The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-08-24
DEMOCRATS IN CHARGE.

Thursday, August IT. was a day OF
rapid events in the National Con-
gress. It was a day for doing things,
with the democrats in absolute con-
troll of affairs. This is the story brief
" related in a Washington dispatch:
The Democrats, finding themselves
in complete control of the Senate to-
day through the action of regular
Republicans in a~bsenting themselves,
passed the Underwood cotton revision
bill, after lacking on to it as amend
ments the Simmons bill reducing the
duties en- mill machinery, the Over
man bill reducing duties on chemi-
Gals used in the cotton industry and
others reducing duties on iron
steel and coal.
1t was a day full of surprises, and
when the wind-up came, the RepuD-
lican progressives found themselves
no longer the masters of tariff policies
and schedules, but a ,~disgruntled lit
tie band of ten badly-beaten lighters.
Senators 0verman and Simmons
and Representative Webb feel in line
humor. If the cotton bill had to pass
| In6Y WduI0u QUIET ~SCA0uQlC0 dACSt1A6
the cotton industry to be reduced at
the same time. Representative Webb
made a fight in the Democratic
House caucus for reductions in duties
on iron and steel, chemicals. sugar,
dyes and dye stuff and rubber betting.
The Senate Democrats took the
same point Of view and reduced all
these duties except the duties on sugar
o~1 rY,hI~ ho1&ino - Tho CI1GOT cRhn6-l
ule would have been revised had not
eight Democratic Senators voted nay.
They were Bailey of Texas, Foster
and Thornton of Louisiana, Johnson
of Alabama, Lea of Tennessee, Payn-I
ter OF Kentucky, Smith of South Car
DINA, and Williams of Mississippi.
The insurgent Republicans expect
ed a repetition of the days on which
the compromise wool bill and farm
ers free list bill were adopted, and
were given the surprise of their lives.
Enough Republican regulars with
drew.to give the Democrats a majori-
ty owe their insurgent allies, and
finding themselves thus placed in
control in place of Mr.. LaFolIette,
the Democrats went forward with a
free hand.
Senator Overman's amendment to
the chemical schedule. making a hor-
-izontal reduction of rs per cent was
passed by a vote of IT to %. Senator
Simmons amendments, cutting duties
on mill machinery, was also adopted
by a vote Of Sc tc %.
These amendments having been
tackled on the cotton bill for the ben
eft of the mill men who would be af-
fected by the reduction of duties en-
cotton manufacturers, both the North
Carolina Senators voted for the bill
as amended.
The insurgents, taken completely
by surprise were thrown into a rage.
Alternately they denounced what
they termed the t~reachery of the
Democrats with whom they had been
in alliance, and inveighed against the
regular Republicans for the part they
had played in the new combination
which had brought about a revolution
in the Senate as startling and sensa-
ticnal as the coalition which earlier
had robbed the regular Republicans
of their supremacy in the upper
house of congress.
That was unquestionably a fine
days work for the democrats in the /
SOhoIO anu ChO IWO NStIu SdTOl1nd
Senator's made good. The democrats
could not have done otherwise and
maintain their self-respect. They
had agreed to support the LaFcllette
compromise measure only in the
event OF a failure to get their own bill
through, and did not play in bad faith
with the insurgent republicans, be-
cause the House bill had the right CT
way and ran the gauntlet. 1t was
a smart play on the part of the reg
ular republicans. Taking either horn
Of the dilemma they could not hope
to succeed and the democratic bill
was no more Objectionable to them
than the Underwood-LaFollette pro-
duction and the determination to
invoke a piece of strategy in playing
even with the insurgents was smart
practice" that appears entirely justif-
able.
Tie incident serves the purpose of
showing ~conclusively that the demo-
cratic senators are keeping faith
with the people and if given a free
hand without executive interference,
would redeem every Dledge.J
They were weighed in the balances
and not found wanting.
@0S-
Mr. BRYAN ia still in Do1itics OF