Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-03-17
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS, LEE
BY STONE, MAKE OVERTURES
TO THE REPUBLICANS.
TO CONTROL FINANCE COMMITTEE
Democrat-Insureen Alliance Could
Control BY TWO Ma
iority.

Washington, March 16.--There are
signs Of an attempted alliance in the
senate during the siXty-second con
gress between the radical democrats
and the republican progressives, the
former led by Senator Stone, of Mis-
souri,, with the purpose, primarily, OF
Strengthening the radical membership
OF the senate finance committee, which
will have jurisdiction over all tariff
bills, the Canadian reciprocity agree
ment, and various other important
questions with which the next congress
will have to deal. Overtures have al
ready been made by Senator Stone to
several leading progressives, and the
understanding is that they are now
being considered.
There are six vacancies on the fl
nance committee, due to the retirement
from public life on March of Senators
Aldrich, Hale. Burrows and Flint on
the republican side and of Senators
Money and Taliaferro on the demo-
cratic side. The desire of the pro-
gresSives is to increase their strength
in that committee; or, rather, to get
some strength for, at present, they
are unrepresented there.
Penrose Has First Choice.
Senator PenrOse, of Pennsylvania,
through the operation of the law OF
seniority, is to be the next chairman
of the committee, should he care for
the place. Next would come Senator
CullOm, who does not desire to assume
the responsibilities Of this important
craftsmanship, and after Cullom comes
Lodge. But if Penrose wants the
place, it will be his, and thus far there
has been no sign that he will say nay.
This Craftsmanship carries the titular
leadership of the senate Senator
Bailey is the ranking democrat on the
committee.
Tariff Revision Planned.
Several democratic senators have
cordially Endorsed the Stone sugges-
ton since the adjournment of the re-
cent session, and there seems to be
some likelihood that an effort will be
made to work it out. The main pur-
pOoC vi oCLIIONlCtLlC OCAdIO1S III NC,
of course, to facilitate tariff revision
in the next congress. They feel this
can be done by placing ON the finance
committee such men as La Toilette
and Cummins and by filing the places
of Money and Taliaferro with thor
Ough-gOng revisionists. Those who adj
yOcate the Stone plan believe it would
result in the control by the combined
forces of all senate questions If the
combination can be made strong
enough to force such a makeup of the
finance committee, it could also con-
troll the filling Of vacancies on other
committees, of which there is a large
number, particularly interstate COM
merce, appropriations and foreign rela-
lions.
The difficulty in carrying out the
scheme lies in getting enough votes
to put it through. There will be forty
two democratic votes IN the next SEN
ate, counting another senator from
New York. There will be six out-and-
out progressves. Combine these
forces and there would be forty-eight
votes, or one more than senate ma
iOrity. In addition, Senator Borah
might be counted upon, for he acts
more frequently with the progressives
than with the regulars
Democrats Not Solid.
Committee places in the senate are
filled by a committee on committees,
representing both political parties and
this committee always accepts the rec
concentrations Of party caucuses. The
filling of the finance committee vacan-
cies will come up at the opening of
the special session, and it ought then
TO be known whether the Stone plan is
to carry. But whether it does or not
it is quite certain that the republican
progressive will have at least one rep
resentative on the finance committee.
presumably Senator Cummins.