Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-06-24
TAFT WARS FOR
POSTAL BANKS
VIII Force Senate TO Pass
the Measure.
CALLS LEADERS TO TASK
Gives Up Trip to Yale to See Son
Graduate and Starts His First Direct
Clash With Senate.

Clash With Senate.
Abandoning his proposed trip to
New Haven, Conn, to see his son
graduated from Yale university and
announcing that he would stay in
Washington "all summer" if need be.
President Taft began his first open
fight with the United States senate.
The postal savings bank bill is the
issue between the White House and
the north wing of the capitol. The
president has announced that the SEN
ate must adopt the house bill on this
subject. Several insurgents and some
of the regulars are strongly opposed
to the house bill, and rumors of a
| filibuster against the measure filled
the air.
1t was because of these reports and
the further prediction that the absence
of the president from Washington
would be taken advantage of to amend
the bill in the senate so as to make it's
passage impossible in either branch
that the president decided to remain
at the White House from now until
congress adjourned.
President Taft won the first phase
of the fight when the bill was taken
up in the senate
The senate rejected, "a to "a, Mr..
Bacon's amendment to strike out the
house provision for the withdrawal of
funds from banks for the purpose of
converting them into government
bonds
The fight over the postal savings
bank bill has many angles. The most
interesting. perhaps, is the fact that
the measure, which the insurgents
helped to frame and fully approved in
the house. is roundly denounced by
the insurgents in the senate.
President Taft has promised TO
stand by the house measure, and he
believes that 1t was tacitly agreed that
in return for the acceptance by the
house of the senate statehood bill, that
the senate would accept the house
postal bank bill. The house carried out
its part of the agreement, and now the
president means to force the senate to
do likewise.
Be that as 1t may. the president and
all of mis- advisers are agreed that the
house bill is by far the better of the
two. 1t was only by heroic measures
that a bill was put through the house
at all, and it is not believed that there
would be one chance in a hundred of
having an amended measure favor
ably acted upon.
Taft Holds the Whip Hand.
1t is pretty generally admitted that
the president holds the whip hand in
the fight, and that as soon as a vote
can be reached the senate will accept
the house bill
The river and harbors bill, contain
ing some hundreds of items in which
representatives and senators generally
are Interested is still unsigned on
the presidents desk and subject to
veto.
Tho public buildings bill. the pork
BARREL affecting nearly every state
in the Union. is about to go through
the senate, and then will have to re-
ceive executive approval before it be-
comes law and makes available the
appropriations, badly needed by some
COuSIeSSlltu " dlu tHtlH III llelI CdHl-
paigns for reelection.
Mr.. Taft, it is said, is not unmindful
of the influence of these two measures
and of what congressman would do to
prevent him vetoing them.
President Taft read the riot act" to
score of senators. including Senator
Crane and Senator Lodge, the latter of
whom was fresh from sojsurn with
Colonel Roosevelt at Oyster Bay
I He plainly told those who called at
the White House that the postal saw
ings bank pledge in the Republican
platform must be kept, and kept
promptly. otherwise congress would be
forced to remain in session all sum-
mer, and until next December, II
need be.
i He showed plainly that he was not
in sympathy with the senate bill, and
believed that if conferees got hold of
tn legislation a bill might come out to
which he would not want to attach his
signature. Those who talked with the
president left the White House with
the impression that If congress does
not pass the house postal savings bank
bill. and adjourns without final action
upon 1t, that the president may imme
diately issue a call for an extra ses-
sion.
In the fear of this, II Is likely that
something will be done toward salts
flying the demands of the president
Several of the so-called regular"
Republicans in the senate, 1t was said.