The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-16
CONGRESS GETTING TIRED.

The hot weather appears TO have got
ON the nerves of Congress, and recess
is talked of for the three months of
the approaching hot weather. There
would really appear to he no reason.
however for Il recess. even though Con
also tired The dilatory action Of the
Senate Finance Committee is all that
prevents swift action upon The Cana
dian reciprocity agreement. to ratify
which President Taft called the extra
session
The Senate Committee appears to be
taking weary time, and i'm very
leisurely way, TO give a course Of
hearings on tho probable workings
of Canadian reciprocity. II is n fore
gone conclusion that precisely opposi
tlon conclusions Will be drawn from the
hearings as had. and the advantage of
them is, therefore. practically nothing;
so that the matter might as well he
reported first as last. The only real
result of these hearings. so far as ap-
pears, is that heated controversies
arise on matters of fact as well as of
deduction, with no progress made in
any direction whatever. The Finance
Committee, which has this matter in
charge, gives out that il will oc.
cupy month longer in these absolute
ly worthless hearings 1t is surprising
that the members Of that committee.
and the whole membership of the Sen.
ate as well, cannot see the futility of
this sort of time wasting procedure
IL must he evident TO every one that
nothing will he settled by these hear.
ings; that everyone's opinion will be
just as before No opponent Of reel.
procity viii be convinced that he ought
to vote for this agreement by reason
of the hearings had, and no friend OF
reciprocity is in the least likely TO be
led to vote against it, because of any
statement made or facts developed in
dent Taft has said, that the whole mat
ter has been so thoroughly thrashed out
that there is absolutely nothing new to
say about it.
In the meantime the house is exceed
ingly active on practically hopeless
propositions. such as revising the wool
schedule, the cotton schedule. and per.
haps the sugar schedule of the tariff law.
1t must be evident to the members of
the House, however, that any idea Of
passing bill at this extra session
changing these schedules is absolutely
hopeless, in the face of an opposition
Senate and opposition President
There is, however, on the part of the
Democratic leaders, a hope that the
Democratic programme may be so
shaped politically AS to make votes for
the party, irrespective of what the
Senate may do Though it is not
to be expected that the Senate will
agree to any change in the wool tariff
the Democratic House may pass bill
to modify that tariff. which will com
mend the Democratic party to large
masses of voters that are interested
in wool only that they may get cheaper
i
masses of the voters of the United
States are in that position, and if the
Democratic party can mako a success
full appeal to that vote through mod
crate changes in schedule X, the
Democratic leaders will doubtless con
slider that good party work.
The masses of the people Of the coun
try are also more interested in getting
cheap sugar than they are in promot-
ing the production Of sugar in this
country, and large numbers of others
have a keen interest in the question,
by reason Of their opposition to the |
sugar trusts and monopolies. An ap-
peal to this sentiment by cautious Dem
ocratic action on the sugar question
might be much TO the advantage of the !
Democratic party.
The other proposition, TO modify the
cotton schedule, is really the most |
promising proposition that the Demo.
Gratis can take up. The great masses
of the people of this country are far
less interested in giving abnormal
profits to cotton manufacturers com
bines than they are in getting cotton
goods at reasonable prices. A fair. |
moderate proposal TO amend the cotton |
schedules would certainly commend IT. |
self TO the vast majority Of the Ameri |
can people.
So, while the Republican Senate is
wasting time in vain on its alleged |
important, but in fact hopeless, hearings
on Canadian reciprocity, the way is
opened for the Democratic party to play |
politics on the tariff question to the |
greatest advantage, and the more time
that the Republican Senate allows for !
this sort of Democratic action, the |
worse il will he for the Republican |
party and the better for the Demo |
cratic party. It is d curious situation, |
where the Republican programme man
ages TO fit in with the Democratic pro