The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-12
PRESIDENT FACES SPLIT
SPEAKER CANNON OUTsPOKEN IN
 OPPOSITION TO EXTRA SESSION.
such Action VIII Re, Against the Ad-
 vice of MT. Cannon and His Followers

Washington Special.
 | There are decidedly strained rela- tions between the President and the ltariR stand -patters," and the stand
 patters" are led by Speaker Cannon. | There are indications tonight of a vigorous opposition in the House to
 the Presidents policy of modifying the
 tarifG, and 1t may result in "a split in
 the Republican party.
 | News reached the Capitol today that | the President intended to call an extra
 session of Congress on october to
 consider tariff and interstate commerce.
 This, in a measure. forced the hand of
 Speaker Cannon, and he let 1t be known
 that If the President called an extra
 session in October he would be acting
 against the advice of the Speaker and
 on false and misleading information as
 to what a majority of the Represent atives wanted.
 One of the closest friends of the Speaker, after talking to him, said that | if there was to be an extra session
 which was to accomplish anything it
 should be held in the spring. He said
 the Speaker considered any change in
 the tariff a great mistake, but fall
 session, in his opinion. would be sui- ci6al. The fact that the Speaker was
 so outspoken in his opposition to the
 Presidential policy caused a sensation
 in the Capitol.
 Wants No Revision. Speaker Cannon does not believe there is any general demand for re- vision of the tariff. and he does not deem it possible for Congress to take up the modification of "a few sched- uies" without opening up the whole tariff law to revision. He believes the
 recent election was due first to Presi- dent Roosevelt's popularity and second to the contentment of the masses with the working of the Dingley tariff. If there had been a distinct pledge in the Republican national platform in favor of tariff revision that would make the tariff proper subject for legislation in the next Congress. But there was no pledge whatever of tariff revision in the platform. and the voters expressed their preference on the basis that the Republican Party was stand pat" Organization and sent stand pat" men to Congress.
 Speaker Cannon thinks. therefore. there should be no meddling with the tariff, and he Is. perhaps, the most in- fiuential man in Washington, except the President. But if there is to be an extra session. the Speaker intends to have say as to when it should be held.
 MT. Cannon holds that to let the
 news go out that there Is to be an ex-
 tra session in the fall to consider the
 tariff would be to serve notice oh the country that tariff revision is inevita-
 ble. This would cause a great stagna- tion of business in this country, in his opinion, which would begin at once and would extend until the new tariff
 bill was in operation-probably more than a year. It would not only check
 manufacturers but 1t would check i'm ports The result would be period
 of hard times and great loss of rev enue. There Is already. a deficit in
 the treasury. and the excess of expen- ditures over receipts today for the fivc
 months and nine days of the present
 fiscal year amounts to s22.11o, ,49s.s9. Speaker Cannon seemed to be in- clined to lay gheat stress on the con dition of the treasury which would confront the administration if the country was to go through tho next eleven, twelve or fourteen months with
 tariff agitation in the air. He pre-
 dicted much larger deficit unden these circumstances.
 This is why the Speaken is Insist ing on an extra session in the spring 1 If there must be an extra session at all. His watchword Is. If you must
 revise the tariff. do it quickly, and avoid upsetting the eeutry for eight
 or nine months before you begin" Angry at NIT. Tnwnsy. Speaker Cannon and his supporters in the House are much ineensed at the statement which Representative Tawney, of Minnesota. made at the White House conference on Saturday that his interviews with fellow mem bers had convinced him there was