The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-08
SENATORS WILL
AID INSURGENTS
Combination Is Forming Against
the Administration
REPRISALS WILL Be MADE
Plan Appears To Be That confirma-
tions VIII Be Held Up in SEN
ate, Where Nominations
Are Obnoxious.
REPR|SALs WILL De MADE

Washington, January 7.-(Special.)-
Informal conferences; held today be-
tween the patronage barren insurgents
of the House and insurgent senator's
lead to the belief that the latter will
tender to their House lcompatriots every
assistance in their fight against the
administration. This means that the
the Senate will oppose the confirmation
of those appointments of the President
which are obnoxious to the House
members.
The insurgent republican senator's
have two assurances that they will be
able to block any appointments that
they do not like.
One is senatorial courtesy" That
gives even to denlocrtic senator the
right to hold up an appointment. and
the other is that many regulars of the
Senate do not approve of the Presi-
dents plan of coercng Congress.
Though the regulars are in line for
the Presidents legislative programme
and are not affected by the patronage
club at this time. most OF them are old
hands at the political game and real
ize that the club that is being bran
dished over the insurgents now may be
swung on them at any time they find
fault with a plan put forth by the
White House. For that reason they
will not interfere with senatorial cour-
tesy by crowding through nominations
to which the progressive republicans
object.
Senator Aldrich and several of his
followers IN the Senate are dissatisfied
over some of - rulings of the New
York D.44u OF appraisers on the Dingiey
bill. The senator and his friends contend
very naturally that they framed the
measure and ought to know OF It's intent
Surprising as 1t may seem a few jokers
got in the tariff s:ll. which have allowed
CONSTRUCTIONS s1tdknx t'sss tariff more
than Aldrich and his followers intended,
AS q consequence a howl has xone up
! frsu some OF the importers and Senator
.A9dFsah Ii trying to remedy matters
through the treasury department..
In one paragraph there IL a duty of,
books Of % per cent Now the board
of appraisers is holding that books shall
pay the duty on the article Of chief
value composing them. Under this con-
struction books bound In silk are be-
ing classified as silk with the resultant
40 per cent tax.
There Is also a kick over scrap iron.
Members of the Senate finance COM
mittee who helped frame the bill say
that scrap iron was intended to take n
rate of 81 a ton. But under treasury
ruling a much higher rate of duty Is
being required, because 1t holds that
scrap iron to be scrap iron, and duti-
able as such must be melted Therefore,
the duty required on scrap iron is the
duty that such scraps would pay accord
ing to whether they are pig iron or bars,
unless they are melted.
Senate leaders say the words of the
act mean no such absurd thing as re-
quiring scrap iron to be melted before
1t can take q scrap iron rate On these
and several other items the Secretary of
the Treasury is being appealed to reverse
The board. The trouble probably is that
the board received quiet instructions to
apply maximum constructions and hap
pened to hit the wrong people.
1t seems that w. C. Swanson, who was
appointed census supervisor of the Mont
gomery district, and against whom
charges are made by the two Alabama
senators and Representative Dent, was
designated upon the personal report of
Secretary Nagle OF the department of
commerce and labor Mr.. Nagle is out of
the city and nothing will be done by the
President until he returns.
The principal complaint against Swan
son Is that he does not live in the dis
trict. He was. however, employed in the
gomery for eight years. and there is no
gomery for eign years, and there is no
question as to his efficiency.
Grady Jones, the cadet at West Point
from Montgomery district, has failed in
his examination. He was appointed by
the late Representative Wiley. After
considering the case Representative
Dent today reappointed him.
Representative Dent today introduced a
bill extending for one year the time for
marking the graves of the Confederate
dead of which former Governor Oates is
the commissioner.
Mr. Dent also introduced bill appro-
priating $25,0oo for custom house at
Ft Morgan Ala.
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