Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19
Leaders Now Feel Certain It
Will Be Necessary.
POINT TO DELAYED BILLS
Say Accumulated Business Cannot
Be Disposed Of in Time Remaining.
RECIPROCITY MAY SUFFER
Attitude Of President Taft Eagerly
Sought-May Report Mccall
Bill Thursday.


sibility Of an extra session Of Con-
gress was tho topic Of discussion
among leaders OF the Senate last night.
If an extra session is assured by the
failure Of the Senate to act on the Cana
dian reciprocity arrangement. it is
generally admitted that President Taft
and the other friends Of the proposed
agreement must bring great pressure
to bear to get vote on the pact and
thus avert an extra session.
Members of Congress who think i'm
probable vote on the Mccall bill rati-
flying the Canadian reciprocity pact be-
fore the Senate adjourns point to the
many measures that are to be acted
upon by the upper house in the remain
ing two weeks They are:
Ten appropriation bills.
Permanent tariff board.
General age pensions.
Senator Lorimer'S case.
Popular election of senator's.
Panama canal tolls and other canal
legislation.
Congressional apportionment
Each OF these measures is backed by
group of senators who are unwi ling to
yield to anything that will prevent a vote
on each. These and the Canadian agree
ment cannot all be acted upon in the
eleven and a half legislative days remain
ing. In the opinion Of republican leaders
of the upper house who are well posted
on legislative conditions.
Some Bills Must Suffer.
In their view. not one Of these matters
will be disposed of-with the possible
exception of one appropriation bill be-
fore Thursday. when the Mccall bill is
expected to be reported to the Senate
from the finance committee. That means
that there will be only seven and a half
legislative days in which to dispose of
them all: and the republican leaders
argue that some of them-the Canadian
reciprocity measure or some other-must
other sources friendly to reciprocity will
be necessary to have the measure pre-
ferred.
Those senators who hoped to avoid an
extra session by getting a vote on the
Mccall bill see their chance for success
growing less and less as the close Of the
session draws nearer without any OF
these controverted matters being gotten
out Of the way.
With no little anxiety those senators
who fear they are facing summer ses-
sion are seeking light from the White
House. So far as can be learned no SEN
ator who has talked with President Taft
has been commissioned to announce pos
itively whether there will be an extra
session in the event the Senate fails to
vote on the Canadian agreement. Extra
session rumOrS are not uncommon in
short session OF Congress, and for a
time senator's gave little heed to the
abundance of such gossip which sprang
up Immediately following the submission
of the Canadian agreement. 0
Opinion There Will Be Extra Session
There is no longer any disposition to
disregard such talk. however. and every
bit Of information on the subject which
even remotely is connected with the
White House is seized with zest. The
general opinion now seems to be that
there will be an extra session, and the
only senators who are making prepara-
tons to go home after March are those
whose service expires on that date.
Among those are a number of the Senate
leaders, the list being Messrs. Aldrich,
Beveridge. Bulkeley, Burkett. Burrows,
Carter, Depew, Dick. Flint, Frazier Hale,
kean, Money, Piles, Scott, Taliaferro,
Warner and Young when the Iowa leg
islature adjourns).
The retirement of these senator's,
number of whom have played important
roles during the consideration of many
important tariff measures, will mark
quite a change also in the political COM
plexion OF the Senate. At present there
are fifty-nine republicans. thirty-two
the states which now are in legislative
deadlock elect senators to succeed to
vacancies which will occur at the end
or the present session, the Senate, If
called together to consider the Canadian
agreement. probably will be composed of
fifty republicans and forty-two democrats.
The argument advanced by Congress
leaders in support of the contention
that President Taft will call special
session is that the executive is de-
termined to derive what benefit he can
from the changed conditions in the
House. where the democrats will be in
control, and in the Senate. where the
republican majority will be materially
reduced by the retirement OF q number
of members who are now opposing the
administration program.
AS the House passed the Mccall bill
by decisive vote. and practically all
Of the democrats voted for 1t, the Presi-
dent believes that democratic House
in special session would again pass the
bill without delay. 1t Is said also that
the President believes that the Senate.
as 1t will be constituted after March
4, would pass the bill.
Hearings Tomorrow and Tuesday.
The Senate committee on finance met
yesterday. and decided to give hear
ings on the Mccall bill tomorrow and
Tuesday. Wednesday the bill will be
considered in executive session, and
the consensus OF opinion Is that 1t will
be reported to the Senate not later
than Thursday. Agricultural interests
in large numbers have requested that
they be given the privilege Of making
statements in opposition to the meas
ure. In view Of the short time that
remains OF the present session 1t was
decided to limit the hearings to two
days.
All members OF the committee are
agreed that it would be unwise for 1t
to shoulder the blame that would at
tach to it II dilatoy tactics were resort
ed to in preventing action. and.
therefore, the bill will be given
to the Senate as soon as that body is
able to proceed with it.
Monday practically will be given over
to eulogies, the Borah resolution could
not be sidetracked Tuesday: and sena-
tor Lorimer will speak Wednesday,
Even though the Mccall bill should
be given to the Senate Thursday, there
lis grave doubt as to whether con-
sideration for 1t could be brought
about.
There is no enthusiastic advocate for
the Mccall bill on the republican side
come forward as it's champion. but his
efforts probably would prove Ineffective
as his motives would be sure to be
attacked on the ground that he was
seeking to embarras the republicans
No Trace Of Missing Girl.
Cora Hicks. sixteen years old who was
reported to the police by her father. Ben