The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-02
FREE LIST BILL TOBR|NG CRISIS
 IN RECIPROCITY
Seems Certain That Repub- licans Will Offer Bill as
 an Amendment
TAFT WORKS WITH
 SENATE DEMOCRATS
Certain Reciprocity Will Pass Senate If It Can Be Brought to Vote Without Amendment-Taft's
 Solution of Problem

l 0OthtAVh VI AoUiC" Washington, June 1.-The crisis in the Senate fight on Canadian reciprocity is expected to be reached when the demo- cratic farmers free list bill is offered as an amendment to the bill carrying the agreement into effect. That such an amendment will be offered to embarrass the democratic supporters of reciprocity
 seems certain. It is toward this critical contingency that President Taft Just now
 is devoting his attention. He is holding
 daily conferences at the White House
 in an effort to keep republican and dem
 ocratic senators alike in line for the pact President Taft is certain the recproc-
 ity bill will pass the Senate by com- fortable majority if it can be brought
 to final vote without amendment. He feels that the test for the true friends of reciprocity will come in detailing with the proposed amendments to be offered from the floor. MT. Taft recently has had as- surances that the bill will be reported
 out of the finance committee without amendment and without recommendation. This is what he greatly desires | The President feels any amendment adopted in the Senate will defeat the bill and he believes that to be the purpose I of some senators who have proposed amendments. The proposed Root. Lodge and Nelson amendments have brought the 1 President into sharp conflict with these senators but he has not hesitated to ex- press his views regarding them 1 Fully cognizant of the fact he must 1 depend upon the almost solid vote of the democrats in the Senate to carry the reciprocity bill through, President l Taft has been endeavoring to devise ! means ito help them out of the dilemma that will be presented when they are asked to vote for or against the free list bill as rider. Some democratic
 senators have told the President frank
 ly they would vote against the free list
 amendment if they could be assured the
 sstandpat republicans would not st}fls
 in committee the free list bill as il came from the House and thus deprive tile
 southern democratic senators of the op-
 portunity, in open Senate. properly to record their votes on the measure. Pres ident Taft fully appreciates the position in which the Senate democrats find 1 themselves, but he thinks he has found a solution of the problem. He has sug- gested that motion by the democrats i to discharge the finance committee from | consideration of the free list bill and so put it upon it's passage would serve the purpose of the democrats in making their attitude perfectly clear one. and | he has further expressed confidence in the fairness of the American people 10 recognize the purpose of those who would l tIa iSt f11afhnd defeating reciprocity.
 An Acceptable Solution l The plan, as outlined, has been broadly discussed among democratic senators and it is said they believe with other friends of reciprocity that it is an acceptable so- llution of the difficulty
 Tn all of his talks with senators during the last few days President Taft has en- Ideayored to impress the fact that in ne- | gotiating the pact with Canada, the Limited States offered to put meats, hour, horticultural implements and shoes on the free list, but Canada would not make like concessions. The agreement IS spe- cific on certain points and cannot be lvaried The rates on flour, meats and shoes could be reduced without violating the nact it is said but to do so would lonen up the problem of the most favor cd nation" clause In treaties with other countries. And, while the United States would get no concession from canada by reducing the rates, the application of these rates to other countries, the Pres lident holds. might let in Argentine meat and Australian mutton, which he believes would be real injury to the farmer l The only condition in the agreement that was not absolutely dealt with was print paper. The provinces of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick closely re- strict the export of spruce wood on the theory that the pulp and paper should be made in Canada. The reciprocity agree ment as negotiated provided that Cana dian paper could come in free only when these provincial restrictions were re- moved.
 | The House, instead of incorporating this conditional provision in the reciprocity bil gave more of a concession with the idea of inducing the provinces to lift their restrictions and provided that all paper made in Canada from pulp wood not grown on lands under restriction should r be admitted free. As the duty on paper lis &. .75 a ton, the House felt that Canada Intimately would be glad to lift the re- Istrictions to gain the advantage of this | reduction
 Root amendment to the paper and pulp schedule does not actually violate the agreement but repeals thea House amend ment and puts the paper provision again lin conditional form. The House, 1t Is said, would not accept the Root amend ment or any other amendment carried through from technical standpoint. | The Lodge amendment in regard to fish
 cries, based, 1t is said, upon the theory
 of a Canadian boundary on catching fish.
 which the White House holds is incon- siderable and lapsing. would violate the pact and require the consent of parlia-
 ment before its adoption would be con sistent with the enforcement of the agree ment
 | The Nelson amendment would simply
 cut down duties on agricultural products instead of abolishing them. It would up- | set the entire agreement, it Is said, at
 the White House. and is believed there to have been framed with that intention.
 With the agreement once in the open | Senate. President Taft has said that its fate will depend not so much on the num-
 Der of votes pledged to the measure itself
 as upon the number that can be mustered 1 to put through amendments that would prevent It's passage.
 President Taft feels sure of g repub- >~~~~~~~~>>-~~>>>->-~ -~-~->--~-~~~-~~~-->~- ~~t>