New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-01
WO0| MAY SPLIT HOUSE SENATE READY FOR WORK
With Organization Completed, 1t
Will Take Up Reciprocity.
FAVORABLE ACTION SURE
Long Battle of Words Expected
in Upper House-Stone
to Start Fight.

Washing ton. April 3o-Aftcr delay OF
nearly q month. devoted to the task OF
organization. the Senate swill begin in
earnest tomorrow the work OF legislation.
The Committee on Finance will meet on
Tuesday TO arrange for hearings on the
Canadian reciprocity agreement These VIII
include the protests Of farmers. paper MAX
ers and lumber manufacturers who were
represented at the hearings at the last Con
gress. The amendments. also introduced
at the last CONGRESS- will bc reintroduCed,
with a number of new ones Senator Stone
will begin the campaign Of oratory, which
will probably be a long one. as only Sena-
tor McCumbcr and one or two others had
an opportunity to express their views on
the agreement in the last hours OF the
tumultuous session that closed on March 4.
Mr.. stone will take the ground that the
notion that the farmers Of the country viii
suffer by the agreement Is hugaboo ana
a delusion. although his Democratic col
leagues In the House propose a Farmers
Free List as compensation for the imas-
ined injury.
1t is admitted even by its opponents that
the reciprocity agreement will be approved
by the Senate, but at the same time no
one will attempt to forecast the vicissitudes
through which II must pass. The Commit
tee on Finance presents complexity or
views on the subject. There are regulars
| for 1t and regulars against II. as there aro
! insurgents for it and insurgents against IT
| among both Democrats and Republicans.
After the hearings. which will not be
greatly prolonged. the bill will probably be
launched on the Senate without recommcn-
dalton TO withstand the darts that will be
showered on It in the form OF amendments.
The amendments will probably fail, but
they will be proposed just the same to
Justify variety Of tariff views.
The only certain thing at the present time
is that the Senate is showing no disposition
10 hasten the reciprocity bill, and it Will
probably occupy the centre OF tie legis-
lative stage for q long time.
What is to come afterward IA a prob
lem This will remain until the House has
done with its tariff tinkering, the uncer-
talnty OF which was demonstrated by the
change In the original House programme
when William Jennings Bryan arrived on
the scene BY the time that reciprocity is
disposed Of with possibly one or two
other questions. II is expected that the
House will have carried out its tariff re-
vision ideas. They will be scrutinised care
fully By the upper house and the question
whether or not there shall be any tariff
revision will then be decided. probably I'm
, the negative.
| There is p disposition among many Sen
/ ators 10 shut down the Legislative mill when
the reciprocity grist has been ground Some
| al, he of
sleeves now, with view TO sidetracking
! the tariff and all other legislation. The
| Senate is not inclined 10 look seriously on
| the revision undertaken by the House. Even
! Democratic Senators take the attitude that
| IT is all very we'll 10 let the ambitious Young
refornlers on the other side amuse them
selves with tariff tinkoring. What really
should be done IS another matter. The fact
that the House. in the citation Of newly &C
quired Democratic leadership. will have
passed a farmers free list and revised 4
few schedules is not regarded az at all .
cue for action by the Senate.
The Senate takes the tariff seriously. II
wants either 4 scientific revision o. 4
carefully planned revision. or 10 revision
AT all Most Republicans and Democrats
seem TO think that the proper time 10 un-
6ertake tariff revision would be the reGu-
lar session beginning next December. They
90 not like the prospect of muliing over
the question during the hot days Of mid
summer They want time to prepare for II,
being more deliberate than the House
where schedules can be reyamped over
night.
There is a possibility, therefore, that the
ambitious efforts Of tho House members
VIII come to nothing at nil. Their elabo-
rate plans may pass TO the limbo OF cam
paisn material But if tho Senate does de-
eide 10 take up tho tariff. the prospects
are that Il will be taken up with ven
geance. The Farmers Free List will be bat
tered merciiessly by the Senators from the
! farming states. who insist that their COLI
| stituencies will not rise to this campaign
tidbit designed by the Democrats. II tarif
! schedules are TO he revised, the Senate VII
not conNne itself 10 such as affect only Two
! or three OF the trusts that have been DC
| nounced by the muckrakerS as transgreS-
sors If popular privilege.
| II this should come TO pass. II Uoui0 mean
J that the tariff question would be opened II
, its entirety and that would result IN ?
| prolonged session prolonged uncertainty
and probable disaster 10 the political a.
| rirations of the Democrats.