The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-04-28
RECIPROCITY BILL
PASSED BY LOWER
HOUSE OF CONGRESS
MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS
AGAINST iT.-DEMOCRATS
VOTED FOR IT.
final Vote OVtRWHELMI> G
Marks Close Of Six Day Fight In
House of Representatives.-Many
Amendments Proposed But None
OF Them Suited Friends of Bill.

WASHINGTON, April 22.-Presi
dent Taft's Canadian reciprocity
agreement, supported by all but 6
handful of Democrats and opposed by
a majority of the republicans, passed
the house of representatives early
this evening by vote of 265 to So
With nearly 200 democrats in control
and their action endorsed by large
body Of the republicans. the bill to
put the agreement in force was adopt
ed with no amendments, and in al.
most identically the form in which
1t passed the house in the last ses.
sion of the preceding congress.
The bill seeks to put into effect
the formal agreement reached be.
tween President Taft and members
of the Canadian cabinet, for a reduc-
tion of tariff rates on many articles
and free trade in many others, across
the Canadian border. Added to 1t
by the democratic leaders is a section
which authorizes and requests Presi-
dent Taft to make further efforts to
secure still free trade relations with
Canada in the form of additional re-
ciprocal relations.
The passage of the bill marked the
close Of a fight that had ragged in the
house for six days. During that time
the safety of the measure was at no
time threatened, but the democratic
and republican leaders working for
it's passage conceded all the oppor-
tunity desired by its opponents for
debate and protest against it. Fol
lowing the same policy, amendments
were admitted in the house today
for almost every section of the bill,
and in each case they were rejected
by an overwhelming vote given by
the friends of the measure on both
sides of the house on the theory that
any amendment would nullify it.Ten
democrats voted against the bill on
it's passage. while 1877 democrats vot.
ed for it. As in the case when the
bill passed at the preceding session
of congress, majority Of the
were found against 1t,
the party vote being 81 for and 70 op-
posed. Representative Berger, of
the socialist member, vot-
ed for it, and Representative Akin,
of New York, who ranks as an indie
pendent, voted against it.
The negative Democratic vote fol-
lows Bathrick, Ohio; Claypool, Ohio;
North Carolina; Fowler,
Illinois; Gudger, North Carolina;
Minnesota; Pujo, Louisi-
ana; Rucker, Colorado; Webb, North
Carolina, and Whitaker, Ohio.
The attempt to amend the agree
nent began with the final reading Of
he bill at o'clock. The threats of
opposed to the measure
o make the Democrats vote against
for free meat, free lum-
Der and free agricultural machinery
we're carried out, but as their party
eaders declared that any amendment
would defeat the whole trade agree
nent, they cheerfully voted these
down.
The Republicans who tainted them
With opposing free admission of these
products were met with the
assertion that the Democrats would
ay the new farmers free list bill'
,efore the House next week, and that
IN opportunity then would be given
o vote for free meat, machinery mm-
,er and a score of other things. This
License was met by Republican stand
,atters with the charge that the Dem
,crats know the free list bill could
lot pass the Senate nor the Presi-
Ient's approval.
Attempts to put fresh and canned
meats on the free list section we're
made by Representative Martin, Of
South Dakota; Representative Eos
err, of Vermont Lenroot, Of Wiscon-
in, and Norris, of Nebraska.
Representative Lenroot proposed
he whole Democratic free list bill as
n amendment, and although Rep
esentative Sherley, of Kentucky, who
vas presiding, ruled that it was in or
Ter, the Democrats voted stoically
ooi az N