The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-13
Republican Opposition Stronger
 Than Support
ND LEGISLATION POSSIBLE
Democrats Are SoIidly Against Vree- land Bill, and Compromise Bill Would Not Be Passed Be-
 fore Adjournment.

Washingt n His 2.-Under whip and spur the re cf leaders in the House expect to trough the vreeland cur rency bill , ,ursday of this week. They expect to rl it in the face of a practi- cally solid democratic opposition and de- spite the republican insurgency whose leaders are Representatives Fowler of New Jersey, chairman of tho banking and currency committee; Prince of Illi- nois and Hayes of California
 Presuming that every member of the House will be in his seat and that all of the democrats will vote against it. 2S con trary republican votes will defeat the bill
 So the situation as 1t now falls is with in these lines:
 Mir Watson of Indiana, as whip of his party has pledged every republican to be in his seat next Thursday The in- surgent leaders claim their total strength at today's close was S6-the requisite @ and seven to spare. and that the prospects are bright for holding these three dozen firmly together. An informal .cloak-room conference, called by Minority Leader Williams this afternoon, developed an ap- parently solid democratic front against the bill. The republican Organization" leaders made this statement immediately after recess of the House:
 Leaders Confident.
 ''lt looks very good for the Vreeland bill. The insurgent claimS are over-state- ments. There is excellent reason to be- lieve that the bill will go through on Thursday The decision of the demo- crats to present a united front against us will simply serve to arouse party spirit among the majority and strengthen more than weaken our line.'
 Though tho rules committee to whom was referred by last nights conference the Vreeland bill, has reached no final decision as to the mode of procedure on Thursday it's pretty well agreed that the proposition to bring before the House the Aldrich bill-which the banking and currency committee has tabled, and strike out all of 1t after the enacting clause and insert in lieu the sections of the Vreeland bill, will be rejected by the committee and that instead the commlt- tee will report out the Vreeland bill with its parliamentary provision for its pas sage under suspension of the rules after 
 democratic side and two hours on the re- publican side.
 Trouble Not Over.
 The advantage that would be derived by placing before the House the Aldrich bill and substituting for its provisions the sections of the Vreeland bill would be in the fact that the Aldrlch bill already has passed the Senate and therefore would 20 immediately to conference, whereas the Vreeland bill, if passed under its own title by the House, would go to the Senate as new legislation and the benefit of an advanced legislative status would thereby be lost The Aldrch blll however, could not be brought before the House without a virtual discharge of the banking and currency committee from further consid- eration of it; and in view of the already delicate situation existing within repub- lican party ranks, 1t Is deemed advisable to avoid such an action if possible.
 The rules committee has considered a proposal to permit the democrats to offer the Williams bill as an amendment to the Vreeland bill, thereby giving the minority a chance to record a solid complimentary vote for the bill which bears the name of the minority leader and which Is already before the House as a minority recom- mendaton of the banking and currency committed It was suggested that in re- turn for this concession some democratic votes might be made for the Vreeland bill enough to overcome the strength of the republican insurgency. But the expres- sion in today's cloak room conference of a practically unanimous opposition to the Vreeland bill on the democratic side of the House has put another face on the matter and 1t seems likely that this idea will be dropped.