Show TH R E EPO O Of F VIEW YI Congress met at high noon yesterday in accordance with the he call of President President dent Taft to revise the tariff sched schedules ules the understanding being such revision would be downward The ways and means med s committee has prepared a abill abill abill bill which will be presented at once embodying the Ideas of the Republican I party In general genera and the majority mem members members bers of the committee In particular The situation presented at the nation national al at capital is complex While both par parties parties parties ties in their national platforms are pledged to a reduction of the tariff taxes many sections of the country are interested In the protection of certain certaIn tain tam articles and under the system 8 stem of logrolling can unite and keep k p the du duties duties duties ties at the top notch President Taft Is 15 in hi favor of crowding the Payne Pa bill through at the earliest possible mo moment moment moment ment on the ground that business cannot can cannot cannot not possibly revive until the matter Is definitely settled So if his advice is followed the bill will be passed by the he house In practically the shape it leaves the hands of the and the thereal thereal thereal real work of tinkering wilt 00 done dope in inthe inthe inthe the senate While considering the tariff congress is confronted with the tim necessity necessity necessity sity of raising revenue to meet the deficit deficit deficit cit of the Roosevelt provide against future contingencies of like character Revival of the war taxes seems to be the only solution of offered offered offered In the meantime the usual pull pulling pulling ing and hauling is going on in Wash Washington WashIngton Washington ington the different interests endeavor endeavorIng endeavorIng Ing to prevent a 0 reduction of the tax on their particular article no matter what happens to the others In the end they will combine and probably pre prevent prevent vent ent reduction to any considerable ex extent extent extent tent During the past winter while the ways s and means committee was en engaged engaged In listening to pleas in favor of this or that article the subject of a permanent penn anent tariff commission was broached and the Idea has hasp taken root to some extent President resident Taft Is said to favor the plan which is championed by the National Association of Manu Manufacturers Manufacturers anu Regarding the proposed com corn commission commission mission President Van Cleave says Our salvation as a manufacturing country will wilt compel us to adopt adopt the tariff commission idea id France Prance and Germany German which have had such boards for years yearn oars and which have found them very advantageous are using them with disastrous effect effe t against us We need the commission in order that we may maybe maybe maybe be able to meet our industrial rivals on equal terms in our home and foreign trade The commission which it is proposed shall be nonpartisan Is to be composed of able experienced business men who are to collect the facts for Cor the ways and moans committee to Use In shaping future tariff legislation Of course the consumer does not figure as an active participant under this plan Next In order comes William Whitman pres pros president president ident of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers who writes the chairman of the ways and means com corn committee committee as follows A permanent perm nent tariff commission anxious anxIous ious bus to Justify its existence by Inces Incas Incessant Incessant sant activity would be a veritable plague to the business Pres President PresIdent President ident Taft Is right in declaring that we wo can have no full prosperity until the present tariff revision is completed and after that Is done what the business of the country wants is absolute rest for forat forat forat at least ten years from tariff agitation agitation tion Mr r Whitman says the only way to take the tariff question out of politics Is the overwhelming defeat of or the free tree trade party so that it Will Trill have hae to abandon aba n Its cause as a hopeless fraud and delusion condemned and abhorred by the American people Of course Mr Ir Whitman knows there any free trade party and uses the tile term tenn with that same careless disregard for forthe forthe forthe the truth characteristic of those who have hae long Tong enjoyed the benefits of high protection so long in fact that what was once considered a privilege Is now regarded as an Inherent right Mr Whitman naturally enough is in favor of placing the duties at the highest hIght t possible figure and then dropping the subject for another generation The chances for an honest bon est revision of the tariff are not regarded as par particularly particularly particularly brilliant at the outset The Thelast Thelast Thelast last number of the New York Independent Independent dent contains an article from the pen penot of ot Jesse F Orton H M In which the situation is summed up as follows It cannot miot be doubted that congress has departed very widely from that protection which by way of compari comparison son may be called honest and consist consistent ent That this is the inevitable result of the system of protecting private In Industries industries is my belief bellet but that it is Isn a necessary consequence of that system system conjoined with our unrepresentative scheme of government I think no ob observer observer observer server at Washington can fall fail to 0 see Not only do selfish private interests nominate and elect congressmen and influence their course In regard to leg but congressmen themselves do not blush to have it known that they are personally and in interested interested Interested In the levying of certain tariff duties for which they vote as public legislators and for which the they work and lobby with all the skill at their command Tariff revision with the facts faeth fur furnished furnished furnished by a commission of interested parties according to the plan of Mr Van Cleave or tariff revision by the ways and means committee of congress whose members are beneficiaries under the system are essentially the same Perhaps Mr Taft is right In thinking the sooner it Is over the better for the country I S a t r |