St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-06-28
The MIDDLE in Congress.

Taft and of the republican party,
by the sudden coalition of demo-
Gratis and insurgents in the senate
last week. 1t has also disarranged
the announced plan of the democrats
themselves. The coalition was form
ed on vote to instruct the commit
tee of finance in the senate to re-
port on the democratic farmers free
list and wool revision bills before
July tenth. The committee was con-
trolled by republicans who did not
intend to let the bills out of the
committee at the special session but
as soon as they received this man
ported the bills to the senate adj
versely. This action put the reci-
procity bill, the farmers free list
bill and the wool revision before the
senate without definite action on
any of them.
While this is a defeat of the re-
publican program it is little damage
to that party because it simply lets
the opposition into control and
| makes it responsible for whatever
is done or left undone. It gives
| the sweeping change that was made
at last falls elections full effect and
will allow the public to realize what
the change means. The effect on the
democrats must be more serious. 1t
destroys the democratic plan of act
ing upon the different schedules of
the tariff Independently. They now
have before them three distinct
phases of the tariff question and
trading on the different schedules is
probable. That means tariff tinker
! ing rather than intelligent tariff
revision.
Perhaps the greatest weakness of
the democrats is the instability of
the insurgent faction of the senate
which temporarily placed them in
control. The most striking feature
of the insurgent movement to date
has been its disloyalty to any regu-
lar political organization. They
were open to trade with the republic
can senators until they found the
minority would not be given the
majority committee appointments
and then they insurged. When they
saw an opportunity for Pres. Taft
to carry through legislative pro-
gram in the form of a reciprocity
measure they dissented because it
might give him some advantage over
La Toilette who has aspirations to
succeed Taft in the presiden-
tial chair. The animosity of the in
surgent seems to be against New
England. The prominence of New
England men in congress, and
the leadership of New England in
dustries are a constant irritation
to him. He opposes reciprocity be-
cause it might benefit the New Eng
land manufacturer and he espouses
the cause of lower duties on wool
/ because it would be likely to damage
New England industry. His success
then is damage to a particular Sec
ton of the country. Apparently he
is blind to the fact that the cripp-
ling of such an important section
will have depressing effect on the
whole country. Judging from the
record of the insurgents to
} date if the democrats will not
crafty their animosity they will
desert them. So the democrats
too must strike New England indus
} try or lose the temporary control it
has in the senate. We cannot con-
ceive of more undesirable position
for party that has just come into
: power than the one the democrats
find themselves in.
Tie democrats in the house have
: declared against the national con-
: troll of election of members of nat
: ional legislative bodies by refusing
: to accept the Bristow amendment to
: the popular election of senators res
olution. BY making the election OF
senators popular they have destroyed
the right of the state to representa-
ton in congress but they insist that
the state shall have the sole power to
regulate the election of the members
of the senate. This is simply because
they fear that the South will lose
its domination over the negro-ar
l indefensihle position.
The whole result of the change in
the senate is the sacrifice of pre-
election principles and state OF