The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-16
SENATE TO AID CUBA.
President Has Brought It to His
 Way of Thinking.

Walter Wellman's Washington Special to
 Chicago Record-Herald.
 President Roosevelt has virtually won his fight for Cuba so far as the Senate is concerned. It was said today upon good authority that majority or the Republican Senators have given their ad- herence to the Presidents program. They are willing to grant Cuban sugar and to- hacco a reduction of 25 per cent from the Dingley law rates. the Cuban gov efnment to give similar reduction on all American products going into the is- land. Senators who have carefully inves- tigated the subject say that such re- duction as this would not take a dollar from the price of American sugar or to- bacco per ton.
 The uncertainty is as to what the House will do. The Michigan beet sugar people and their confreres from other Western States have frightened the House almost to a standstill. Senators indulge in great many jokes over the timidity of members of the House. but the latter retort that Senators would be a little more careful what they did if they lived in constant terror of public opinion and had to go before their people for re-elec- ton every other year. It Is easy to be brave. they say. when election day comes around but once in six years.
 The policy of the Senate Is to permit the House to face this issue first. The House is making an effort to go ahead. but 1t is difficult to say what the out come VIII De. The western QeIenueTS OL the sugar beet have managed to stir up quite scare among the Republican members, and a battle royal is predicted If bill granting Cuba a reduction of duties ever comes to vote.
 There are intimations that if the House fails to face the music and do something for poor Cuba the Senate, will take the matter up. and by amendment to some bill which the House sends to that end of the Capitol grant the con< tnI, tha fS arafl afraid to grant, and then force the pop ular branch to acquiesce.
 This would be nothing new. In fact, the House Is falling lower and lower in the scale, and the Senate is becoming more and more the one great body of the leg islative branch. IL is already an axiom here that the House proposes and the Senate disposes. Many members of the lower branch chafe under these condi- tions. They would like to have the com mons restored to its ancient dignity and power. The older members remember the time, not so very long ago.. when the popular branch was the more impor- tant of the two. It had more to say about policies and about actual 1agfsla- tion. But ever since the Reed regime the House has been on the down grade. and there appears to be no hope for it.
 The trouble in the House is not lack of strong and able men. but that they have no opportunity. 'rh gre Is no in- ducement to energetic work, no tempta- tions to try to be real leaders of thought and action. The House and all its move ments are absolutely controlled by the Speaker and two or three of his lieu tenants. Theirs is the only individuality that counts for anything.
 Three hundred and fifty members of the lower branch are negligible qantities. Those 35O men chafe and fret, but 1t does them no good. The Speaker and his two or three cronies sit tight on the safety valve and the wheels move only when they choose to say the word.