New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-12-31
TARIFF HEARINGS
To START SOON
HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COM,
MITTEE WILL GET BUSY RIGHT
AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.
TO PREPARE FOR NEW BILL
Legislation for Upward Revision Of
Customs Duties viii Be introduced
in Session Which Harding viii Call
in March.
By EDWARD 3. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
WashingtUn.-As soon as congress
%reconyenes after the holiday recess
the ways and means committee of The
house of representatives will beSir
bearings for the purpose of laying The
basis for new tariff Legislation. The
Republicans have declared that they
will speed the return to a protective
basis"
The Republicans in their party plat
form declared for protection, that Is,
for higher rates of customs duties
than those that are now prevailing,
The hearings will continue until
March 4, and II may be that the
finance committee of the senate or q
subcommittee of 1t will sit with the
ways and means committee of the
house for the purpose Of joint hear
ings.
1t, of course, has been a fOregone
conclusion that when the Republicans
gained control of the executive branch
of the government and "a larger meas
ure Of control of the two ouses of
congress there would be a new tariff
measure enacted. The new bill prob
ably will be called the Fordney-Pen-
rose tariff bin.
Spokesman for the ways and means
committee say It is expected that the
tariff hearings will continue for about
two months. The chances are that
they will continue longer. for the his
tory of tariff legislation proves that 1t
takes a long time for men to get to-
gether. After the hearings are closed
this takes time. Then it must be re-
ported TO the house of representatives,
and then VIII come the long drawn
Out debate.
Must Originate In Lower House.
When the payne-Aldrich tariff hill
was In the process Of framing under
the Taft administration, the nance
committee of the senate drafted a bill
of IT'S own, while the ways and means
committee of the house was preparing
IT'S IutuNulf. NbN All lhlli ll'iNNl'S
must originate in the house of repre-
sentatives, for II Is n reyenue raising
project, and under the Constitution the
house OF congress that Is most directly
representative Of the people must take
tho initiative In the matter. 1t was a
little curious, therefore, to see the
senate OF the United States framing
a bill OF It's own, while the house was
carrying out its constitutional duty.
OF. course the senate bin was not in
used as the basis of amendments to be
offered TO the house bill when the rep
rescntatlvcs had passed their measure
and had sent II over to the senate. In
brief, the finance committee OF the
senate knew what kind OF tariff bin
1t desired, and so ii was all ready to
offer changes In the house legislation
as proposed
When President-elect Harding vas
in Washington he had n conference
means committee Of the house led by
Joseph w. Fordney Of Michigan ms
chairman. IL Is said that Mr.. Hard
ing sanctioned the plan for tariff
hearings I'm advance of the time OF
meeting of the new congress. which
probably will be called together some
time between the middle and the last
Of March.
Harding's Plans Still U%nrevealed.
Warren G.. Harding, President-elect
of the United States. is a newspaper
man and has been IA newspaper man
ever since his early days. For this
probably he was able to car
ry carefully In his head the notes
of his Washington conferences, and
doubtless today in Marion he is
able 10 tranScribe them faithfully. Ii
may be said that the notes are many,
covering as they do some scores Of sub ,
Jects.
When Senator Harding was in the
capital city after his rctur from Pa
mama everybody saw him and a great
many talked with him. He, however,
reserved strict conference rights for
the senator's of his political party, and
for others not senator's but who were
connected closely with his campaign
the presidency.
There are several men In Washing
today who have a fairly definite
idea probably as TO what Mr.. Harding
ultimately intends 10 do In the way
Of recommendation concerning our in
ternational relations, with special ref
erence TO something like a league that
is &c: & league. partaking perhaps of
the nature Of an association of nations
for the preservation OF amlty in the
or for a sublimated Hague tri-
bunal which, TO borrow one of Mr..
Harding's campaign expressions, will
nave teeth IN IT," There are champ
ions Of the league in Washington who
say they hope that these will not be
false teeth. The league Is still some
thing Of n live issue.
Trouble in Picking a Cabinet.
Probably no one in Washington is
any wiser at this date concerning Sen
ltor Harding's cabinet preferences
han he was before the senator
lropped in here on his way back to
The parlor and the dining ROOF in