The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-03
Republican Embarrassment Is Secondary Consideration
WANT REAL RESULTS
Republican Press Now Crying That Democrats Are Scared Because Their Bills May Actually
 Become Law
sy WALTER HARPER

special session of Congress is not only failing to intimidate or discourage the democrats, but is justifying them in the course they have taken. It is being charged that the democrats are not sin cere in their efforts for tariff revision, that they would not have been so active in putting a woolen bill through the House if they had dreamed that it would have been put through the Senate or had any chance of presidential approval.
 Ii is being charged that the democrats who are leading the fight for tariff re- 1ision at this session are hoping that the President will put into effect any threat he may have made to veto all such leg islation at this session.
 Such charges are absurd and the masses of the people will so regard them The leading democrats want real tariff revision and want the approval of the through Congress.
 The claim that the democartic party would gain by the veto of the President is not well founded Actual tariff revision is what the people want. If the demo- ctats can force this even at the hands of a republican President the democrats will get full credit for the relief given.
 The republicans have had their oppor- tunity to revise the tariff even after they were commissioned by the people on this issue. The Payne-Aldrich law was what was given them. They asked for bread and and were given a stone.
 The political reversal that put a demo- cratic majority in the House and in- creased the democartio strength in the Senate at the last elections was not direct expression of confidence in the party. Tn country had no special confidence in the democratic party They had nothing on which to base con- tdence. They simply repudiated the re- publican politicians for their lack of faith They had been tried and had been found They voted against the repub- ican promisers who had failed to keep their promises.
 The democrats were simply in the way,
 he neX- best thing, the only organization 10 which they could turn with their votes md that party was the beneficiary of the lisapproV al heaped upon he republicans.
 The democrats were not expected to re- 'ise eitariff. The people had got in the 2abit of expecting nothing of the demo- rats, but they could certainly be no worse than the republicans. Anyway, it would no- be dangerous to f1irt with them lntil the leaders of the republican party .ould Be made to come to their senses nd be willing to give the people what hey demand.
 The democrats were put in power in the House and given greater power in the senate incidentally, not on purpose. The 'eople iii their disapproval of the unfaith uiness of the republican party perhaps vent farther than they intended, but they nay discover that they made no mis- ake.
 The democratic party had promised and lad been for long time promising tariff 'eNision if ever given a chance. That
 9rty had it's extreme free trade element us as the republican party has it's eX reme element of -protectionism. The party had been judged on it's .NIreme element, which is not a just judgment. This time will prove
 Now, the democrats have, perhaps unin- entionally, been given power to do some hing. The real conservative principles If the party have asserted themselves. zeal leaders have developd in a most un- manner and 1t seems that relief s coming to the people from a source hat had not been appreciated.
 The democrats will never be held by the ,eople as insincere in their fight for real arff revision. They are entirely con- 'istent. They are fighting for what they nave always contended. It happens to be what the people are demanding and what he republicans refused to give even .li 10 thaN- mic
 The democrats have everything to gain and nothing to lose in their contention for cal tariff revision. The argument that he Congress should wait on a tariff loard that has no power or authority to collect information for the ways and means committee is ridcuously absurd and only the flimsiest sort of subterfuge
 MT Ur.derwood's ways and means com lttee has more and better information )n tariff matters than Mr. Taft's board will have by next December unless it gets access to the facts and figures that have been collected by the democratic ways ami means committee. which Is but a con tlnuation of the information that has been brought down through all the congresses 1f the United States since the tariff ques- I1cn engaged the thought and labors of legislators.
 The people know the truth about this tariff board subterfuge and will not SWal- ov 1t, though some newspapers and some politicians seem to be taking the board very seriously and holding it up as a justification for delay
 It is the only straw in sight and no one -an blame the republicans for grasping for it. They must have some excuse to stay the impending disaster and they are hopeful that some of the people will sw allow the bait.
 Some political writers have been unkind enough to declare that the game of the is to put the President in a lole."
 Should the democrats withhold doing
 heir duty to the people and carrying out heir promises to the people to save the from political embarrassment? The President and his party are already n hole. but not through any act of the party. The President and his 5arty are responsible for any embarrass- ment that may come to them and to try to shift this political responsibility onto the is not only absurd but will not be accepted by the people
 I have been told by men who certainly ,now what they are talking about that there is no legal authority for what is known as the tariff board that it has no authority to make any reports to Con- eress and that any reports that might be furnished the President can only be ac- cepted as information and may be re- jected or accepted by Congress as it sees r.
 Reports of the partisan methods of this