The Penn's Grove record., 1911-03-31
would find 1t doubly hard to hold The
electoral votes of these states.
LaFoIIette's Aspirations.


And LaFollette will be in the race
as a regular candidate ar as a pro,
gressive on an Independent ticket. All
Washington comedies that. Twice ne
has tried for recognition at the hands
of a Republican convention to nc
avail. In the last convention he was
not only set aside, but, with his fol-
lowing, grossly insulted by the speak
ers for the administration, so that for
days thereafter it was an open ques'
ton whether the Little Giant OF Wis
consin would support the ticket. There
Is no longer need for him to submit TO
a like humiliation. There Is an or
ganization growing, ready to his hand,
for use either In securing the Re
publican nomination or running on his
own ticket. For him there Is already
an enlightened public sentiment, q
powerful press and not a few in1uen'
tial politicians, both Republican and
Democratic. In some way he will 1g-
ure largely in the next campaign.
Today the Democrats would nomi-
nate Gov. Harmon If the opportunity
were at hand. But the same forces
that are attacking Taft are decrying
Harmon on the same ground. 1t is
significant, too, that Bryan, whose
voice and aid have always been at La
Follette's disposal, is openly opposed
to the nomination of the Ohio gov
ernor.
All signs indicate that Taft, Harmon
and LaFollette will be problematicai.
LaFollette would draw heavily from
both old parties. From which one
the more heavily Is hard to tell,
though as a lifelong Republican he
might be expected to attract more
members of that party.
And to think, after all, that a ma
chine-made wal scare, and a possible
war, may prevent the political battle
being fought on its merits.
Battle in Extra Session.
The nearer the extra session ap-
proaches the more certain 1t ap-
pears that it will be a period OF
hard fighting within the parties and
between the parties. By this mean
that while the Taft reciprocity plan
is sufficiently satisfactory to the Dem
ocrats of the house to pass that body
without much delay, it will be fought
IN the senate by Democrats and Re
publicans both. The house will be
glad to get rid of it in order that the
real revenue measures dear to the
Democratic heart-wool, lumber, cot
ton, steel, iron, and wood pulp-may
all have attention. They will get
attention all right. They will
get marked attention from those emf
nent standpatters and masters of par
liamentary procedure, Messrs. Can
non. Mann, Dalzell and Payne on the
floor of the house. Each bill will get
attention to the point a flibuster
to prevent its passage. course the
majority is sufficient to
adopt the Republican tactics Of the
last sixteen years; to turn on the
now in retreat its W ~favor1te
cannon-a special ruie-to stop debate
and force a vote. But after that the
Is still to be reckoned with,
means delay.
Furthermore, from Augusta, Ca,
come vague hints, between the crack
of the golf balls, that President Taft
will veto tariff bills of the sort that
the Democratic ways and means COM
is now preparing. This report,
If we'll founded, is a marked change
from the sentiments attributed to him
by his spokesman in Washington only
a few days age. 1t was then said that
the president was dissatisfied with
the Payne-Aldrich law, and would sign
any reasonable measures for its cor
rection. Curious isn't 1t that he signed
the bill which he personally disap-
proved-for his dissatisfaction was a
of common notoriety-and
to veto Any measures de-
for its correction.
At any rate between the house and
the senate, the clash of rival clans in
the latter chamber and the vacillating
position of the president, it is safe to
guess that the Taft extra session will
last not less than five months. The
organization of the first Democratic
house in sixteen years will take some
time, ven though the committees
shall be practically arranged On the
10Th as is the present purpose. The
general opinion of the few public men
in Washington is that after this
prolonged struggle the reciprocity
will fall through the bitter
hostility of Republican senators from
New England and from the wheat
growing states of the northwest.
Massachusetts, fears Canadian fish,
the northwest breads the wheat of
and Manitoba. The lines
are forming east and west and the bat
tie will be almost as fierce as that
over a complete tariff bill.
Busy Days for Democrats.
The recess between the late ses-
sion of congress and the extra SEES
sion called for April 4 is not
really as long as it seems. AS a mat
ter of fact for the Democratic mem
bers of the new ways and means COM
and the committee on rules there
has been no recess whatsoever. They
have been in the capital mapping out
the new committees and the
rules of procedure and other
wise earning their salaries. The last
Is something which it has been very
difficult for a Democratic member to
do in the last 16 years, when the Re
publican majority bowed the minority
members politely out Of committee
rooms with the kindly words: I'VE
don't need you. This is our Job. You
go and play"
For be it known In the past, as
doubtless twill be in the future, it Is
the practice in committees for the ma
jority to carry matters with a heavy
hand. And after all it is sensible,
though to one not versed in congress
sional procedure it seems autocratic
and bitterly partisan. The committees
of the late house had always from two