| OCR Text |
Show SURPRISE 111 MAGEL DISCOVERS A TARIFF BOARD HAS EXISTED SINCE THE YEAR 1188. WAS FIRST BUREAU CF LABOR rt Duties snd Powers of Invsstlgatlng Production and Prices Here and Abroad Now Belong to Bureau of Commerce. By CEOROE CLINTON. Washington. -An extraordinary dls-eiosor dls-eiosor has come through a careful reading of tb laws of tb land by Charles Nagel, secretary of commerce com-merce and labor. It haa Just been brought publicly to notice that since tb year 1888 tb government haa J had tbe power through one of Its de-I de-I part men ts to do all tb Investigating f necesssry to get a proper business un-) un-) derstandlng of tariff matters for the j uses of congress. In other words, with sll th trouble thst tbe administration had to get a tariff board and with all the excitement excite-ment or debate attending tbe attempt, and with the final "killing" of the tariff board by congress, thers has been actually In existence a tariff board with full powers which never has been at work and whose very ex latenc presumably aaa unknown to the law makers. Washington Is Inclined to laugh over the situation, but It hardly Is a laughing laugh-ing matter. For 25 yeara tbe executive execu-tive has had at Its command what amounts to a tariff commission. It has tt yet and the fact Is now recog nixed, bat whether or not congress will take advantage of the newly discovered dis-covered power or government Is a question or doubt, ror It is believed that It Is the Intention of the law makers when the next congress meets to go ahead after their own manner to make up a new tariff bill. Bureau of Labor's Duty. In the spring of 1888 (irover Cleveland, Cleve-land, who waa then president or the 1'nltfd State, gave his approval to a law establishing whst was known as the bureau or labor. In the art establishing estab-lishing thla bureau was a provision which read like this: "To ascertain at aa early a date aa possible, and whenever Industrial changes shall make It essential, the cost or producing articles at the time dutiable In the United States. In lead Ing countries where such artliiea are produced, by fully specified units of production and under a classification ahowing tbe different elements of cost, or approximate cost, or such arttclea or production. Including the wages nald In such Industries a dsy. week, month. r year, or by the piece, and hours employed a day; and tbe profits w or manufacturer and iproducera or nch article; and th comparative cost of living, and kind or living; what articles ar controlled by trusts or other romblnatlons or capital, business busi-ness operations or tabor, and what effect aald trusts, or otber combinations combina-tions or capital bualness operations, or labor hav on production and prices When th department or commerce aad labor waa established the buresu or labor wss msrged Into It. but the provision giving tbe tariff Investlgst Ing power, ror that was what It amounted to. remained as a part or the fargsnle law of the land. Ita enforcement, en-forcement, or rather Ita operation, became a part of tbe duty or the department de-partment or commerce and labor. . Now Up to Commerce Bureau. At tbe session or congress Isst sum mer the bureau or manufactures and the bureau of atattstlcs of the department depart-ment of commerce and labor wer ronolldated into a bureau to be known as tb bureau of foreign and domestic commerce. 'Th section or the bill following the provision for the consolidation con-solidation prescribe that "those du ties of th department of commerce and labor or bureau of labor rontinn-ed rontinn-ed In section 7 or the act approved June 13. 1888. that established the same, are hereby transferred to and shsll hereafter be discharged by the bureau or foreign and domestic com ' ear res." Congress last summer did away with the tariff board. When tt con aolidated the two bureaus nsmed above an Intimation waa mad that th resulting bureau would be of aerv-lee aerv-lee In collecting tariff data, but there waa no Intimation at all that the power pow-er to collect It had been In the department de-partment ot commerce and labor all along. An appropriation will' be necessary to give the department or commerce and labor, through Ita proper boreao. the means to do the work or tariff ma terlal collecting, which It haa the authority au-thority of law to do. Tbe question Is now whether the appropriation will b forthcoming. , Mer Discord In Sight. Refer tht time U baa been told how the Democratic majority does not intend to recognise any third party aa such In the next house or representatives. Now It see mi that another element ot possible possi-ble discord and resentment Is to be thrown Into the house In connection with this party division matter whee the extra session meets. It Is said that a number or Progressive-Republicans, who must not be confuted with Progressive elected as such, and whe represent a new party, are soon tc confer with a view to decide as tc whether or not they will enter th caucus cstled by tb Republics lead ca. Thes Progreelv Republican! BUaera elected aa Republicans, bul for fiv or six years those or them who hsv been In the bouse tbst long have been virtually as progressive as ar the followers or Theodore Roosevelt Roose-velt In th last campaign, and who gav up all further thought of calling call-ing themselves Republicans. U tbe Progressive-Republican shall refuse to caucus with tbe Republicans, and aball caucus by themselves, there really will ba three partlea in the next house of Representatives, in addition ad-dition to tb fourth majority party, th Democracy. Four Party Group. It Is recognised here aa probable that an attempt may be mad In th Progressive Republican csucus to get the members to agree to act with the Progressives In most mstters ss against the Republicans. An attempt at-tempt to aecur such action it la believed be-lieved by many members of congress will be resented and repudiated by aome of th Progressive Republicans, possibly a majority or tbem, who, because be-cause or certain happenings In ths last six or eight months, dislike the Progressives more then thev do ths old line regular Republicans. It is not believed by nonpartisan observers observ-ers here that the Wisconsin Progressive-Republicans, ror Instance, will consent con-sent to anything Ilk an affiliation with the Progressives. Th resson ror this Is at one apparent to anyone any-one who has followed tbe developments develop-ments of the last campaign and of tbe events which led up to the virtual elimination of Mr. U Follette as a factor fac-tor In the campaign for the presidential presiden-tial nomination. Th on sole surviving Progressive-Republican Progressive-Republican In the Kansas delegation In congress, Victor Murdoch, it is said, la likely to bold aloof from the Republican Repub-lican caucus, and It Is expected that Mr. Murdock will have in company with him several members of the house from the middle test. If this shsll turn out to be a true forecast of the coming situation, there will be four party groups In the next house of representstlves, lmocratt. Republicans, Repub-licans, Progressive Republicans and Progressives, each group caucusing by Itseir. and each outlining Ita own government polities. There haa been nothing parallel to It within the memory mem-ory or present members or congress Cspital Society Anxious. In this holiday sesson with congress con-gress adjourned, Washington people, peo-ple, and particularly those who are known aa society folk, ar discussing dis-cussing a good deal, and some or them worrying a bit. over Presidentelect President-elect Wilson's Intimation that he la likely to do away with a good many or th at present recognised Whit Hons social affairs. Th wonder is in th cspital nether Mr. Wilson, aa haa been bint, Intenda to drop from tbe entertainment calendar the four great semi public receptions which have been given every winter In Waahlngton for years. In what h Is reported to hav said Mr. Wilson set It forth that he thought th handshaking recaption which wer In no seas public business affaire af-faire well might b dlapenaed with. Washington say that the four semi-public semi-public receptions ar In a great meaaur public business affairs, and. anyway, aoclety here would mlas these functions sorely. No one In the rapltst believes that the prealdenl elect will care, or per hapa dare is th proper word to use In this case, to cut from th list of White House receptions tb on which Is held every New Yesr's dsy sad to which the public without regard t rac. color, creed or politlce la Invited. In-vited. On Really Demon. Affslr. It haa been aald by foreign visitors to America that ths New Year's reception re-ception at th White House Is ths only wholly democratic affair known to the Whit Ilous series of enter-talnmenta. enter-talnmenta. receptions snd dinners H Is true thst anybody who will can at tend the recet'ion at the executive mansion on New Years day. and o, therefore. In a broad sense this Is the roost democratic reception which tbe 1 president give. Wsshlngton society however. In arguing for th rontinn 1 ane or the other 'our receptions, de ' claree that while they are not "free ror ail." they are about aa democratic ' aa they can be made without so over crowding the White House that thi holding of th recepllone would be virtually Impossible. J The diplomatic reception, which li tbe first or the series or 'our recep ' tlona of the winter, Is a recognised ! , stttution and the foreigners bold tt ai a fitting recognition or their preseoei ' in the capital and or the hospltalttj I which It is neeesssry In a dlplomatU way tor th hed or one governmenl , to show to all thoae from other gov , ernments who bold "letter ol credit." The three receptions which folios - tbe diplomatic affair and which wltl i It make op the quartette ot the win I ter. are the Judiciary, the rongresslon at and the army ard navy receptions Washington eem to gre wltl I Mr Wilson that tha president ot th , t'nlted State rightly might decllm I to receive the cre ot visiting dels , gstlons which com to Washington ti , see the alghU and which go to Ibi White House solely tor the purpo , of taking a look at tb president am i of shaking hla hand i So far as th Whit Houe recei I tlona are concerned, however. Wash tngton seems to bellev thst tb acts i at official receptiona of th diplomat! Judiciary, congress and tbe army am navy will be continued and that wltl them will stay the New Tear s day rt ceptlon when everybody who will ma enter the White House portals fe I greet tbe president, bis wife and tfc I I cabinet officer aod their wlvea. |
