The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-10
Congress Is Facing Stormy Period With Both Old
 Parties Devided
BRYAN'S INTERVIEW
 CAUSE OF DISCORD
Harmony May Continue in the House But the Real Legislative Prob lem Lies in the Devided
 Senate

Washington, April alt Is daily be. coming manifest that Congress is facing a stormy session and that there can be made no forecast of the probable legis- latve results. The fact that both of the great political parties are badly di- vided is no longer denied and the leaders appear to hare little hope of restoring anything more than surface harmony
 There are virtually four parties. each with a large representation, working at odds in the present session. The re- publican minority in the House is divided between the regulars and insurgents. as was evidenced by the vote in the speak ership contest. The breacn between these two factions is even wider in the repub-
 ican majority of the Senate.
 A sharp line has been drawn between the conservative democrats of the Senate. who are opposed to any attempt at die tation on the part of William J. Bryan. and the progressive democrats, including practically all of the new members and sena toral veterans, like Senator Stone of Missouri, who are Bryan adherents. The House democratic majority seems thus far to have escaped a break, but the leaders fear that the party contest in the Senate may al any time spreai to the other branch. The situation has interfered with the selection of comnt-
 tees and the beginning of legislative work
 Probably there never has been Con- gress where so much uncertainty existed and where the uneasness has been 70 equally distributed between the two ma
 jor political parties. Of course, this is due in part to the fact that in the pres ent Congress the democrats are in power
 in the House and the republicans are ia control of the Senate.
 The real cause of the anxiety, how
 ever is believed to be due to the proy- imity of the party conventions, which will select the standard bearers for 1912, l and the knowledge that sip by either during the extraordinary session or the
 regular session to follow may very easily determine the result of the next national
 campaign.
 l So far as the administration programme Is concerned there is no room for spec ulation. President Taft has recommend-
 ed the enactment of legislation to carry out provisions of the Canadian reciproc- ity agreement and it Is no secret that he would be glad to have Congress to stop at that and defer the question of further revision of the tariff until the regular session assemblies next winter His reason for this is that the tarir board would be able to report several schedules by that time. Neither is there any obseurity about the programme ot Speaker Clark, Representative Under wood, chairman of the new ways and means committee, and other democrats
 who are directing the policy of the House Their plan for progressive legislation on a number of subjects with which ths country has been made familiar within the last year or so has been given out
 Now that the new majority in the House has adopted rules giving It just as much power as any majority mas ever enjoyed there is no doubt that measures on the subject of direct election of sen ators, publicity before elections, of cam paign contributions. Canadian reciprocity, revision of the woolen and cotton sched- ules and any further tarin changes the majority desires will be sent to the Sen ate in whatever order is decreed by the ways and means committee. The fepuo- licans may e&postulate or depounce as thev please: they will be powerless to pre- vent Tine real legislative problem. there fore will be at the Senate end or the cauital Only time will tell what sort Of lineup there will be in the Senate on tariff matters. Previous sessions have in dicated that there are just as ardent protectionists .n the democratic repre- sentation as in the republicans, and like situation may develop when tariff questions are taken up at this session. The division in the Senate is peculiar. or the 50 republicans there are F who have pra ctically formed a separate organlza- tion They have demanded and the com mittee on committees probably will ac- cede to their request, one-fourth of the majority places. Of the Il democrats-ie wher Colorado eects-1l are on record as beug opposed to the election of senator Martin of Virginia as minority leader. Their opposition was based on the ground that Mir Martin was too conservative.
 The division in the democratci ranks nroi,ably would not have been so pro- nounced if it had not been for the inter- view given by Mr. Bryan yesterday de- p,oring the election of Mir. Martin. It throws the issue in bold relief and it is freely predicted that 1t will crop out freouently in debate.
 If there is any disposition on the part of tho conservatives in both parties 10 work together to prevept any radical re- vision of the tariff it is conceded that they will be able to carry out their plans The progressives of both parties, however, act mated by the spirit of crusaders. will not hesitate to widen the gulf between the factions in their parties for they have an- nounccd that they are playing for future stakes and supreme states at that Leaders of both parties were asked yes terday for an expression of opinion as to what might he done Several were found willing to say what they thought ought to be accomplished by the session. but not sone would hazard q prediction as to what would be accomplished. One republican of the old guard who had al- ways helped to make up the party policy, replied succnctly.