Evening star., 1911-08-22
Mann GIVES VIEWS
Declares Democracy Is Weak
ened by House Acts.
PRESIDENT IS STRONGER
Says Session Developed Broadness Of
Taft's Craftsmanship.
WHERE DEMOCRATS FAILED
Minority Leader Says Some Legisla-
ton Would Have Been Better
Left Undone.
PRESIDENT IS STRONGER
WHERE DEMOCRATS FAILED

Republican Leader Mann OF the House.
| in statement issued today, giving the
minority view of the work of the extra
| session of the democratic House. declared
| that the net result was to strengthen the
President and weaken the democracy and
that the democrats trying to put the
President In a hole in tariff Lewiston
| legislation, had been "hoist by their own
petard.'
THE special session. said Mr.. Mann
was called by the President in the full
| fillment of the obligations of his agree
| ment with Canada to consider and pass
upon the Canadian reciprocity bill That
bill passed and has become a law. The
democrats in the House would have been
wise if they had confined the special ses-
sion to the consideration Of the reciproc-
ity bill only. Instead of that they set out
to show how they could bungle legisla-
ton. They prevented the passage of the
constitutional amendment for direct elec-
ton of senators by insisting upon cou-
pling with 1t another amendment to the
Constitution to deprive the general gov
ernment of one of its necessary powers.
Fought Publicity, He Says.
They fought against publicity of
primary election expenses until we
strangled them into yielding. They
nearly defeated statehood for Arizona
by insisting that Congress. give prac-
tical approval to recall Of judges. They
prepared tariff bills without knowledge
either of form or substance. They
brought in tariff bills in grotesque
form with a plain avowal that they
neither knew nor cared what the effect
might be on the industries of the coun-
try. and planted themselves squarely
upon platform against protection, and
in favor Of tariff for revenue only
without even knowing what the effect
on the revenue would be.
They have declared in favor of larger
importations from abroad regardless OF
whether We have idle factories and idle
men who might produce similar goods.
While entering upon the domain OF
tariff legislation, they have refused to
consider other needed legislation. They
refuse to take up pension legislation.
They decline to consider bill fixing the
tolls on the Panama canal, a matter OF
farce them to take up conservation legis-
lation. and especially bills to protect and
utilize the resources of Alaska.
No Tariff Information.
While they have attempted to cast
odium upon the tariff board and have de-
nounced that board in unmeasured lam
guage, they have taken no steps to pro-
vide themselves information for much
needed tariff legislation in the future.
The principal legislation which this
session has enacted is the provision in
the Canadian reciprocity bill admitting
wood pulp and paper free from Canada.
That provision in the law was drafted by
me and enacted exactly as I had drafted
1t. Their acceptance OF that provision
was the wisest thing the democrats have
done. The special session has developed
the broadness of President Taft's states
manship and also the incompetency of
the democrats when 1T comes to legisla-
ton.
''They have tried to put the President
in a hole. They have been hoist by their
own petard. The net result of the special
session has been to strengthen the Presi-
dent and weaken the democrats before
the country"