The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
DEMOCRATS PLAN
A SHORT SESSION
Reciprocity, Wool, and Cot
ton to Be Tackled.
NO GENERAL TARIFF REVISION
RevampinE of Schedules Affecting
Necessaries of Life Also Outlined.
Majority of Rules Committee Is
Named - May Probe Departments
and o. X. Direct Election.

| II the present plans Of the Democratic
| Committee on Ways and Means are car
| RED out a bill embodying the terms Of
the Canadian agreement, together with
provisions amending the cotton and
| wooden schedules Of the tariff law, will
be passed by the House not later thar
| May /.
! Although the Democratic committeeman
are at present disinclined to discuss
their plans at length, the legislative pro-
gramme for the special session. so far
as the tariff is concerned, may be sum-
married as follows:
First-The presentation OF a bill enact
| ing the provisions of the Canadian agree
ment, to this to be added amendments to
the wool schedule, which the President
has denounced as 'indefensible;' in ad-
| dition IT is proposed that this measure
shall carry provisions revising the rates
| Of the cotton schedule downward"
Second-A bill revising other schedules
affecting the necessaries of life.
No General Revision.
Unless the Democrats are forced into it
they will not attempt a general revision
| of the tariff in the special session. Senti-
| ment among the Democratic committee
men favors limiting changes to the tariff
law as indicated Opinion is quite gen.
eral among them, also, that the session
should be made as brief as possible
The first meeting of the Democratic
Ways and Means Committee held yes
| terday. resulted in the selection Of the
majority members Of the Committee on
Rules The committee has practically
decided to limit the organization Of the
House at this time to the appointment
| only OF such committees as are necessary
to keep the wheels in moion. With this
idea in view the only committee that
will be named in advance Of the as
! sembling OF the House on April will be
those on mileage and accounts With
| the Committees ON Ways and Means,
Rules, Mileage and Accounts fully or
ganized, the Democrats will be able TO
proceed as planned
Probe of Depa rtments- =
At yesterdays meeting, and in informal
conferences held in the past week, Demo
cratic members have expressed their
views as to what the House should at
tempt after the tariff measures have
been passed Representative Ollie James,
Of Kentucky, strongly advocates the
creation Of special committees to inquire
into the activities of the nine executive
departments This proposal may be
adopted 1t will not be given considera-
ton, however until later in the session.
There is still another line of inquiry
that is suggested by Democratic Sena-
tors. II contemplates a scrutiny into the
expenditures of the departments. The in
vestigations proposed by Mr.. James are
designed TO show UP extravagances of
Republican administrations. The inquiries
suggested by the Senators have another
purpose in view. They argue that in
passing upon the general revision bill
to, be passed at the December session
complete data should be available show
ing the disposition of the revenues of the
government AS tariff laws are revenue
producing measures, they insist that the
House, which initiate such legislation,
should be in possession of full informa-
ton as to the expenditure Of the rev.
enues.
Want Brief Session
Democrats generally want the spe-
cial session to be as brief as possible.
Action on the tariff bills will be ex-
pedited under the terms of rules pat
termed after some of the gag" prop
ositions worked with so much success
by the Cannon organization. Not to
exceed four weeks debate will be al
lowed on the first tariff bill introduced
The leaders plan to transmit this bill
to the Senate the first week in April
or May / at the very latest. Supple
mentary tariff legislation to be pro-
posed in a second bill will be disposed
of in another three weeks. Then, IL
it is finally decided to make the in
vestfgations proposed, the proper
House committees will be appointed.
Democrats take kindly to the sug-
gestion that the House pass at this
time a resolution proposing an amend
ment to the Constitution, whereby Sem
ators may be elected by direct vote OF
the people. Such a measure failed at
the late session of the Senate. The
House Democrats believe that this
proposition should again be put up to
the Senate, with the Endorsement of the
lower branch of Congress. II the res
olution again failed in the Senate. the
Democrats believe they would be the
gamers in a political way.
Rules Committeeman Named.
At the conclusion of yesterdays meet
ing of the Ways and Means Committee,
Chairman Underwood announced the
names OF Ine IldgOrlty HlcinDSIS Ol IIle
Rules Committee as follows: Represen-
tatives Henry OF Texas. Pou Of North
Carolina, Garrett of Tennessee, Hardwick
of Georgia, Stanley OF Kentucky, Foster
OF Illinois, and Denver of Ohio. The
Republicans will be permitted to name
the four members who will represent
them on this organization.
The Ways and Means Committee did
not designate the member who shall act
as chairman of the Rules Committee. In
the insurgent fight over the rules
year ago the power of naming the Com
mittee on Rules was taken from the
Speaker. That duty was intrusted to
the House, which indicated by its vote
who the chairman should be. For this
reason the Ways and Means Committee
refrained from naming the rules chair
man. However, II is known that Repre-
sentative Henry Is slated for the place.
The Ways and Means win meet almost
daily from now on until the reassembling
of Congress in April. Individual MEM
bers may leave Washington from time to
time, but the present plans provide that
the committee shall remain i'm, session
throughout the month practically with
out interruption. !.