TO put
1t. of probabilities, that a Democratic
president will be elected and with him
Democratic congress. In such a case
the Republican program. although even
put into legislative form during the
next session orR two, never could be
given the effect of law. 1t Is certain,
however, that the Republicans in the
next two years In congress viii formu-
late a new tariff bill.
The tariff we have always with us.
1t was with us during the war. al
though hostilities, through stoppage
to great extent of imports, built up
about the highest tariff wall that 1t
was possible TO erect. In other words.
we had comparatively few imports, and
as c~ mparatively little came into the
country the tariff seemingly ceased from
troubling. Nevertheless the tariff
was still with us, because men in con-
gress still were thinking on 1t, and
were often talking on it.
John Jacob Esch, Republican. of
Wisconsin, will be chairman of the
committee on interstate commerce. Mr..
Esch's name was connected with the
first railroad rebate bill which went
through the lower house in the time Of
Theodore Roosevelt. 1t was known as
the Esch-Townsend measure. Curiously
enough the name of Mr.. Townsend,
now United States senator from Mich
igan, was more intimately associated
with the bill than that of Mr.. Esch,
whose name led the couplet. That
first railroad rebate bill, as 1t gen.
orally was called, went through the
house, but the senate failed to act.
and II was not until the next session
that another bill formulated in the
house, and known as the Hepburn
measure. was passed by both houses
end signed by the president.
Now Mr. Esch of Wisconsin is to
have another hand at railroad legisla-
ton. 1t is big job that he has ahead
OF him. 1t must be remembered again
that the administration is Democratic.
A bill which shall deal with the fu-
ture of the railroads, and which must
receive the sanction of the president In
order to become law, must be free
from an approach to partisanship.
| Otherwise veto may await 1T.
Fitting Roosevelt Memorial.
Before the members of the Roose-
Welt permanent memorial national COM
mittee are two plans suggestive of the
| form which the memorial should take.
Both of them are appealing and it
seems to be generally b 2lieved that
| both may be adopted.
| One of the plans has in view the pro-
viding of a fund for the Americaniza-
tion of incoming foreigners, and the
other Is for a fund for the establish
ment in Washington of q foundation
| for the conservation of wild life, pri-
marlly In the United States but Incl
| dentally throughout the world.
1t is with the second plan that this
| article concerns itself. The American
ization plan probably will strike all
Americans, and especially those who
knew Theodore Roosevelt's interest in
the subject, as being fitting and proper.
! Exactly the same words may be used
concerning the second plan.
| Theodore Roosevelt through all his
I life was a conservationist. He believed
that the useful birds and mammals
should re preserved. but also that
sportsmen should be allowed TO take
their toll under such restrictions as
would insure perpetuation of species.
tHaA