Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-02-04
SNOW HILL. MD. FEB. 4.
WORST BLOW TO EXECUTIVE.


gram for this session, as the
growing strength of the opposi-
ton to the Philippine tariff bill
indicates that this pet minor
measure of the Administration
will have no better success than
the more ambitious White
House schemes far tariff revis-
ion and railroad rate legislation.
Representatives of States hav-
ing sugar and tobacco interest
are lining up for a stiff fight
against the proposed reduction
in the duties on Philippine
sugar and tobacco. Represent
alive Fordney, of Michigan,
who was so active in behalf of
the beet sugar interest of his
State when reciprocity with
Cuba was under consideration,
has again taken the lead in be-
half of the same interests to
prevent the reduction of duties
on Philippine sugar. He has
induced the tobacco men to
make common cause with him,
and he claims the combined
strength of the oppositions on
the Republican side of the
House is already 36 pledged
votes.
The fight will come when the
House rulers bring in a rule, as
they are expected to do, to pre-
vent amendment of the Philip
pine tariff bill. This, Mr.. Ford
ney declares, will be solidly OPP
posed by the SO Republican
sugar and tobacco men. who
come from the States of Michi-
gan. Colorado, Nebraska, Cali
fornia, Utah, Connecticut and
Pennsylvania. They will insist
that the bill be left open to
amendment.
In this demand they expect
to be joined by the Democrats,
which will give the opposition
a majority of the House. In
order to defeat the Philippine
bill Mr.. Fordney says he is pre-
pared to offer amendments plac-
ing refined sugar on the same
tariff footing as the raw, and
and putting steel products,
hides and some other articles on
the free list. For all these
amendments nearly solid Dem
ocratic support is expected,
while some of them will com
mand considerable more than
the SO Republican votes now
claimed to be pledged to the
Fordney program.
Should the Philippine bill be
defeated it will bring matters
to a crisis between the Presi-
dent and his party in Congress.
While the bill is of far less i'm
portance to the country at large
than tariff revision or railroad
rate legislation, the President
has a sort of personal interest
in it, and it is beloved he will
feel much greater resentment
at it's rejection by Congress
than he has so far displayed over
the non-success of his plans for
tariff revision and railroad leg
islation.
The fact that the Philippine
bill is the last number on the
Presidents legislative pro-
gramme for the session will in
crease this resentment. The
President will be brought face
to face with the fact that none
of the recommendations he
made to Congress in his annual
message is to be embodied into
law. He will stand before the
country in the attitude of a
would-be party leader without
a following in Congress strong
enough to accomplish anything.
This situation, if it arises, can
hardly fail to arouse all the
combativeness i'm the Presi-
dents nature and goad him to
strenuous efforts to save himself
from the threatened humilia-
ton. But what he can do is
not apparent. His close adher-
ents say he can be depended on
to find means of retrieving the
situation. They declare he will
not stand idly by and allow his
prestige to DE destroyed by the
representatives of special inter
ests in Congress who are willing
to see the general good of the
country sacrificed to those in
terests.
But the President seems to
have only one weapon at his
command. That is to appeal
from this Congress to the next
and call the latter i'm session in