The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-28
Character of Presidents Message Will BeOt Great
 Importance
DEMOCRATS WANT DELAY
 UNTIL THEY ARE IN POWER
By Reapportionment Problem Which Is Expected to Cause
 Great Controversy

Washington, November 27.-When Con- gress meets week from tomorrow 1t will have just three months in which to perform whatever may be the demands of a republican administration. After that the fate of the Taft legislative pro gramme will depend upon the will of q democratic House and a republican Sen ate, a condition which will continue un- Ill the end of President Taft's present term of office. Confronted with situ- alton strewn with confusion, the success or failure of the approaching short ses- sion of the Sixty-first Congress is be- lieved to rest with the character of the executive message to be sent to the leg lslative bodies, according to republican party leaders who are now in the city. Many of the regular republicans who were defeated in the recent elections are not expected to carry with the best of grace the blow administered and this fact of itself cuts out for the Pres ident task offering difficulties far more completing than any that have been presented to an executive for a score of years.
 President Puzzled Realizing that he will be criticised if he fails to demand of Congress further revision of the tariff, especially of the wool and woolen schedule and fully cog nizant of the fact that the prospects would be all against the success of such a programme if submitted, the Pres ldent, it is said, has not made up his mind definitely what his course will be. The chances are that he will not insist upon action during the approaching ses- sion, but that he will offer to the demo- cratic House and the republican Senate year hence a programme for tariff
 FAAsi'ss. slAeii- ALI Ds -isoisteI ed up systh Facts and figures gathered in the mean | time by the tariff board
 Out of the whole membership of Con- gress comparatively few have reached the city, and there has been little oppor- | tunity for exchange of views as to whss should be done during the remainder or l the present Congress. So far as there has 1 been expression, the predictions of con l gressmen are against any extended pro- gramme. Nevertheless, the administra- | tlon is manifesting a desire to utilize 1 the time to the best advantage in carry ing out the plans formulated before the change in the political complexion of the | country mad taken place for gratifying | as was the record of last session from a party point of view, President Taft finds | his demands for legislation still incon- | plete
 Taft Will Not Withdraw
 Personally the President has made 1t | clear to his callers that he does not pro- pose to withdraw any part of his pro- gramme although compelled to alter his | plans somewhat just because the dem l ocrats are about to come into control | of the House of Representatives. The short time that Rmains of republican | majorities in both branches of the na- | tional legislature is used by the Presi- dent as an argument for pressing for ward. Many of his callers concede the | point he makes, but being more familiar | than he with filibustering methods they are not so sanguine as to the feasibility | of the administrations ambitions The revolt against Cannon rules, which the country applauded only short year ago. | will not tend to heghten the chances Of quick action for administrative measures | at the coming session.
 | Within the short session which begins next week, 14 regular appropriation bills. carrying an aggregate of 8, 1,000 000.000 or | more must be passed Otherwise there will be necessity for an extra session next spring. The result of such ses- sion would be to bring the democrats face
 
 thing in advance of the time they would ordinarily be called upon to assume re- sponsibilty For many reasons neither democrats nor republicans want to pre- cipitate this situation and it would be avoided if possible. So far as appropria- ton bills are concerned it is not believed there will be lack of cooperation to fs- eilitate their passage.
 Democrats Want Delay Leaving the appropriation bills out of consideration the democrats are disposed to take the broad position that legislation | of general character should be post | poned until they come into the degree of power that has been conferred upon them. Contending that the last election | was an expression of the popular will they urge that it should be needed to the extent of permitting the democracy to take the initiative in whatever new action is to be considered.
 But while so contending the democratic leaders are much embarrassed by the Presidents position in favor of beginning the revision of the tariff by schedules. They go even farther than MT Taft in the denunciation of the wool sched- ule, and while preferrng themselves to designate the way of it's rewriting, they admit that they would find 1t difficult to resist an effort at reduction whenso- ever and by whomsoever 1t might be undertaken. Such also is the case with reference to other schedules: they would searceIy do less than cooperate in re- ductions at any time
 | There Is some sympathy among demo- l crats with the Presidents plan for a federal incorporation act and for the mod i ihcation of the law relating to injunc- tions and trusts All these questions are complicated, however, and the time is | far distant when any one can say with assurance what may be the fate of tho administration bills along the lines con- l tomplated Under the circumstances the chances as strongly against most oe | them.
 Measures to Come Up l Among the measures to be pressed are those providing for the fortification of the Panama canal, and this, it Is conceded. will provoke controversies; the amend ment of the postal laws so as to provide | fCONTINIrEn ON PAfE YA