The Washington times., 1911-02-25
PROGRAM is READY
FOR EXTRA SESSION
Reciprocity and Tariff Revision to Be Worked Out in
Conjunction in Hopes of Appeasing All-Lorimer
Facing Expulsion If fVote Goes Over.
By JUDSON c. WELLIvER.


Legislative program for the spring
and summer of 1911:
Congress to adjourn March with its
work incomplete, and several important
and pressing matters going over.
Extra session of the new Congress to
meet from March 20 to April 4. on call
of the President.
Democrats meanwhile to make up
House committees SO they can be Or
ganized soon after special session meets.
| Tariff Revision Assured.
Hearings on tariff revision to begin
as soon as possible by new Ways and
| Means Committee.
| Popgun tariff bills TO be reported just
as rapidly as possible. so that the
| House may be considering the earlier
ones while the others are preparing.
| Reciprocity agreement to be held in
Ways and Means Committee till a gen.
! eral tariff program Is reasonably on
! the way to formulation. Then to be
reported and promptly passed by the
| House.
| Tariff revision scheme to be worked
| out in such fashion as will make it
| coordinate with and complement the
| Canadian reciprocity pact, and thus
command the insurgent votes. in the
! Senate. for the tariff measures, while
Democrats and Administration Repub-
| licans viii be relied upon to pass the
reciprocity measure.
Senate TO resume consideration of the
Lorimer case, If no vote is secured
during the present session, with a good
chance to reject Lorimer.
| Senate to defeat the proposition to
! increase postal rates on magazines
! Popular election of Senators resolution
to be reintroduced. and, it is claimed by
its advocates, with good chance of COM
manding the necessary two-thirds ma
| jority.
Busy Spring Presaged
Such is the outline, always subject
[" any modification or even to abando--
ments If conditions require, of the legis-
lative scheme of the next few months.
1t presages a spring and summer Of the
most stirring events Washington has
known in many years.
For several days it has been strong
IIy suspected that a broad-gauged.
lgood-natured sort Of invisible ilibuster
was afoot in the Senate. The earlier
Iintmations in these columns that such
ceiyed with some misgivings, but in
view Of developments of the last forty
jeight hours, especially the insistent oh
! lection which day after day STAYED
loft n vote on the Lorimer case, it has
come to be generally recognized that
n program involving the biggest kind of
politics and a wide range of measures
/ is in the minds of gentlemen whose
conversation. There is going to be no
haste about anything from this time
forth: the more business that goes
over the better will it please a number
iof leading lOnE-dlstanCe takers
/ In this program is wrapped up a vast
! deal of Presidential politics. II is no
secret that President TaftS Republican
/ opponents are gaming confidence that
/ they have a chance to prevent his re-
nomination. They thought the Cana
! dian reciprocity measure would help,
! and they are just as hopeful now that
/ the japanese commerce treaty will help
! some more by prying away the Pacific
| and some OF the mountain States. The
! fight against the magazines Is expect
! cd to develop a political significance of
serious sort; and. finally, the tariff sit
uatiOn is counted upon by Democrats
and insurgents alike to give a serious
blow TO the President The argument
| is simple:
How 1t Will Hurt Taft.
The President has favored popgun re-
vision. The Democrats will give 1t to
him, and If he vetoes the bills 1t will
injure him; If he signs them, it will
help the Democrats, because they will
carry the action to the country as evil
dence of the Presidents split with the
stalwart wing of his own party. This
will cost the President the standpatters'
support.
Thus the Democrats descry in the
foregoing program one series of vic
tories for themselves, and the insurgent
Republicans forecast another series for
themselves.
After March the new Senators will
take their seats. There are now ninety
one Senators. II the deadlocks fail to
elect in New York, Iowa, Colorado, and
Montana. the new Senate will have
lightweight. Lorimer is counted to
lose, by the changes, as follows:
Maine ..............1 Missouri .......
Iew JerSey.......l 1 Montana .......