The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-03-09
HOUSE DEMOCRATS PROBABLY
WILL TAKE UP TARIFF BILLS
FIRST.
SENATE MUST WAIT ON HOUSE
A Bill Revising the Wood Schedule
and Another Making FoodstuHs
Free Probably Will Precede Cana
dian Agreement.

cratic majority OF the house Is di-
vided on the question of procedure
| in relation to tariff legislation at
the extra session. This fact was
disclosed at the first meeting OF the
democratic members OF the ways and
means committee today. The members
OF the committee decided on the
proposition that the house should
pass the bill making the Canadian
reciprocity agreement effective. There
was no agreemnt, however, as to
when it should be passed.
The question in this connection
that is dividing the democrats is
whether the bill shall be put
through Immediately upon the con
yening of congress, or be made to
wait the passage OF general tariff
bills to be framed by the ways and
means committee. The weight of
opinion that the democratic house
VIII pass YIN it'lSlib 'ho "oc'
schedule and another putting GER
tain foodstuffs on the free list be-
fore it takes up reciprocity.
Standing upon the mandate of the
constitution which requires that all
bills affecting revenues shall origi-
nate in the lower branch of con
gress, the senate will wait for the
coming of the reciprocity measure
from the House. This means that
it must mark time for a consldera
BILE period. Knowing that the Dem
ocratic House will take up general
legislation, the Senate will not at
tempt to limit its work to reciproc
ity and the tariff
Organization problems are moi
alone confined to the house. The Sen
ate is confronted with the necessity
of rearranging its committees and
is heavily handicapped with the
Increased Democratic membership
which if united with that of the Re
publican progressives would control
1t must fall in behind new leaders
The older men who have controlled
affairs are gone.
SO strong are the Democrats in
the Senate that unless the Republi
can regular and insurgent senators
can be held together there is danger
that Democratic measures coming
from the House will sweep through
the Senate also.
Representative Underwood of Ala
bama. chairman OF the ways and
means committee, believes that the
House will not pass the Reciproc
! ity Bill before May Is. 1t is un-
derstood that the measure will be
introduced by Representative Pet
ers of Massachusetts, member OF
the committee, and will be known
as the Peters Bill 1t will be ident-
ical with the Mccall BIl of the ses-
sion just closed
The Democratic leaders have given
their word to President Taft that
they will put through the agree
men without any amendment that
would effect its ratification by Can
ada.
Champ Clark. the next speaker Of
the House. left Washington today to
be absent until a week before the
meeting of the extra session April
g. He will fill number of engage
ments on the lecture platform in
Pennsylvania. Ohio and Indiana, be-
ginning in Eastern Pennsylvania. and
then visit Philadelphia and num-
ber of other towns on the way to
Indiana Mr.. Clark will return to
Washington toward the end of March
TO be ready for the extra session.
Meanwhile the committee on ways
and means will spend the next few
weeks wrestling with the committee
appointments of the house