Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-24
Finance Committee of Senate
Orders 1t Reported.
WITHOUT Recommendation
Measure Will Garry Out Provisions
of Canadian Agreement.
EARLY ACTION UNLIKELY
Belief Exists at the Capitol That It
Will Be Impossible to Push Pact
Through This Session.

Through This Session.
The Mccall bill to carry out the pro
visions of the Canadian reciprocity agree
ment was ordered reported to the Sen
ate today from the committee on finance
The report was without recommends
tion,'' the committee by votes of to
refusing to report either favorably OF
adversely.
After two votes had been taken on the
propositions to make reports on the bill
and both had failed by margins of one
there was only one course left open te
the committee If the pledge to President
Taft not to smother the bill was to be
kept That was to return the bill to the
Senate without recommendation. and this
motion was at once submitted by Acting
Chairman Burrows 1t carried unani-
mously.
No amendments to the bill were adopted
and it will come up, on the moor or tne
Senate. therefore, in the exact form IN
which it was passed by the House Un-
doubtedly there will be many attempts
on the floor to modify the measure, the
action of the committee being accepted
generally as an invitation to any one VINO
cares to do so to present any amendments
he may choose.
Little Chance for Vote.
That the response to the implied lnvl-
tation which the committee extends to
opponents of the Canadian reciprocity
agreement will be prompt and generous is
not doubted. If consideration is given to
all of the amendments which are almost
certain to be offered. and there is no way
to prevent such consideration under the
rules of the Senate II their sponsors are
insistent. it seems certain no vote will be
taken on reciprocity at the present ses-
sion.
The division in the committee today
was not made public. The understand
Cumber, Smoot, Bailey, Taliaferro and
Simmons voted against favorable re-
port. and that Senators Penrose. Cullom.
Lodge. Money. Flint and Stone voted for
it. 1t is Understood that all Of the SEN
ators who voted against a favorable re-
port voted for an adverse report except
Senator Smoot
The bill Is now on the senate calendar.
to be called up as opportunity may o1er
and its advocates determine. 1t will be
opposed by such men as hale and Smoot
of the finance committee, two OF the
recognized authorities on tariff, In the
absence of the leader Of the stand-pat-
tiers, Senator Aldrich.
Cummins Has Amendments.
Senator Cummins' frank announcement
to the Senate yesterday that he pro-
poses to offer amendments to the bill ad-
hitting into this country free Of duty
Canadian manufactured goods, as COM
pensation to the American farmer for
the reduction on agricultural products,
forecasts long discussion and frequent
votes. IL
1t is thought to be quite probable that
a majority would be found in the Senate
for these amendments, including some
votes from NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. since
Canada is not regarded as competitor
Of the United States In steel manufac-
lures, and other articles on the iron
and steel schedule.
But Senator Cummins' amendments will
go to wool and woolens. including cloths
and carpets. and there the American
manufacturers will be touched upon the
raw.
Furthermore. as Senator Root pointed
out in the Senate yesterday. the question
arises whether European nations, under
the most favored nation" clause, may
not demand similar reciprocal agreements
goods and gloves. Germany with her iron
and toys, and so on through the whole
list
Senator Root was afraid the Cummins
amendments would pave the way for reci-
procity treaties with all the world, but
that is bridge yet to be crossed. in the
opinion of Senator Cummins.
No date has yet been agreed upon for
taking up the reciprocity bill. 1t will
have to follow the Lorimer case and the
well as stand aside for appropriation
bills.
Protest to Last Minute.
The finance committee completed it's
hearings on the Mccall bill yesterday
afternoon. Several more witnesses in
opposition to the measure were heard at
the concluding hearing.
They included Edwin A. Merritt, a
member of the New York legislature, who
said the farmers of the country were in
censed at the thought that the republi-
can party should desire to withdraw the
benefits Of protection just as they were
becoming able to take advantage of it.
He declared that if republican senators
should submit now to the request from
the White House that they aba ndon their
protective principles it would be a con-
fession that they had been perpetrating
a fraud upon the country for the past
twenty-five or thirty years.
"Of course. we hear something of the
big stick" exclaimed Mr.. Merritt but
We are not SO much afraid of 1t now as
We used to be, at least not in New York y
A. S. Farwell Of Orange. Tex. who is
interested In the only southern paper mill
told of making paper from the southern
long-leaf pine, and declared that the in
FAINT industry is beginning to pay, blu,
could not compete with free pulp wood OF
free paper from Canada. John II. Mali1
of Watertown, N: Y, president and sec.
rotary of the Papermakers' Association
and j. L. Carey of Albany, N. Y. presi.
dent of the International Brotherhood OF
Papermakers, testified that the condl-
tons of employees of mills in the United
States are better than i'm Canada. They
protested against the withdrawal of the
protection given the paper industry.
What Senator Stone Says.
Senator Stone told President Taft that
he could not see how it would be DOS.
sible to get the agreement through a,
this session without sacrificing nearly
everything else that is desired not only
by the President. but by Congress.
1t is persistently reported that the in.
surgept senators, now starting In upon
the process of amending the agreement
stand ready to vote for 1t II the admin
istration will agree to cease its attempts
at putting through the increased postal
rate upon magazines. All the insurgents
really want. it was stated at the White
House today by q man In their councils
Is the opportunity to play to the farmers
in connection with the agreement ano
then vote for it If they can help GU,
their magazine friends by deal.
President Taft is not much inclined tC
think of deals, but Senator Penrese, ir
charge of the postal bill, knows tbs
game as well as the insurgents. and the
President might not object to his handling
the whole thing for the best interests o.
the administration. Senator Penrose ii
the man the insurgents will have to dea