The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1911-04-14
Little Hope of Restoring
Peace in Either Party.

coming manifest that Congress is facing
a stormy session, and that there can be
made no forecast Of the probable legis-
latiye results. The fact that both of the
great political parties are badly divided
is no longer denied, and the leaders APP
pear to have little hope OF restoring
anything more than surface harmony.
There are virtually four parties, each
with large representation, working at
odds in the present session. The Re
publican minority in tile House is di-
vided between regulars and insurgents,
as was evidenced by the vote in the
speakership contest. The breach be-
tween these two factions is even wider
in the Republican majority of the SEN
ate.
A sharp line has been drawn between
the conservative Democrats OF the SEN
ate, who are opposed to any attempt at
dictation on the part Of William Jen-
nings Bryan, and the progressive Dem
ocrats, including practically all of the
new members and Senatorial veterans
like Senator Stone Of Missouri, who are
Bryan adherents. The house Demo-
cratic majority seems thus far to have
escaped break, but the leaders fear
that the party contest in the Senate may
at any time spread to the other branch.
The situation has interfered with the
selection Of committees and the begin
ming Of legislative work.
Probably there has never been Con-
gress where so much uncertainty exist
ed and where the uneasiness has been
so equally distributed between the two
major political parties. OF course, this
is due in part to the fact that in the
present Congress the Democrats are in
power in the House and the Republi-
cans are in control in the Senate. The
real cause OF the anxiety, however, is
believed to be due to the proximity Of
the party conventions, which will select
the standard-bearers for 1912, and the
knowledge that slip by either during
the extraordinary session or the regular
session to follow may very easily de-
termine the result OF the next national
campaign.
ADMINISTRATION POLICY KNOWN.
So far as the administration program
is concerned, there is no room for spec
ulation. President Taft has recon-
mended the enactment of legislation to
carry out provisions Of the Canadian
reciprocity agreement, and it is no Sc
cret that he would be glad to have Con-
gress stop at that and defer the question
of further revision of the tariff until the
regular session assemblies next winter.
His reason for this is that the tariff
board would be able to report several
schedules by that time. Neither is
there any obscurity about the program
of Speaker Clark, Representative I'm
derwood Chairman of the New Ways
ard Means Committee, and other Dem
ocrats who are directing the policy OF
the House. Their plan for progressive
legislation on number of subjects with
which the country has been made
familiar in the last year or so has been
given out.
Now that the new majority in the
House has adopted rules giving it just
as much power as any majority has ever
enjoyed, there is no doubt that meas
ures on the subject OF direct election OF
Senators, publicity before elections Of
campaign contributions, Canadian reci-
procity, revision Of the wooden and cot
ton schedules, and any further tariff
changes the majority desires will be
sent to the Senate in whatever order is
decreed by the Ways and Means Com
mittee. The Republicans may expostu-
late or denounce as they please; they
will be powerless to prevent. The real
legislative problem, therefore, will be at
the Senate end of the capitol
Only time will tell what sort of line
up there will be in the Senate on tariff
matters. Previous sessions have indi-
Gated that there are just as ardent pro-
tectionists in the Democratic representa-
ton as in the Republican, and like
situation may develop when tariff ques-
tons are taken up at this session.
The division in the Senate is peculiar.
OF the fifty Republicans there are
twelve who have practically formed a
separate organization. They have de-
manded, and the committee of commit
tees probably will accede to their re-
quest, one-fourth Of the majority
places. OF the forty-one Democrats