The Irish standard., 1911-03-18
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS. LED
BY STONE, MAKE oVERTURES
TO THE REPUBLICANS.
TO CONTROL FINANCE COMMITTEE
II Good Combination Was Effected
Democrat.Insurgent Alliance Could
Control BY Two Ma
jority.


signs Of an attempted alliance in the |;
senate during the sixty-second con- |
gress between the radical democrats |
and he republican prosressives, the
former led by Senator Stone, OF Mis-
souri,. with the purpose, primarily. OF
Strengthening the radical membership
of The senate finance committee. which
will have jurisdiction over all tariff
bills, the Canadian reciprocity agree
ment and various other important
questions with which the next congress
will have to deal. Overtrres have al
ready been made by Senator Stone to
several leading proGressivcs, and the
understanding is that they are now
being considered.
There are six vacancies on the f.
nance committee, due to the retirement
from public life on March OF Senators
Aldrich, Hale. Burrows and Flint on
the republican side and of Senators
Money and Taliaferro on the demo-
! cratic side. The desire of the pro-
gressives is to increase their strength
IL that committees; or, rather, to get
J CouIV otiChsoNi, IoA' ot p'S''ShSS eASs
are unrepresented there. I,
Penrose Has First Choice.
Senator Penrose. Of Pennsylvania,
through the operation Of the law OF
seniority. is to be the next chairman
OF the committee, should he care for
the place. Next would come Senator
Cullom, who does not desire to assume
| ho roornnsil,i1itioo nf tbic my inf
Craftsmanship, and after Cullom comes
Lodge. But if Penrose wants the
place. it will be his, and thus far there
has been no sign that he will say nay.
This craftsmanship carries the titnlar
| leadership Of the senate. Senator
Bailey is the ranking democrat on the
committee.
Tariff Revision Planned.
Several democratic senators have
cordially Endorsed the Stone slgges.
ton since the adjournment of the re-
cent session, and there seems to be
+: some likelihood that an effort will be
made to work it out The main pur-
pose of democratic senators will be,
of course. to facilitate tariff revision
| III GAC AChl SoiiS l'oo. IS" icCl LILLE
can be done III placing on the finance
committee such men as La Toilette
and Cumnlins and by filling the places
of Money and Taliaferro with thor
. ough- going revisionsts. Those who adj.
vocate the Stone plan believe it would
n result in the control by the combined
y forces of all senate questions. Ii the
Lon Ia ffD~ ha Io ct
enough to force such makeup of the
finance committee, it could also con
i troll the filling OF vacancies on Other
1 committees, OF which there is large
4 number, particularly interstate CON
=, MERGE, appropriations and foreign rela
!. tons.
The difficulty in carrying out the
Il scheme lies in getting enough votes
q to put it through. There will be forty
6 two democratic votes in the next sen
+ ate, counting another senator from
:. New York There will be six out-and
s out progressives Combine these
n forces and there would be forty eigh
a votes, or one more than senate ma
!. iority. In addition. Senator Boral
| Uc COuUltu IOI Hc dCl
more frequently with the progressive
e than with the regulars.
. Democrats Not Solid.
, Committee places in the senate ar
II filed by committee on committees
Q representing both political parties, an,
this committee always accepts the RET
.. concentrations OF party caucuses. Tn
n filling Of the finance committee vaca1
q cies will come Hp at the opening D
!. the special session. and il ought the
:. TO be known whether the Stone plan j
q to carry But whether it does or no
Q it is quite certain hat the repubIica
10 progressive will have at least one rrl
resentative on tn" finance committee
n presumably Senator Cummins.