The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-30
WILSON BILL PROSPECTS.

Speaker Crisp's sanguine view that
the Wilson bill will pass the House by
the first of February is not likely to be
realized. A month would be pretty short
time to debate so radical a measure as
this bill even if the only opposition to it
cameron Repu blicans, and the majority
were all agreed that the measure was a
polite one and were anxious to force
it thorugh the House at the earliest pos
sible movement. But there are many
members of the majority in this case
who are not satisfied with the bill in it's
present form and will undou btedly seek
to amend it or, if they cannot do that.
will want to let their constituents know
that rhey have done the best they could
to secure the amendments. The only
practicable way in which they can do
this is to make speeshes to be circulated
in their districts and the num-
Der and importantly of these men will
be SO great that the committee on rules
will hesitate to shut them off lest by SO
doing they may make them angry and
thus imperil the chances of the bill. 1t
will take two months ratherst than one to
put the bill through the House. The
chances are however that in spite of
some pretty strong opposition among the
Democrats it will go through that body
for the organization will be behind it,
patronage will be behind it also and few
Democrats will stand out against these
forces combined.
In the Senate however the bill is likely
to encounter dead Gains and
tempestuous seas which will render
it's fate in that body / exceeding
ly doubtful The Senate never
does anything in a hurry. 1t must move
with great delibeartion no matter what
the emergency. The Senate listened to
the frantic cries of the country for the
passage of the repeal of the Sherman law
with great calmness. Though the coun-
try demanded action it debated and de-
bated. There will be less pressure for
haste in passing the tariff bill and there
fore even greater slowness in it's consider
alton. 1t is not at all impossible that
under the guise of amending the bill as
it comes from the House it will prepare
substantially new measure and it may
give hearings which will occupy weeks.
When the bill finally gets before
the Senate it will be debated as
long as anybody wants to debate it
for we have not much faith that
the Senate will adopt any effective
rule for limiting the specehmalsing.
That would be against precedent and
an affront to the dignity of the
body. The Democratic majority in the
Senate is at best. narrow and it is well
known that half dozen members Of
that majority are hostile to the admins
tration and will not very zealously labor
to enact it's pet meausres. one of which
is this Wilson bill. They may not direct
~ oppose it but by amendments they
are likely to emasculate it SO that when
it is passed it will have to go back again
to the House and become the subject of
further debate there and prolonged con-
ferences between the House and Senate
committees. If the bill gets out of the
Senate by the first of July it's friends
may consider it piece of good fortune
1t is among the sibilities-some say
the babilities-thatsit will never get
out of that body without the stamp of
defeat upon it. However that may be
there is little reason for believing that
it will become law in any form before
midsummer.