Evening star., 1911-01-30
EARLY ACTION LIKELY
Favorable Report on Reciproc-
ity Bill Expected.
MAY BE WITHIN TEN DAYS
Senate Refers the Canadian Agree
ment to the Committee on
Foreign Relations.

The House cOmHlllee OF way "iiu
means will probably report the Canadian
reciprocity bill favorably to the House
within the next ten days or two weeks.
Such seems TO be the disposition OF the
committee, ascertained by informal talks
among the members.
The bill when reported will be SUBJECT
to amendment in the House and that Is
where obstruction and delay are expected
The responsibility then will be up TO the
House and the committee on ways and
means will not be chargeable with at
tempts TO suppress the bill
Upon the administration. IL is asserted,
will devolve the duty of producing the
vote. to pass the bill and reconciing tie
warning factions in the republican ranks.
Senate Takes Action.
The Canadian reciprocity pact was to-
day taken away by the Senate from the
committee on finance and referred to the
committee on foreign relations. The ac-
ton was taken upon motion of Senator
Cullom, chairman Of the latter commit
tee
In doing so Senator Cullom explained
that there was no desire on the part of
his committee to do aught than preserve
the communication to see whether it did
or did not contain anything that might
affect foreign relations it could be sent
back to the committee on finance.
The discussion of the motion brought
out the statement from Senator Bailey.
an authority on the Constitution, that the
entire subject treated by the cOmmunica-
tion is not properly before the Senate un-
til the House has acted upon 1t, as it re-
lates to questions of revenue.
Senator Bailey said that If this is called
a trade agreement the President had
no authority to make such an agreement.
II it is called a treaty it ought to be be-
fore the Senate. but his own opinion was
that the Senate can not have the uues-
tion before it until the House has acted
upon 1t.
Question Of Form.
one of form rather than substance; that
the communication obviously ahects our
foreign relations, and the practice has
been to refer all such communications to
the committee on foreign relations.
Then up spake Senator William Alden
Smith of Michigan in behalf Of the for
gotten and overlooked committee on
Canadian relations" one Of the commit
tees organized to give chairmanships to
deserving. but otherwise unpIaced sena-
tors of the majority party. He didn't
want his committee neglected. !.
Senator Carter, in good humored sar-
casm. expressed the fear that the COM
work 1T might not be able to handle the
question.
Senator Smith admitted with a sigh
that the committee was hard pushed with
business. but was ready to sacrifice itself
on the altar of public duty If necessary
and take the question under considera-
ton.
Sent to Foreign Relations Committee
After this exchange Of pleasantries the
motion OF Senator Cullom was carried,
and the communication was referred to
the committee on foreign relations.
1t appeared evident from the trend OF
the talk during the discussion of the mo-
ton that the Senate will not seriously
take up consideration of the Canadian
pact until the House has acted. and the
question of committee reference for the
present is unimportant.
Eventually the subject will come be-
fore the finance committee. as the House
will act first, and it's action would take
the form of g. bill amending the tarin
law. which would have to go to the com
mittee on finance.
Senator Stone Commends Agreement.
Seuato tor Stone of Missouri today an
nounced in the Senate his unqualified sup
port of the reciprocity agreement, and
announced his conviction that whatever
the republicans might do. democrats
should give the agreement their sanction
The Missouri senator had been engaged
in an address in opposition to the ocean
mail subsidy bill. He declared that that
bill should not pass, and said that the
Senate should turn its consideration TO
measures of more substantial merit.
He then said: IF We would do so.ae-
thing of real moment we might take
up the important reciprocity agreement
concluded between the United States
and Canada. which the President laid
before Congress Thursday last. and
press it to a conclusion without delay"
The senator maintained that the
agreement would prove OF tremendous
Importance. not only to this country
but ultimately to the entire hemi
sphere The measure should not be en-
dangered. he said, because ofosome de-
tail concerning some particular indus
try or locality. but il should be viewed
.in the broadest spirit of patriotism
and determined wholly from national
standpoint