The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-04-27
News OF NATIONS
CAPITAL
By Sheldon 8. Cline.

WASHINGTON, April 24.-Don't be
surprised if before the present extra
session of congress ends the Republi.
can party is split wide open over the
question Of an income tax. Condi.
tions are shaping themselves for row
of frst-class dimensions. 1t may be
averted, of course, and every effort
to that end will be made, but already
the lines of battle are drawn.
Senator Aldrich is at the head of one
of the contending forces, declaring the
tariff bill which his committee has re-
ported to the senate will produce am
pie revenues for the government with
out the necessity of resorting to
special taxation. The Rhode Island
senator's statement upon presenting
the bill was clearly defiance of the
income tax advocates. The opposition
camp is yet without recognized lead
er, but it hopes to acquire one in Presi-
dent Taft. The president has not yet
gone on record squarely as an income
tax advocate, but he is tending in that
direction. ills public statements show
him as believing in the principle of an
income tax and as believing it would
be possible for congress to pass such a
law as would stand the supreme court
test of constitutionality. In private
utterances he has taken even more ad-
vanced ground and has said that con-
gress ought to pass an income tax law
if the tariff bill will not produce suf-
ficient revenue and at the same time
revise the schedules in the direction of
reducing the cost of living.
There are few students of the tariff
who agree with Chairman Aldrich that
the bill now pending in the senate will
produce sufficient revenue. Nor is it
generally agreed that the measure if
enacted into law in its present form
would materially reduce the cost of
living. If both these opposing views
are correct, it is difficult to see just
what benefit is going to result from
tariff legislation at all.
Democratic members of the house
find lot Of time to talk politics
while they await the senate's action on
the tariff bill. There is quite lot of
hopeful speculation on Democracy's
chance, of controlling the house in the
next congress, and not a little of the
gossip has to do with the 1912 presiden-
tial nomination.
passage of the tariff bill will result in
the los Of a good many Republican
seats in the house, for they figure there
is bounl to be lot of dissatisfaction
no mater what form the bill finally
takes. The Republicans have majori-
ty of a in the house and the loss of "a
Republican seats, provided the Demo
Gratis hid all the seats they now have,
would rive a Democratic majority 1t
election following the passage of the
McKinly bill the Republicans lost 20
seats, $, that a gain of "a seats doesn t
look so hopeless as it otherwise might.
As natter of course, talk of Demo
cratic ontrol of the next house is
coupled with speakership gossip. 1t is
conceded that Champ Clark would be
the Leading candidate for speaker, but
he woua not be without opposition.
Clark s leadership since he succeeded
John Slarp Williams at the head of the
minorit, has not been an unqualified
success Ii endeavoring to line up the
Democr,te to cooperate with the Re
publican Insurgents for a revision of
the rules he caused a lot of bitterness
among the Democrats who supported
the FitsgGald amendment, and other
splits resulted from the Democratic
tariff progam. Still, he has been able
to hold majority of the Democrats
in line on every occasion and undoubt
edly be would be the Democratic caucus
nominee fer speaker were it not for the
fact that presidential politics newt
ably would enter into the organization
of Democratic house. That this would
eomricate the contest is certain, but
ther' is no way to tell just who would
suffG by the complication.
Scne of the Democrats who follow
ed fitzgerald in the rules fight have
anncinced that it was protest against
Bryn and Bryan's continued leader
shipof the Democratic party. Repre-
senttive Clark, of Florida, took some
thin of the same position when he an
noured himself as opposed to the
min nfifu 20 r,H rronra,u