The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-03-09
COMING SESSION !.
WILL Be A TEST
OF DEMOCRACY
It's Chances of Success or De.
feat in 1912 Are in the
Balance
VARIOUS REVISION PROGRAMS
ARE NOW BEING DISCUSSED


Schedule BY Schedule Change Favor.
ed by Clark and Underwood, But
New Members Want Whole Tariff
Opened and Revised at Once.
Washington, March 9.-DemocraE Il
responsibilities began Monday. FM
the first time In decade and q half
the Democrats are in control of the
house Of representatives.. With the
aid Of the Republican insurgents, they
can dominate the senate, for, with all
vacancies filled, that body will stand
nfty Republicans and forty-two Dem
ocrats. Judged by their actions in
the past there are at least five insur-
gents who may be willing to line up
with the Democrats in the revision
OF certain schedules Of the Payne
Adrich law. It IL the purpose Of the
Democratic leaders Of the house to
ahord them an opportunity to demon
strate exactly what kind of revision
lists they are.
The situation confronting the DEM
ocrats holds forth great possibilities,
and yet It abounds with perils. With
out doubt. the course they pursue
and the results they achieve at the
extra session, which begins on April
Z. will foreshadow unerringly whether
Or not their party will be success
ful in the national elections in 1912.
The question uppermost in the minds
Of men in both parties now is: "Will
they steer clear Of the shoals and
land the party craft in a safe haven
or will they steer 1t onto the rocks ~
Experiment to Begin
Tho vote Of the country last Novem-
Der was more . manifestation of lack
Of confidence In the Republicans than
Q certificate of unquestioning con-
fidence in the Democrats. A majority
OF the voters expressed the opinion
by their ballots that the Republicans
had not given sufRcient heed to the
public interests, and resolved to give
the Democrats q trial at the conduct
Of government affairs.
The experiment is now about to be-
gin, although the Democrats are
somewhat handicapped by the fact
that Republican sits in the white
house. Nevertheless, the opportunity
is present for them to make good in
a large measure, In view Of the pol
itfcal complexion Of the senate.
The leaders Of the house have in
dicated quite early their general ideas
Of revision, though they have not yet
gone into specifications. Champ
Clark, who is to be speaker, and Rep
resentative Underwood, who is to be
chairman Of the ways and means
committee, are in favor of schedule
by-schedule revision, that is to say
the passage of separate bills dealing
with individual schedules of the pres
ent law. Two vital matters in this
how many Of these bills should there
be, and second. how deep shall be
the reductions or the present duties
Division Of Opinion
Already, as 10 perhaps natural, there
is division Of opinion on both points
The rank and file are beginning tc
express their views Some advocate
the reconstruction Of every schedule
in the law. Others favor recastine
four or I'VE Of those which contribut.
ed 20 largely to the unpopularity ol
the Payne-Aldrich act and to the de.
feat Of the Republican party in the
last campaign. Aside from the two
problems mentioned is the question
whether the duties shall be levied or
q strictly revenue basis and the ele.
ment Of protection to American in.
dustries entirely eliminated.
No matter how rigidly the Demo.
Gratis practice economy, 1t will be i'm
possible to reduce materially the an.
nual appropriations. which now ap.
proximate three-quarters Of q billion
dollars net. More than half Of this
is raised in the form Of customs
duties, and just as soon as the Dem.
ocrats begin to lower the rates they
must take into consideration the
very important fiscal problem Of how
to make the governments income
equal to the outgo. It has always been
dangerous for the party in power tc
create 4 deficit in the treasury.
Not Easy In Practice
Therefore, while It may be q com.
paratively simple matter to cut the
duties on cottons and woolens, say
twenty-five or thirty per cent, or to
100000 and ;so,ooo,ooo is annually
collected on the free list, 1t is not
quite so easy as 1t seems on paper ia
make up the. losses in revenue which
follow the reduction or abolition OF
prevailing rates.
Undoubtedly it will be proposed
that as means Of supplying possible
deficiencies, congress levy a tax upon
incomes. This plan was vigorously
contended for when the last tariff
law was under consideration. Dem
ocrats and Republican insurgents
TN IN ~