Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-06
SURPRISED CONGRESS.

IStdndlnE the ppSlll&tneSS WITH NHlEi
President Taft said repeatedly in al
but official language that unless Con-
lgresS lcgislatcd SO as to put into op"r-
IatiOn the Canadian reciprocity agree
Imcnt, he would summon an extra Ses-
sion to resume consideration OF tho
| subject, his fulflllHent of that threat
within two hours of adjournment VA
n surprise to many members Of that
body. Ii was especially 50 to the Sen
late As late as an hour before final
adjournment Yesterday. prominent
senators and others about the Capitol.
made bets that there would be no eX-
ltra session. Pressure, nothing lf+:S
than tremendous. had been brought t.
bear upon the administration and upon
members of Congress to prevent tn.
extra session. Until the last moment
rumors were in circulation that ii Wy
would be found To avoid it.
| Whatever may have been the truth
or untruth of amy of these stores there
| can be no doubt that the issuance OF
the Presidents extra session proela,na-
tion met with scant welcome by those
members Of Congress who after the
stress of the past session viii barely
spite and To adjust their affairs before
entering upon another session which
may last far into the summer.
Democratic leaders in the House will
have many conferences during thu
coming session with members OF theiE
party in the senate. This fact be-
came known today when il was an
nounced unofficially that expenditures
would be considered with revenue.
II was suggested that work be given
the committees on expenditures in the
various departments which in the past
have been empty assignments intended
only to give to the chairman thereof
extra allowances for clerk hire iii the
gift of the party which happened to
be in the ma jorty of the House. The
same conditions Of affairs has existed
in the Senate.
Appropriations have largely been in the
hands Of the House and Senate commit
tee on appropriations There have been
few exceptions, such as the bills tor the
army, navy, pensions and post office de-
partment. but the great bulk of eXpendi-
tures have been passed upon by over
worked committees on appropriations
The effect has been that items aggregat-
ing millions have been voted upon by the
great body of Congress with little or no
opportunity for study of their merits.
This was the reason for the "Billon Dol
lars Congress 1t rests with Congress
and the almost as rapid growth of appro-
priations is to bc checked
Some Of the Democratic leaders who
81.
come to the conclusion that th"s have
before them a greater work than revising
the tariff.
They realize that the executive depart
ments are called upon to cHpcnd great
sums of money as iHe result of public
sentiment and that Congress must sup
ply the means for those expenditures or
else cut the expenditures.
Confronted with the responsibility Of
initiating any revision of the tariff which
may be attempted after action upon the
Canadian reciprocity agreement, the
Democratic leaders are ponderinG the sit
uation, They realize that if tariff lcGis-
lation should be passed by the House
which would provide insufficient revenues
the Senate probably would at once amend
it
In view of the supremacy of the House
in conference which is not improbable in
view of the fact that the Senate will be
barely Republican and a portion Of its
ma jorty comprised of insurgents who
may act with the Democrats. it is not
doubted that President Taft would use
the veto. In fact, he has strongly inti-
mated as much.
Many people think. therefore, that few
actual tariff changes will result from the
extraordinary session. Notwithstanding
the incoming Democrats that the last
election imposed upon them a command
to proceed Immediately.
Moreover. some of the more conscrva-
tive Democrats are already arguing that
their party was in no wise responsible Tor
the extra session and had it not been
called by the President, the tariff qucs-
tion of necessity would have been post
poned until the regular session beginning
in December. Those who argue thus will
try to have the question of reduced i'm
port duties considered next winter with a
radical reduction of expenditures in the
government departments. For this pur-
pose they want to restore actually and
vigor to the practically dead committees
on expenditures in the various depart
ments, causing them to study the needs
of the different branches of the govern
ment and to give to Congress such in
formation as it may need to decrease APP
propriations in a manner that would not
cripple the public business. If this course
were followed. the special session of Con-
gress might not continue for more than 50
or As days. If the views of members who
favor general tariff revision prevail, no.
body can forecast the length of the ex-
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