The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-05-09
REACTIOhARY REPUBLICANS
PREPARING TO SLAUGHTER
PROGRESSIVE LEGISLATION
INTER RESTING ANNOUNCEMENT
FROM OUR SPECIAL WASH
INGTON CORRESPONDENT
Farmers Free List Bill to Be De-
stroyed in the Citidel of the Pro-
tected Interests-Aldrich Still Leads
the Senate Tories.
(Ry CLYDE III. Tavenner.


(Ry CLYDE H. Tavenner.)
Washington May 9@That Feac-
tionary Republicans in the Senate are
lying in wait for the farmers free
list bill and other progressive leElsla-
ton passed by the Democratic House
is becoming more evident every day.
The obvious motive is two-fold, to
protect the monopolies and profits OF
the tariff trusts and to prevent il
possible, the, Democrats from fulfill
ing promises made to the people.
The group of Senate Tories is still
able to exert a tremendous influence
upon legislation. Having packed ali
the important committees Of the Sen
ate with men who take the same at
titude toward the particular leg1sla-
ton to come before them that the
big corporations take, the reaction
aries are In position to continue
serving special privilege by obstruct-
ing the passage of measures desired
by the people.
Among those whom the public
may safely rely upon to oppose most
of the progressive House measures are
Gallinger Smoot Lorimer, Guggen-
helm. Stephenson, Lodge, Oliver,
Warren, Perkins and dozen others,
who will at all times have the hearty
cooperation of Vice-President Sher-
man.
Back to this group of reactionar-
les are arrayed the tariff trusts, the
railroads. Wall street, Standard OH
and the balance of the organized
wealth of the country.
Pitted against this combination are
the Democrats and the Progressive
Republicans. The latter forces will
when necessary undoubtedly COM
mine to prevent the passage of a bad
bill. but they will be helpless at
times to prevent the Tories from OBJ
structing the passage of Progressive
House legislation such as the far
mers' free list bill.
About the only thing the average
citizen can do is to keep tabs on the
votes of his individual representative s
in both House and Senate, noting par
ticulariy whether they vote for or
against legislation desired by the peo
pie, and when election time rolls
around, act accordingly.
Aldrich, Senator De FactO.
Cooperating with the group of
Senate Tories that is planning to in
terfere with the passage of such anti
trust measures as the free list bill, is
Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich of Rhode
Island. Nominally Mr.. Aldrich is con-
nected only with an institution of his
own creation, called the monetary
commission. The commission has a
suite of rooms adjoining the rooms
occupied by the Finance committee,
to which will go the free list bill.
II it should happen, op1nes the
Cleveland Press, that the door were
open between the rooms of the FL
nance committee and the rooms of
the Monetary commission, it might
happen that former Senator Aldrich
might communicate with Senator
Penrose, the new chairman of the FL
nance committee, and thus the IT'LL
lar head of the Senate majority might
have the benefit of the views of the
ex-leader (and possibly leader de
facto) of the United States Senate.
AS a matter of fact Mr.. Aldrich
keeps in close touch with all the re-
dictionaries, just as he did while Of
ficially senator.
Taft Antagonizes ProgressiveS.
President Taft took the leading part
in the fight against giving the pro-
gressive Republicans of the Senate
the committee places they demanded,
which fight resulted in leaving all the
big Senate committees the same cita-
dels of special privilege that they
were in the previous Congress
Before the Republican caucus was
held the regular Republicans of the
Senate signed an agreement by which
they agreed to give the progressives
committees. Senator Penrose, who
signed the agreement for the regu-
lars is said to have bitterly arraigned
his regular colleagues for putting
him in the position of breaking his
political word, which he declared he
had always especially prided himself
upon keeping inviolate.
1t now develops that Penrose's
breach Of faith with the progressives
was forced by White House pressure.
President Taft considers progressives
like LaFoilette his personal enemies,
and he does not want them in po-
sition to assist in bringing about the
passage of legislation like the far
Iners' free list bill, which they could
do by combining with the Democrats
= if given the REPRESENTATION the
big committees to which their nu-
merical strength entities them.
Schedule '.K" Is Next.
Schedule K, the joker-filled wool
schedule of the Payne-Aldrich tariff
law. will be the subject of the first
general tariff revision of the Demo-
cratic house.
All the jokers by which rates have
been piled one upon another until the
total has been far in excess of loo
per cent. are to be abolished,
. Likewise there will be abolished the
Infamous provisions of the Payne-A1-
drich law, by which material contain
ing wool, but really made of cotton
is taxed as wool. The average reduc-
ton on all items in the wooden sched-
per cent.
What the Democrats propose will
cause a tremendous outcry from the
wooden trust and its allies. the pro-
ducers Of raw wool, and will no doubt
provoke men like Warren of Wyo-
ming, Lippett of Rhode Island and
the other high protectionists Of the
Senate into predicting the downfall or
the nation.
Wickersham Is Worried.
Attorney General Wickersham is
worrying. He is afraid the investi-
cations to be made into the affairs of
the steel trust, sugar trust shoe trust
and wooden trust will give these con-
Germs immunity from prosecution. AS
ton of a few SIS a week employees
of the sugar trust, have enjoyed alb
solute immunity from prosecution
and investigation since the day Mr.
Wickersham left the service of the
sugar trust to become the chief pros
ecuting officer of the government, it
is difficult to understand how the i'm
munity which they might receive, but
will not, through congressional inves- |
LEGATIONS. could be any more COM
plete than the immunity Mr.. Wicker
sham has given them.
Should Be Interesting
The inquiry to be made by the |
House into the political machine Of |
Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock
IS one in which the whole country will |
be interested. The resolution of in |
quiry directs the postoffice commit |
tee to determine how much political |
work is performed by postmasters and
subordinate officers in the postoffices |
of the country, and by what author |
ifv they neglect their official Duties