The Washington times., 1911-03-01
PASS RECIPROCITY
OR EXTRA SESSION
This Is Ultimatum Sent by
Taft to Capitol to Block
Proposed Frame-up.

Again today the story came to the
White House that a frame-up was in
progress in the Senate to avoid an extra
session by voting upon the reciprocity
agreement and defeating 1t.
Those opposed to the Mccall bill, so
the President was told, are willing for
reciprocity to come to a vote, If assured
in advance that 1t cannot pass. These
Senators declare that enough Democrats
can be pledged to the opposition to car
ry this program into effect.
But a snag has been struck. The
President sent word to the Capitol this
morning that if any evidence of a
frame-up adverse to reciprocity came to
him he would call an extra session any
way
That is exactly the situation today at
the White House. In other words. the
Senate must not only vote on the Nc
Call bill. if that body wants TO prevent
a special session, but it must pass it.
Not Rejecting Real Sentiment.
If the reciprocity measure is defeated
at this session, the Presidents advisers
tell him, it will be defeated by a frame
up which will not represent the true
sentiment of the Senate. This is what
led him to send a personal message to
the Capitol that the bill must be acted
on, and acted on favorably, else Con-
gress would come back.
The proposal to vote and defeat the
Mccall bill has actually been made to
the President personally. When it came
people who were in his office at the time
hn rI Mr.
Taft was madder than anybody in the
Executive offices had even seen him be-
fore. They say he denounced such a
trick as unworthy of the American Sen
ate.
Senators Root, Beveridge, and Flint
were in conference with Mr.. Taft this
morning on reciprocity, as was Repre-
sentative Mccall, author of the pending
bill.
Senator Root, as he left, said that the
outlook seemed more hopeful in so far
as avoiding an extra session was con-
cerned, but he was none too optimistic
over the situation. He said that the
appropriation bills now held the center
of the stage.
AS for Senator Beveridge, he did not
know what would happen. He said a
COnQllOn naQ arisen In the Senate, the
result of which he could not foresee.
Further than that the Indiana Senator
did not go.
Senator Flint Discouraged.
Senator Flint was frankly discouraged
over the situation. He said that the
fact that the Lorimer and the tariff
board questions had been, in a measure,
disposed of did not in his Judgment,
clear up the docket in any degree to the
advantage of reciprocity.
The Californian said that the state
ment of Senator Hale of Maine, who said
on the floor of the Senate that the ap-
preparation bills must be fully consider
ed or not coisidered at all, meant moth
ing more or less than that scientific
filibuster, on the part of Senator Hale,
might be expected.
Senator Hale, Senator Nelson, and
Senator Smoot are looked upon at the
White House as being the present
stumbling blocks. They cannot ap-
parently be won over to any program
which contemplates the passage Of the
Mccall bill.
At any rate, the President is standing
firmly on his determination for an hon
est vote on reciprocity or an extra ses-
sion: He has not been shaken in one
small degree. =