The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-06
DEMOCRATS IN A HURRY
They are Working over Time TO En-
act the List Bill

chooses to consider itself in a hurry
in enacting the free list BILL and
therefore is beginning its sessions at
II a. m, instead of ~ m. 1t may be
noted incidentally that the sessions
Of each house OF congress begin ex-
actly at II o'clock, except in cases OF
extraordinary emergency, when ad-
iournment may be had to any certain
hour on the following day. Just why
the passage Of this measure at an
unusual rate of speed is considered
an extraordinary emergency Is beyond
comprehension Debate on the vari-
Gus aspects of the measure and of
every other subject connected in any
degree with the tariff Is proceeding
YEARLY and monotonously. with no
! interest shown either in the galleries
or on the floor. No members are
present except those who have just
spoken and have not had time TO es-
cape and those who are waiting their
turn to speak, but the demands for
| time in which to talk yet continue.
! Chairman Underwood can bring the
matter to a vote at any time, much
to the relief of everybody or he may
allow the subject to exhaust itself a
week hence. In any event, there has
been no apparent necessity for IL O.
clock sessions.
The Senate met Monday and ad-
journed to Thursday. At noon Thurs
day it adopted a resolution to meet
every day at p. m. until further
orders II Is quite too much TO
say that the senate will remain in
session to listen to speech; it will
rather considerably remain in SEES
sion until somebody talks to empty
chairs and then adjourn in a hurry
and get out The resolution from the
House looking toward the popular
election of senators has been reported
| favorably from the judiciary commit
tee and the time for the next ten
days might be devoted to discussing
IL, but it was talked about to the linn
It last winter and there seems to be
justifable hesitation In starting in to
thresh the old straw over again. OF
course there will be more debate on
the question, probably lots of ii be
fore 1t is allowed to come to vote, but
there is no hurry.
Very likely the reason why 1t has
not kept the senate in session for dis
cussion thus far this week is that
there seems to be an intention to
dispose of reciprocity before anything
else is given the right of way. In
the meantime all of this week and
next, at least, will be devoted by the
senate Finance committee TO hearings
on reciprocity, the 18th new being
stated as the time limit when public
hearings will cease These were be
gun Monday, and if everybody who
desires to register protest is heard
they will run all summer Not since
the days of tariff revision two years
ago has there been such an invasion
OF interests affected. There are hun
dreds of real farmers already in the
city from the northern, western and
southwestern states, all anxious 70
state their grounds OF opposition and
more are coming every hour I'm
questionably there is a good majority
of the committee opposed to the bill
but it is probable that it will be re
ported without recommendation eli
Their way This will put it up to the
! whole body and the fight will be on
When or how it will end only the In
finite knows
In the matter of the item of free
boots and shoes, provided in the free
list now under discussion. Represen
tative Plumley allows that he would
vote for this item ii it stood by itself
but this is not practicable A vote
by item would render the bill amend
able, and this the democracy will not
permit. Therefore, as there is much
in the bill which does not appear tC
the member from the second district
he will vote in the negative. Repre-
sentative Foster is also paired agains
the bill, and substantially for th'
same reasons. Before he left the
city for New York en- route for Eu
rope Tuesday afternoon he arranged
for pairs on all matters likely t
arise during his absence.
Some days ago | stated to you tina
the Ways and Means committee o
the House had announced CONFIDENT
ally but no less positively to certain
other members of that body that thei
tariff program for this session woul'
end with the enactment of the FIRE,
list bill. now near its end. Mr.. Foste
was one so informed, and though
there was no secrecy on the subjec
around the capitol | have yet to Sc,
that the important fact has beef
made public by any other correspon
dent. There are no present indica
lions that the House leaders will no
adhere to this program, though thu
tariff schedules are coming in 70
much talk outside the chamber Al
excellent reason for refusing to dral
out the schedules for dissection a
this session is now made apparent b.
the serious split in the Ways ant
Means committee on the subject o
wool. The committee is composed o
fifteen democrats and six republicans
and of the fifteen it transpires tina
nine are fatty in favor Of free raw
wool while six are as squarely oppos
ed to it. 1t appears that a large ma
iority of the party on the floor is II
favor of free wool, and in the even
Of a deadlock they may force it out o
committee for action A report fay
orable to free wool is impossible, a
the six republican members of tn
committee will combine with the ST
wool tariff democrats in opposition.
A serious party split Is therefore a