The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-18
DEMOCRATS PUT IN ] CONTROL OF SENATE Republican Insurgents Are 1 Given Hard Blow , CHAOS HOLDS SWAY Regulars Absent Themselves from Chamber and Insurgents Forced
 to Vote Against Their Own
 Amendments

Senate in their own right and forced them absolutely to abandon their coalition with the progressive republicans. The bill as amended will go back to I the House and probably will be sent to E conference. If it emerges from this ordeal and goes to the White House 1t unques- tionably will meet the same fate or the wool revision bill, which was vetoed by q. President Taft.
 Out of the chaos and the uproar came a bill ID revise the cotton schedule of the Pavne-Aldrich tariff law It was the bill as passed by the House. but saddled with amendents to revise the iron and steel, the cotton machinery and chemical sched- ules of the tariff law, coupled with pro vision for reciprocal free trade in bitu- minous coal across the Canadian border
 Democratic votes alone were cast in favor of the bill. The regular repueli- cans deliberately absented themselves t from the chamber and thus left their progressive colleagues in a hopeless posi- tion The insurgents, taken completely by surprise, were thrown into a rage. Alternately they denounced what they termed the treachery of the democrats with whom they had been in alliance and inveiged against the regular repuo- licans for the part they had played in / the new combination which had brought about a revolution in the Senate as Pt startling and sensational as the coalition " which earlier had robbed the regular re- d. publicans of their supremacy in the up- 1 per House.
 In vain the insurgents invoked all but
 ef tIa ta to +he regulars to attend and to cast their votes. Senatorial courtesy, so long rev cred and jealously defended, was tossed to the winds.
 The insurgents charged the demo- ] crats had broken faith. although in :, caucus last night the latter had de- ,h termfned to carry through an insurgent- l. democratic programme on the cotton ii bill which would have Included the 'ro oadoption of LaFollette substitute for the measure They insisted the demo- .rats had entered into an agreement coor understanding with the regulars to o leave the progressives in the lurch.
 Neither the repular republicans nor us4emocrats would admit such an under Itstanding existed. but Senator Bristow cof Kansas boldly declared he heard oconversation between Senator Johnston toof Alabama. a democrat, ana senator Penrose of Pennsylvania, the regular Republican leader, that left no doubt m atatss mind
 Despite the drastic rules invoked r many of the regular republicans still insisted upon their right to decline te vote. and when serious consequence: threatened they resorted to motions tt be, excused, which in several cases were ,, carried by safe majorities. The dem
 ocrats sought to relieve their new found |. allies with a blanket motion of excuse from voting, but this plan failed
 Whatever the agreement, whateve
 the understanding, the results accom-
 pished were both definite and decisive The democrats found themselves In 2 position where, for the sake of party Consistency, they had to disregard com pletely thir previous arrangement with ' the insurgents. This arrangement was based upon the belief that the demo- fcratic House bill first would be de- feated and that then the democrats and insurgents would combine to pass a La Toilette compromise measure. just as was done with the wool schedule. When ! the voting began, however, there came sudden realizing that the democratic bill would pass without the aid of the insurgents, enough regular republicans having walked out of the chamber to give the democrats a clear majority, and still maintain the necessary quorum.
 The break in the Senate colition which had made tariff legislation possi- ble, was taken to mean tonight the early approach of adjournment.
 The democrats, it was said, already had set about to placate the insurgents, but this was regarded as impossible after the events of the day.
 Without an effective working ar rangement between these two elements of the Senate, all further attempts at Legislation would be useless Senator Penrose predicted tonight that the ses- sion would terminate with the week end.
 Amusement of insurgents at the un- expected development today changed to a fighting spirit that lasted until the last roll call was taken. They in- sisted that the Vice President send for republicans who had left the room, but MT Sherman declined to interpret the rules as giving him that authority.
 None of the insurgent leaders would discuss the situation tonight in any of its phases They felt that they had achieved a material victory in the adop- tion of the iron and steel amendment This amendment, originally drawn by Senator Cummins, was withdrawn by the Iowa senator today It was immediately taken up in its entirety by Senator Bacor Of Georgia democrat, and rushed into the cotton bill
 The regular republicans made no attempt 10 conceal their delight at having put
 he insurgents in position where they were compelled to vote against cotton re- .-ision at this time. Senator Cummins -allied his insurgent colleagues to vote 'gainst his own amendment for an iror md steel tariff revision when that amend
 nent was offered by Senator Bacon. Sen ltor Bristow helped to defeat his owr Amendment for a revision Of the sugar schedule when it was offered in his ab sence by Senator Jones of Washington. The insurgents saw that they had beer >-- dropped out of the democratic arrange i ment Progressive Republican Leader La 4 Toilette declared it was impossible fol the insurgents to vote for the democratic "A bill. while the democrats had agreed tha Y if their bill was presented they would z be willing to support to LaFollette meas ure.
 As the progress of votes showed iha the democrats had been given a clear ma 1ority by the absence of the regalar re N publicans the insurgents set out in dl effort to get vote the LaFollett &coupromise bill which, it had been cx Mpected. would be adopted in place of tn 5tIouse bill.
 M Senator LaFollette finally offered his bi ,s a substitute for the House bill an he amendments that had been adde' Ht.n if