The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-10
LIST BILL
WILL Be IGNORED
BY SENATE
No Action on Measure to Be
Taken at This Session
WASHINGTON IS WARM
Summer Weather Results in the Usu-
al Lassitude About the Nat
onal Capitol

Washington, May S:-Of course
both houses of congress understand
the dates in the almanac and they rea-
lize' that summer brings hot weather.
as a rule, but they never begin to hus-
tie with the intention of doing bust
ness and getting out of town until the
realization is forced on them by a
spell of weather hot enough to wilt
cat off the back fence at midnight
Summer is here now, emitting spring
in the transit from winter to summer,
but it is not yet warm enough to rem
der it too pleasant to remain indoors
and those members of both houses
who have not discovered by sad eX-
perience what it is like to do business
here when it is really hot are pro-
crastinating around the city and sub
urbs with the tourists, seeing the
sights and having as much fun as
pickaniIny at moving picture show.
For some reason the committees
on acoustics and ventilation at the
capitol have not yet devised any
scheme whereby current of fresh
cool air can be forced through the
chambers. Fresh air percolates in
and eventually finds its way out but
the forced draft that is so seriously
needed in the hottest weather cannot
be produced. Therefore, when it is
hot or even quite warm elsewhere it
Is unbearably hot in the chambers
When the surrounding corridors are
fairly comfortable, step on TO the
floor inside is almost suffocation, and
yet, knowing that this condition is
certain to come, congress will pro
crastinate and dawdle until its in
dividual collars sag and wilt into a
soggy rag five minutes after entering
the chamber.
This present temperature is only
a reminder of it and should be an
incentive to accumulate motion.
Nevertheless, the motion is not yet OBJ
servable. At least, not on the part
of the senate, on which the date of
final adjournment entirely depends.
With the passage of the free list bill
today the House will give some little
time to disposing to the mass of dis
trict measures on hand and waiting
for action, and sometime in the near
future will put through the bills for
the admission to statehood of Arizona
and New Mexico. These matters
alone will require at least fortnight.
Meanwhile the serious disagreement
among the democrats as to what shall
be the rate OF duty on raw wool yet
continues with no compromise in
sight at date of writing, and the gen
eral understanding in and out of con-
gress is that there will be no more
attempts at tariff legislation until
next winter
Under the circumstances, this is al
together advisable from the stand
point of democratic harmony and sue
cess. If a democratic caucus made
free wool a party measure, like the
free list and reciprocity, it would o.
course go through, but it would Ger
tainly accentuate the party disagree
ments and cause fatal split A
large majority of the democratic
members of the House are unques
tionably for free wool and the only
danger is that they may take it out
of committee, regardless of consequen
ces, and smash it through the House
To avoid this and to prevent any dis
astrous action is the work which the
leaders have cut out for them at pre-
sent.
AS to the free list bill, now goinl
through, it is practically certain thai
the senate will ignore its existence
entirely until next winter, at least
Then ii may and may not take it up
IT will depend entirely on what else
in the tariff line the House sends over
The six days of this week will be Civ
en- to public hearings on reciprocity
by the senate Finance committee, anC
then it will be reported back without
recommendation. After which the
fight will begin on the floor This
will continue a month, or six. There
are indications, or rumors constantly
reported from some unknown sourc,
that a compromise has been or is t
be made whereby a vote may be hat
after two weeks or 50 of debate, bu
nobody assumes responsibility TO
these rumors On the face of things
the opposition is fully as solid ant
determined as ever.
When all the investigating commit
tees which the House has authorized
are put to work that body will be lef
without a quorum and will be compel
ed to suspend. Two out of three mem
DerS are alfeauy named on NarlOu
committees of investigation, and whe
they all get busy there will be thing
doing-except in the House. Not onl,
is every government department to
investigated and overhauled, but ais
every combination of capital and pos
sible trust or interest Throughout
the length and breadth of the lane
Nothing will escape from Standar
oil to the Italian standard peanu
stand on the corner Farmers wit
automobiles, business men with clea
shirts and all other indications c
predatory wealth" will be rounde
up and made to confess where the
got it and how they came by it. b
warned in time; the real and actui
friends of the pee-pul are abroad.
There is apparently one thing o
which both parties and all faction
are united, and which all agree shoul
be done. refer to the propose
amendment OF the constitution chan
ing the date OF presidential inaugur
ton day. Both houses and very nea
~ the entire membership of each al