The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1913. PRESIDENT WILSON'S LEADERSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1875, 8 October 1913, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1913. PRESIDENT WILSON'S LEADERSHIP.

The passing of the United States Tariff Bill, whioh, has now become law, is a great achievement for President Wilson. He took the matter in hand with vigour and determination, and he now has the satisfaction of knowing that an important task has been successfully accomplished. This work alone is sufficient to give distinction to his term of office as President; but he has no intention of resting upon his oars, for he is already in tno midst of another political battle which is surging around the Currency Bill. The effects of a measure of the magnitude of the Tariff Act are not confined to the United States. It has an important bearing on the trade of almost every civilised country, for the commercial relations of a great nation extend to all parts of the world. It is for this reason that the progress of the Bill through Congress has been watched with such keen interest in all countries which produce commodities for which there is a present or prospective demand in America. The new tariff concerns New Zealand very materially as it is expected to cause a rise in the price of wool, which has been placed on the freo list, and it may also have a favourable effect on some of our other exports. A recent cablegram stated that it will reduce the duties by an average of ten per cent, all round, and that the estimated revenue under the new law covering imports will be reduced by £10,000,000, which sum will probably be met by the imposition of an income tax. It is expected that the yaluo_ of the imports added to the free list will exceed £30,000,000. The revision must eventually cause a reduction in the cost of living, but Senator Underwood is of opinion that it will be several years before its influence in lowering prices will be felt. The signing of the Bill must have been a very pleasant duty for President Wilson, who has declared that Tariff Reform has been in his heart since he was a boy. Soon after his election as President he set to work, and on April 7 the Tariff Bill was introduced by Mr. Underwood, as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, in the House of Representatives. Its discussion in the House lasted from April 22 to May 8, and it was then passed by 281 votes to IS9. Five Democrats voted against it, and four Progressives, two Republicans, and one Independent were among those who voted for it, Tho Bill was receivod by tbfl Sonata from the Houw on

May 9, and after a general debate it was sent to the Finance Committee, where a good many changes in details were made. As there is only a small Democratic majority in the Senate, this Chamber was, of course, the principal arena of conflict. It was about this time that the President made his celebrated attack upon the Tariff lobbyists; but the Bill was stubbornly fought by the Republicans, and did not reach its final stage until the bediming of the present month. The main controversy centred on free raw wool and the eventual removal of the sugar duties. The opponents of the Bill were, however, and still are, in a disorganised state, having no leader nor a programme that can appeal effectively to the mass of the people. The strong leadership of the President and the popularity of the tariff reform proposals won the day, and the Bjll is now the law of the land. President Wilson and Mr. UnderVood did not approach the question of Tariff Revision either from the free-trade or protectionist standpoints.

"Their object," writes the Washington correspondent of "The Times," "is not to pass a measure which shall embody the theories of this or that suhool, but to fit the tariff to what they imagine to be the needs of the country. . . . Nor is the Bill a revenue measure. No real American revenue measure couldaffordto put sugar on the contingent free list. If a formula' must be found for what its sponsors call a competitive tariff, moderate protection would perhaps do. But it is not moderate protection of any particular brand. It is simply a special system to meet special circumstances. There can be no doubt that the President has been wonderfully successful in his management of Congress in this and other matters. Since he took up the reins of office in March last he has gone boldly forward resolutely determined to keep faith with the country. He has a high sense of public duty, and it will not be his fault if his performances are not equal to his political promises. A New York paper tells us that "his methods have been direct, his language "rank, and his adherence to well-defined and easily recognised principles resolute. The fact that Congress has been brought to sec something wholly outside itself—and that something in tho person of President Wilson, representing public sentiment—is a distinct gain for which the President is entitled to reccive the thanks of the public." '' He has Introduced a new element and new ideals_ into the political life of the United States, and he is exerting a wholesome influence both .as regards legislation and administration. He has some very difficult problems still in front of him which will put his statesmanship to a severe test, but the great skill with which he has handled delicate situations since he came into office inspires confidenco in his ability to deal with the important questions of domestic and foreign policy with which he will have to grapple in the near future.