The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-16
AN ISSUE ron DEMOCRACY.

The new tariff bill, unless radical amendments are made In the rules of the House will be run through under whip and spur like the Dingley bill in the Fifty fifth Congress. Which means that there will be practically no gem eral debate and that members of the House will not know on what they are voting.
 When the Dingley bill was up for consideration a special rule was passed by the Republicans which provided for only three days of general debate and five days of consideration under the five minute rule for amendments. Un- der this rule no amendment. the con- sideration of which would take up more than five minutes, could be of- fered. To add to the discomfiture of the Democrats the Ways and Means Committee was given the right of way in the matter of amendments-that Is the amendments offered by the Ways and Means Committee had precedence over the amendments offered by other members. The hopeful Democrat with an amendment in his hand had no chance whatever to get 1t before the House for serious consideration.
 The Dingley bill, therefore was just like the Ways and Means Committee of the House wanted it, and being like the committee wanted 1t, 1t was neces- sarily the kind of a law that the pro- tected industries of the country want Vd. And jammed through as 1t was. there were many Democrats who did not know what was in 1t until after 1t had passed both Houses.
 The present indications are that the new tariff bill will be railroaded through in much the same way. When the Republicans were ready to have the Dingley bill passed. Representative Dalzell, who was then as he Is now one of the leaders of the Republicans moved the adoption of the rule limit ing debates. In support of the motion he declared what the country wanted was not speeches. but tariff legislation.
 Now. after the Republicans have or ganized the House and adopted the Cannon rules the same effort to furth- CT restrict debate will be made and in its support the same argument will be used The utterances of President Taft in his inaugural address in which he urged the quick and immediate passage of a tariff bill to relieve business anx- iety will be cited. The new bill will be presented, the way greased and 1t will be showed through In the same manner ss the D!ngley bill
 It is interesting to recall that when the Dingley bill was up for its brief debate and consideration, the Demo- crats took the first day in an effort to get through amendments. The earnest efforts to secure amendments were de- nounced unjustly by the Republicans. as attempts to defeat tariff legislation. Mir. Dingley himself was constantly on his feet with points of order. which were sustained by the chair. The Dem- ocrats, anxious to have the bill amend ed found that the Republican major with the rules.
 This is exactly what the Republi- can majority proposes to do In the ex- tra session. The Ways and Means Committee will practically enact the tariff legislation. The committee will draw the bill like it wants 1t. and hav- to the House. In the meanwhile the present gag rules will have been strengthened to still further shut of debate. And the Democrats will prob ably have to sit helplessly in their seats and see the bill "jammed' through the House. knowing that it was drawn in the interest of the man. ufacturer and not in the interest of the consumer.
 The one hope of the situation Is tha the Republicans will fail utterly to give the relief demanded by the ma ajority oi people through tariff legislation. The Democrats can then return to the great cardinal issue which separates the two parties and leave off chasing after isms and phantoms. If the Republi.
 cans fail to give tariff relief the Dem
 ocrats will have their Issue for 19l:
 ready made.