The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-18
CONSTITUTION IN
DANGER FROM
TAMPERERS
Continued from first page)

(Contlnueu from HTSl pdSeJ
resolution for the popular election of
senators, followed by the bill to COM
pei the publication of campaign con-
tribution a fortnight before election.
Both of these went through like a bull
through a bank OF fog. In the case
of the latter measure the minority
and some temporarily insurcent dem
ocrats secured the adoption OF N
amendment applying the act TO pri-
maries as well as regular elections,
but the insurgents were at cree whip
ped into line and the amendment was
killed Occasionally the republican
minority emits few str1nsied howis
as the steam roller passes ever them,
but these In no wise retard its move
ment
AS / write reciprocity is going
through the House, and viii very like
ly be voted on and sent to the senate
before this is in print. An overwhelm-
ing majority for the bill is OF course
assured. In respect to this measure,
and in view of some criticisms which
have been made by the state press
regarding my summing up of its pros
poets in the senate few words OF
modification may be permitted. |
have not stated that reciprocity was
dead" or that under changed con-
ditions it would not be favorably act
ed on by the senate at this session.
have, however, abundant reason for
believing that unless there Is total
ly new alignment, an entire change
of heart on the part of many sena-
tors by reason of some concession,
trade or shifting OF ground, reciproci-
ty will fail at this session. II | am
to accept the expressions Of intention
of different senators at their face
value, under present conditions, this
is an absolutely safe prediction.
know that the present intention
of more than few senator's is either
to amend It or talk II beyond the pos
sibility of vote at this session.
Their word is accepted for what they
propose to do. What change will
come over the spirit OF their dreams
in day, a week or a month Is anoth-
er story. PROFESSIONALLY, If a vote
could be had at once on the bill as it
comes from the House, II would be
given a majority. But there is the
If" and it throws the whole subject
into uncertainty Very likely there
are few such, but | cannot name a
republican senator of any stripe to-
day who is in favor of the reciprocity
bill as it stands. A poll of the senate
indicates that there are few who
will unite with the democrats to make
majority for it, If it can be brought
to vote, but the overwhelming SEN
timent among the republican sena-
tors is adverse to the measure.
What effect the blanket free trade
| bill, offered to counterbalance 1t, will
have in the final roundup cannot yet
be estimated. Senator Cummins,
who may be expected to lead the so
called progressives, only says that all
these matters relating to the tariff
which are proposed by the House will
be threshed out to a finish on the
Goor of the senate, with the final re-
suit in a grave doubt Meanwhile, he
and all the other militant progressiv-
es are hotly opposed to reciprocity as
| it now stands, unattached to any Tree
trade rebate provision.
am told by those who have the
matter in hand that the senate com
mittees may not be completed and
ready for business for several days,
in which case very little can be ex-
pected from the upper house this
week. The bills which are constantly
accommodating on the clerks desk from
! the House must necessarily await
committee to which they can be refer
red, before action can begin on them
in the open senate. Until then the
brief sessions of the senate may be
taken up in speeches on miscellane-
GUS subjects, according to the inspira-
ton of the moment.
Representative Plumley arrived
from home last Saturday morning
and at once found himself in the thick
of the fray Representative Foster
has concluded his arrangements for
his European trip, and will leave as
soon as he has voted on the recipro-
city bill.
j. e. Harris.