Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-15
YES 22t; NO 90.

Washington. Feb. 14.-Presidcnt
Taft's reciprocity agreement with
! Canada was ratified in the House Of
Representatives tonight through the
support of an almost solid Democratic
vote. The Mccall bill, carrying the
agreement into effect, WAS passed III
To 80 \ majority Of the Republicans
present voted against the measure. the
division being IS ayes and 81 noes
The Democratic vote was 143 ayes and
only five noes. 4 majority of the Re-
publican Insurgents present voted for
the bill.
The Mccall bill now goes to the SEN
ate. What its fate will be in that
body is problcmatic at this time. Presi-
dent TAFT believes that if a nlibuster
can be avoided and vote taken, the
bill will pass. He is insistent that the
Senate shah act one way or the other
and has indicated that he would call
an extra session Of Congress if il does
E, not do so.
The passage of the bill in the House
came at the end of long debate which
at times was as bitter as has been
heard on the floor of that chamber in
years. The fight was confined almost
wholly to the Republicans. Demo-
cratic members joined from time to
( time. and taunted the majority mem
bcrs for their lack of unity. The
Democratic leaders also put in the
claim that the reciprocity agreement
was good Democratic doctrine and de-
clared that they were glad to welcome
Taft and many of the House Republi-
cans into the Democratic fold. The
suggestion came from the Republican
side that Mr.. Taft and Champ Clark
might be rivals for the next Demo-
cratic Presidential nomination. Mr.
: Clark claimed that in a contest of that
sort he would win Hands down"
y final vote was reached tonight only
through the application of cloture rule
which shut off all amendments and even
/ dispensed with the reading of the bill
! This procedure was decided upon only
| after Mr.. Mccall, in charge of the bill.
| had failed to get unanimous consent to do
| away with calendar wednesday tonor-
! row. If that had been secured he said he
| would have been glad to let the debate
| continue for another Legislative day. The
Republicans opposed TO the bill fought
! the rules to the very last. denouncing it
| In caustic language. They directed their
! fire especially against the Democrats and
accused them on the eve of going into
| power in the House of enforcing gag"
| rule as drastic as anything against which
| they had so eloquently protested in the
past. The Democrats laughed loudly and
seemed thoroughly to enjoy the discom-
future Of some of their old-time ehcmics.
| Champ Clark took Dalzell. Pa, sharply
| to task for complaining of the "undue
haste" with which the House was acting
! on the reciprocity measure. Tho Speaker
! to-be declared that the Democrats had
| sat for years. bound and gagged. while
| the gentleman from Pennsylvania and
his associates had brought in rule after
rule and had rushed legislation through
without giving an opportunity for
amendment.
| Under the eloturer rule, which was
| adopted by an overwhelming vote, the
only loophole left to the opponents of the
measure was n motion to re-commit the
| bill to the committee of the whole House
with instructions to report certain
i amendments. When the time came to do
this, half a dozen members were clamor-
| ing for recognition. Dalzell was recog-
| nzcd by Speaker Cannon. He proposed
that meat and meat products, flour, pre-
| pared cereals. lumber and several other
articles be put on the free list The
II Democrats were not shaken by this and
II the motion was lost III to 19l.
i The cloture rule had been agreed to
II previously by vote of 19S to 101. 1t has
been apparent for several days that the
reciprocity measure would have an over
whelming majority in the House. This
seemed to make its opponent all the more
bitter The feeling displayed in the
House today was so intense at times tha'
II it surprised members on both sides
Some of the old guard Republican lead
/ ers like Dalzell Pa, and Fordney, Mich
veiled but thinly their predictions tha'
the Republican party would be defeated
III by reason Of what they characterized {
departure from the principle of protection
/ and the espousal of free trade. Mr.. Dal
II zell proposed to stand where he had stooc
for 40 years and to ''go down" with hi'
! party. Fordney said he feared Democrat
! ic times were coming and it made hin
.'sweat blood to contemplate the fact
The other speeches from the Republican