Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-07-13
ASKS FOR ONLY
five ROLL CALLS
Senator Cummins Loses Hope
as Amendments Fail
BEATEN BY LARGE MARGIN
Canadian Reciprocity Bill Energies
Unscathed From Long Series of
Proposed Alterations.

Washington, July 1.-THE Canadi-
an reciprocity bill emerged unscathed
from the most serious ordeal it has
yet experienced in the senate. The
series of amendments offered by Sen
ator Cummins of Iowa and the two
offered by Senator Simmons of North
Carolina, all seeking to increase the
number of Canadian manufactured ar
ticles that shall be admitted to the
United States free of duty, were voted
Gown by large majorities.
The vote in favor of the amend
ments was so small that Senator Cum
Minis asked for only five roll calls, al
though he had previously announced
his intention of asking for at least
ten. The maximum vote for his tariff
amendments was IA, compared to a
maximum vote of SO against.
The defeat of the Cummins amend
ments clears the situation in the sem
ate and leaves the reciprocity bill
much nearer final passage.
Senator Bailey offered an amend
ment to the house wooden tariff bill,
imposing a duty of 25 per cent on raw
wool. He will ask for the considera-
ton of this amendment and of his
farmers free list amendment in the
neal future. Senator La Toilette has
not yet introduced his amendments,
of which there probably are a consid-
cradle number; but these are expect
ed within a short time.
Senator Cummins, after the first
roll call on his amendments, expressed
the conviction that it was the inten-
ton of the senate not to change the
agreement in any particular and that
it was useless to press the senate for
further votes. He finally allowed the
remainder of his amendments to be
voted on together, without the formal
ity of a roll call.
Results of the Roll Calls.
On the proposal to put flour and
cereal products on the list of articles
which the United States will admit
free from Canada Senator Cummins
was defeated, SO to IA; on the pro-
posal to put agricultural implements
on this list he was defeated, SO to II;
on the proposal to put lumber on the
list he vas defeated, 81 to II.
Other amendments voted down pro-
posed to admit free from Canada,
without demanding like treatment of
American products, automobiles, iron
ore, pig iron, coal, rubber, cotton,
wooden, leather and silk goods. Sen
ator Bristow demanded a record vote
on the rubber amendment, but enough
senators would not join in the de-
mand.
Senator Smith of Michigan, who had
previously announced his entire oppo-
sition to the reciprocity agreement as
a whole, declined to vote for any of
the amendments to it which sought to
put more articles on the free list.
The amendment that secured the
heaviest favorable vote was one sepa-
rate from the tariff features of the
agreement. 1t gave the president pow
er to terminate this country's part of
the pact if Canada abrogated her part.
Senators Clapp and Dixon (Repub-
licans) and Senator Simmons Demo
craft opposed the general reciprocity
measure in speeches. Senator Dixon
said the agreement was due to the
pressure of the newspaper interests
and Senator Clapp declared the presi-
dent had yielded to the demands of
the cities for lower living and the
needs Of the press for free paper.