Barton County democrat., 1911-08-25
SPECIAL SESSION OVER.
Every Move Made Was Initiated by
the Democrats.

SSuSlOOo NdluC " oil a. "
clock Tuesday afternoon, and the
members of both houses scampered
for home. Some things were done
and some things were not done dur
ing this session. Every move made
was Initiated by the Democrats, and
the failure to pass certain legislation
which should by right have gone
hand in hand with the Reciprocity
bill can be charged to the President,
who vetoed the measures, and the Re-
publcans who refused to give enough
votes to the Democrats to carry the
Tree list and other bills over the
Presidents veto. Although the Dem
ocrats assisted the President in ac-
complishing what his own party in
the two branches Of congress refused
to do, he would not give them the re-
lief asked for in other lines.
Pending the consideration of the
reciprocity bill, the first action of
the house otter its organization, was
the passage of the resolution, with
other minor republican opposition,
providing for the submission to the
several states of an amendment to
the federal constitution to enable the
people to elect United States Senators
by direct vote. For only the second
time in its history the senate con-
sented to consider such PROPOSE
ton. The house resolution was fin
ally passed but not until the senate
had amended it in such way as to
give the federal government the power
to control senatorial elections in the
states. This provision has proved un-
satisfactory to the democratic house,
and because Of that fact, the resolu-
uon remains unacted upon in confer
ence, and must await further consid-
GRAFTON at the coming regular session.
The next action of the house was
to pass bill requiring campaign
committees to make public before
elections, as well as after, their re-
ceipts and disbursements. Once be-
fore, in a previous congress, the house
passed bill of this character, but it
was emasculuated in the senate, and
publicity was confined to receipts and
disbursements after election. This
Time, however, the senate went even
further than the house, and passed a
measure more radical, in which publ
city Of primary campaign expenses is
required, anG~ a limitation is placed
upon the amount which a candidate
for the senate or house may expend
In seeking office.
After having disposed of reciprOc-
ity, as it was expected it would do,
the democratic house took up the
subject of tariff revision schedule by
schedule. It's first effort in this di-
rectiOn to revise the tariff downward
was the passage of the farmers free
hist bill, in which the customs duties
upon more than one hundred arti-
cles embraced in the necessities of
life, were removed. The senate took
the measure and after modifying it to
Some extent, particularly with refer
ence to meat and cereal food pro-
ducts, placing them upon the free
list only when coming from such
countries as those with which the
United States has a reciprocity trade
agreement effecting other articles,
and in this form passed it. The bill
was vetoed by the president, however,
because of his determination not to
approve any tariff legislation that
was not based on report of the tar
iff board, which thuus far has made
no report.
The next step of the Democratic
house was revision of the woolen
Schedule, which reduced to 20 per
cent the duty on raw wool and made
corresponding reductions in the man
wacture Of wOolens, on the average
reducing the rates substantially one
half. In order to get the senate with
Its republican majority to agree to a
revision of this schedule, it was nee
esSary to adopt a compromise meas
ure wherein the duties on raw wool
were placed at 20 per cent, with the
rates on manufactured woolens adjust
ed accordingly. This also was vetoed
by the president because the tariff
board had not reported on it.
Then the house took up the cotton
schedule, from a democratic stand
point considered only a degree less
obnoxious than the woolen schedule.
Here too, the rates of the Payne
AIdrich bill were substantially cut
In two, but this action also was We
toed by the president for the same
reason that he vetoed the other tar
itf amendments. Doubtless the house
would have continued it schedule by
schedule revision, making reductions
In the duties on iron and steel pro-
ducts, and in the chemical and sugar
schedules, had it not been for the
announced determination Of the pres
ldent to veto all tariff measures eX-
cept reciprocity, passed at this ses-
sion.
The statehood resolution approx
Ing the constitutions Of the territor-
les Of Arizona and New Mexico to
enable them to become states in the
Union, was the cause Of much con-
tr0versy, and finally resulted in the
presidential disapproval by reason Of
the provision In the Arizona instru-
ment affecting the recall Of judges
The Flood resolution introduced by
Representative Flood, Of Virginia,
chairman Of the house committee on
territories provided for the approval
Of the constitutions Of both terntor-
~ With the qualification In the case