Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-11
Democrats of House Shaping
Plans for Extra Session.
BID FOR FARMERS VOTE
Reciprocity May Be Followed by Cut
ting of Schedules.
WOOL A PERILOUS PROBLEM
Revision of It's Rules May Be Al
lowed to Go Over to the Regular
Session Of Congress.

Swiftly and definitely the democrats OF
| the House are shaping their program OF
tariff legislation. Political adroitness, too
is feature Of the plan which they are
now working out to render their action
popular.
Profiting by the unhappy experience OF
the republicans in their handling Of the
Canadian reciprocity bill. the democrats
will avoid the obstacles which barred the
passage Of the reciprocity bill by the
Senate at the last regular session Of Con-
gress.
1t will be recalled that one potent OBJ
lection 10 the reciprocity bill raised in
the Senate was the charge that 1t took
from the farmer without giving him q
consideration in return. 1t was insisted
that protection was removed from the
| products of the farm, but still maintained
upon all the things the farmer had to buy.
Republicans, as well as democrats
voiced this objection. Senator Cummins
Of Iowa served formal notice upon the
Senate that he would move for reduction
| of the tariff on a dozen prime articles OF
| necessity which the farmer must buy
from the highly protected manufacturers.
Farmer Vote Is Needed.
realize that they cannot allow the re.
publican party to pose as the sole de-
tenders of the farmers of the country
nOr to put the democratic party in the
| attitude Of making an onslaught upor
the farmers interests. The farmer vote
of the country assisted in sending demo
| Gratis to Congress and will be needed IN
the presidential campaign.
! So the democrats of the House intend
to pass the Canadian reciprocity bill de-
| manded by the President, and to follow
it Immediately with a bill reducing thu
tariff on goods that the farmer mus
purchase from the manufacturer. The
| tariff is to be lowered on farm imple
ments, harness. leather. boots and shoes
| tools. wire fencing. twine, bagging and
other miscellaneous manufactures.
The first tariff revision bill may in
clude close to loo items, taken from vari
GUS schedules, all designed to reduce TIT
cost of goods to the consumer This re
duction will not apply alone to good
| from Canada, but to importatiOns from
all countries.
| 1t is argued by the sponsors of thi
plan that such bill should be intro
duced in advance of the proposed revision
of the wool schedule. In the first place, i
would be impossible to revise the sched
ule relating to manufactured woOlel
goods and clothing without including re
ductiOn on WOOL
| Wool Schedule Dangerous.
| There again the farmer would bt
touched on the raw. The wool schedule
Is one of the most dangerous, politically
as well as difficult, technically, to revise
Revision has to begin at the base-ths
sheep industry of the United States-anc
a score of states are interested in it.
Democratic leaders in the House con
LIT I. -$,-n III
of policy to follow the reciprocity bill
with this general revision measure. They
| argue that not only will they win the
| farmers sympathy, but they will disarn
the progressive republicans OF the Senate
who have threatened to hold out against
Canadian reciprocity unless some cOmpen
sating revision should be given the farm
| ers.
| With the promise Of lower duties or
the necessities Of the farm the democrat:
in the Senate will come to the support
of the Canadian reciprocity bill in body
+, That would leave the little group o,
standpatters still standing. pat and alone
for prompt and hearty action upon the
reciprocity bill.
The democrats think this would be q
| favorable contrast to the attitude OF the
Senate at the last session, whens the
dominant party refused even to consider
the Canadian reciprocity bill demanded by
| the mass of the people.
May Postpone Action.
| This program might result in postpOn
| ing the revision of the wool schedule
| until the regular session of Congress
| Indeed, there would be some justification
| for such postponement. in the opinion Of
some Of the democratic leaders. Til,
committee on ways and means is no
| ready with practical information re-
| garding the wool schedule, and some
| members of the committee are loath tc
| undertake it's revision in the absence OF
| full information.
| At tonight's caucus of democrats of the
House this plan will be submitted by
| the ways and means committee with a
| recommendation for its adoption. Thus
| far the democrats of the House have
! shown inclination to accept the sugges-
; tions of the ways and means committee
| Another caucus of the democrats Of the
Senate is to be held in few days al
| which an effort will be made to get into
touch with the House democrats and
| agree upon harmonious program
| throughout the remainder Of this session
| in regard to tariff legislation.
mr. BANANA NADNn