Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-05
The Extra Session.

President Taft has kept his word win
the country Congress having faiied 10
act upon the Canad an reciprocity agree
ment in the face of his assurance that II
il adjourned without bringing the McIalI
bill to a final vote he would call an extra
session. he has p Ompt!y made sood iHS
declaration with summons for an ats
senuoling on the 4th of April, thirty days
hence.
The President could have done no .ess
without a serious loss esti4e. during
the las few days, With the situation al
the Capitol i'll a hopeless tanSie OF de-
layed work there h u been an ev!d Mt de-
sire on the part of certain pol teal m
teres:s to prevent or persuade the Presi-
don't from issuing his mandate for an eX-
ira session. II has been * dent for at
least Il week that fair vote on reclproc-
ity could not lie had i'll the Senate one
contested case after another has been
prolonged doubtless in some measure
with d view to prevent action upon me
tariff bill and evidently i'll the no. e Tat
the President would not open what some
have asserted to be 4 Pandora box OF
evils by sUmmoning the democratic House
and the insurgcnt-con Senate for
bus ness.
The country expects action upon r6cl-
procity. ]; has expressed l;saif i'll many
WAYS through state legislatures. by news
paper publica tons. Dy the votes OF organ
izations and by the presentation OF pe,I-
tons ard memorials here III Washing on
during the past few weeks. Certain spe-
al interests have been prominently in
evidence in opposition. 1t is true that
the question has not been submitted TO
popular vote. bat 1t is equally true mat
the reciprocity pact is In line with the
unmist aka3le sentiment OF tie country as
expressed last autumn in the vote foi
Congress, which has been Interpreted as
in the main a demand for tariff REVISION
going even further than the Fayne-Al-
drich law.
The Canadian reciprocity agreement is
in the line of further tariif revision. 1t IS
protect on revision downward does
not violate the essential principle of the
protective tariff 1t opens 10 American
sellers of certain commodities "a ia ge con-
tiguous market in which industrial and
social conditions are virtually Identical
with those prevailing in the United States.
In order to secure this market it has been
necessary to give something in exchange,
which is the essential spirit of reciprocity.
There can be no such bargaining, no such
exchange of markets, on a free trade ba-
sis 1t is essential to have tariff to re-
init in order to secure concessions from
abroad.
The republican majority in the Senate
had its opportunity to respond to the
Presidents call for action. Had 1t de-
sired to do SO, it could have put through
Canadian reciprocity days ago. The shift
tngs and combinations that have marked
the closing days of the session, the time
consuming flibusters, the congesting quiD-
bles over precedence, the wasting OF
chances for a Straightforward expression
of sentiment on this all-important ques-
ton have now brought about the neces-
sity for a reassembling to complete a
work which was as easily possible as the
eo-called vindication of the senator sfrom
Illinois or the passage through the Sem
ate of the tariff comm ssion bill or the
final jumbled hurried and possibly mac
curate agreements on the appropriation
bills
The extra session. opening on the 4th
Of April. may be extended until the first
Monday of December, when ii viii lapse
if needs be into the first regular session
longed sitting Will be necessary is not to
be believed. The new Congress, whatever
it's political aspect and its factional divi-
sions, will be confronted from the outset
with a plain duty which the country will
expect it to discharge as promptly as pos
sfble.