The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-08-22

National News Association
WASHINGTON, d. c., Aug. 22.--Al-
though the extraordinary session of
the 62nd congress. just adjourned,
was called primarily by the President
to consider and enact legislation to
carry into effect the Canadian Reel
procity Agreement. which the pre-
vious session had failed to do, many
matters beside this subject have been
considered and passed. Some OF them
the President approved and others he
vetoed. rs. ..
In keeping with the pledge which
the Democratic leaders OF the House
made to the President before the ses-
sion began, the House promptly took
up the Reciprocity question and passed
II by an overwhelming majority, al
though the republican opposition to it
was strong. In the Senate the temp
tation was great to add various Demo
cratic riders to reciprocity affecting
the general tariff law, but the leaders
insisted upon keeping faith with the
President and upon giving him the
exact sort of legislation with respect
to the Canadian agreement which he
recommended in his message. So far
a. the United States Is concerned, all
has been done that can be done to
establish free trade relations with the
Dominion. under the pending agree
ment, and II only remains for the
Canadian Parliament to take similar
action to carry the pact into effect.
Every act of legislation considered
by the present Congress was initiated
In the Democratic House. Pending
the consideration of the Reciprocity
Bill. the first action of the House
after its organization, was the pass
age of the resolution, with only minor
Republican opposition, providing for
the submission to the several states
OF an amendment to the Federal con-
stitution to enable the people to elect
United States Senators by direct vote.
For only the second time in its his
tory the Senate consented to consider
such proposition. The House reso-
luton was finally passed, but not until
the Senate had amended 1t in such a
way ~ to give the Federal govern
ment the power to control Senatorial
elections In the States. This provis-
ion has proved unsatisfactory to the
Democratic House, and, because of
that fact, the resolution remains I'M
acted upon In conference and must
await further consideration at the
coming regular session.
The next action of the House was to
pass . bill requiring campaign CON-
mittees to make public before elec-
lions 40 well as after, their receipts
and disbursements. Once before in a
previous congress the house passed a
bill Of this character, but is was emas-
culated In the senate. and publicity
was confined to receipts and disburse-
ments after election. This time, how.
ever. the senate went even further
than the house, and passed measure
more radical. in which publicity of
primary campaign expenses is requir-
ed. and . limitation Is placed upon the
amount which q candidate for the SEN
etc or the house may expend in seek.
Ing office.
After having disposed of reciprocity,
~ 1t was expected 1t would do, the
Democratic house took. up the subject
OF tariff revision schedule by schedule.
Ito first effort In this direction to re-
wise the tariff downward was the pas.
sage OF the farmers free list bill, in
which the customs duties upon more
than one hundred articles embraced in
the necessities Of life. were removed
The senate took the measure, and at
TT modifying It to some extent, partic.
ularly with reference to meat and Ger.
cal food products, placing them upon
the free list when coming from such
countries as those with which the
United States has a reciprocal trade
arrangement effecting other articles,
and In this form passed it. The bill
Was vetoed by the President, however,
because Of his avowed determination
not to approve any tariff legislation
that was not based on a report from
the tariff board, which thus far has
made no report.
Aue next step OF the Democratic
house was q revision Of the wooden
schedule. which reduced to 20 per cent
the duty on raw wool and made cor
responding reductions in the manufac-
lures Of woolens, on the average re-
ducing the rates Substantially one.
half. In order to get the senate with
it, Republican majority to agree to a
revision OF this schedule, it was neces-
sAry to adopt q compromise measure
wherein the duties on raw wool were
placed ct 20 per cent, with the. rates
on manufactured woolens adjusted
accordingly. This also was vetoed by
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