Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1912 — WAITING ON POLITICS [ARTICLE]

WAITING ON POLITICS

LITTLE TO LOOK FOR IN PRESENT POLITICAL SITUATION. Senate Action on Steel an Example of The Dilatory Tactic* Adopted— No Genuine Tariff Relief Anywhere in Sight. The senate, in passing the house ! steel -revision bill by a vote of 35 to 221. was merely following out an J agreement previously reached. In view of the fact that the house bill was not based on findings by the tariff ! board. It is not likely that President } Taft will approve the measure, as he is committed to the support of his : board. As* the steel bill was presents' ed to the house by the ways and I means committee-, it called for reduc- : tions of 30 to 35 per cent, in the du- ; ties. It placed a number of articles, I such as tools in common use, on the ; tree list. In the house it was opposed by most of the Republicans on the | ground that it was not based on the tariff board’s investigations, but on the | fiual test the bill passed the house 210 to 109. 20 insurgent Republicans aid- ; fng in its passage. In the senate the expediency of the political situation was considered per--1 haps more than the question of cutting the tariff. At least this was true among the regular Republicans. The insurgents made a feeble attempt to substitute their bill, but the regular Republicans had decided to absent themselves and enable the Democrats to pass their bill. The schedules were amended in several minor particulars and an amendment was attached repealing the Canadian reciprocity lav. The only feature of the reciprocity law which was effective was that of placing print paper on the free list. The repeal of the reciprocity an would have meant the substitution of the Payne tariff of $3.75 a ton, so the senate compromised on a duty of two dollars a ton.. > Of tariff time fiddling the senate action on steel is an example. The house this year has passed tariff bills revising schedules on steel, sugar *wool and chemicals. The steel bill went to the senate January 30. The result of exhaustive hearings was the passage ! of the Democratic measure, which, it is conceded, may now be vetoed with les-; embarrassment by the president than one emanating from the Republic- I ans. The result probably will be that I there will be no genuine tariff relief. I The people must wait until politics is disposed of.