Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-11-30
PREDICTS LEGISLATION
AT COMING SESSION
Believes President Will Approve
Tariff Bills if They Are
Passed Separately

Democratic party's chances to retain
and increase it's standing are excel
lent if it's controlling purpose in the
congress is to ''get results" Being
a member of the senate finance COM
mittee, Senator Stone will be direct
ly in touch with the handling OF
tariff legislation in the upper house.
81 am in favor of tariff policy
which will contain the best promise
of reducing exorbitant tariff taxation
at the earliest possible moment he
said 81 hope the ways and means
committee will not attempt gen.
eral revision at this time, because a.
general revision probably would not
get through both houses and be sign
ed by the President. But wool
bill, a cotton and other bills, reach
ing the senate separately, probably
would be passed by that body.
One and the Same
''The Democrats and insurgents no
doubt would agree on schedule.
just as they did last summer on the
wool, cotton and farmers free list
bills. The report of President Taft's
tariff board on wool and cotton is
promised early in December. Hence
the President will not now have this
excuse for vetoing such wool or cot
ton bills as congerss may approve"
But" Senator Stone was asked,
what will be the effect of Presi-
dent Taft's decision to make revis-
ion of the Sherman antitrust law
the feature of his annual message
and the paramount issue in con-
gress? Will it sidetrack the tariff?'
''The tariff and the trust issues
cross thus replied Senator Stone,
illustrating with his two foref1ngers,
| the trust from the tariff question.
The proposal to amend or supplement
| the Sherman law is of the highest
consequences; and at the same time
it is of no greater consequence than
the matter5 of lowering the tariff
walls, which shelter and protect
monopolies."
On Record for Clark
| Senator Stone was asked whom
Missouri would favor for the Dem
ocratic presidential nomination, Folk
or Clark, land whether primary
would decide the contest, for the
state delegation. He replied that
he personally was on record for
Clark OF the primary he said, both
men, had publicly approved the pro-
posal, and tnat probably the state
committee would have no difficulty
| in arranging for test of popular
preference. He declared he felt au-
thorized to say for Clark that the
Speaker very decidedly preferred a
primary.
Mr.. Stone declined to answer pub
licly the question whether William
J. Bryan's criticism of Speaker
! Clarks leadership in the house may
have injured the latter's presidential
chances. Mr.. Stone, however, COM
mended Clark for ignoring Bryan's
editorial in the Commoner.
Clark Sees Long Session
| Speaker Clark, after nine weeks of
speaking and lecturing in nineteen
states, has begun conferences with
other leaders over the work of the
congress which opens next Monday.
Mr. Clark said that the coming ses-
sion would be long, exceedingly busy
and very important and that "the
quicker we get down to hard work
the better for us and the country"
Mr.. Clark said tariff revision would
be the great issue of the next cam
paign. He declared the assault on
him, regarding Canadian annexa-
ton, was a Misrepresentation for
political effect, general and person
al" and said he had never even
| limited at such ga wicked and Quix-
| otto scheme" as forcible annexation,
never dreamed of such thing and
would oppose it to the utmost.
BY the Blessings of God
mo new congress-, he said, ''ever
made a more splendid record for con-
structive craftsmanship than we did
at the extraordinary session, for
which we have been almost univer-
sally praised by Democrats, progress
sive Republicans and independents,
the last being a factor in our affairs
of constantly and rapidly increasing
force.
"After seventeen long wearisome
years of factional fighting said the
speaker, 1.-THE Democrats are united
and by the blessings of God we will
remain so. To win next year the
Democrats must hold all the votes we
had in 1908 and gain about eight
hundred thousand. Hence the great
Importance of such unity and wis
dom among the Democrats as will
= i L