Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-09-08
The Balance Sheet.
The COmnoner.

Inc Balance 00eeI.
The Commoner.
The special session of congress has
adjourned. Its record is made mp and
upon that record the country will form
its judgment as to the party's con-
structive legislation. That judgment
ought to be favorable, for, on the
whole, the democrats have acquitted
themselves well.
The country should not exceed per-
lection. Governments are admins
tered by frail human beings and allow
ance must be made for their weakness
es. The democrats have made a far
better record than the republicans
have made in any recent congress and
it is by comparison that they should be
judged.
First The democrats elected Champ
Clark speaker. He is a great improve
ment over speaker Cannon.
Second The democrats changed the
rules of the house so as to take from
the speaker the appointment of COM
mittees. The substitution of selection
by caucus, each party selecting it's
quota, is step in advance. a
Third-The house began its legisla-
tive program by passing the resolution
submitting the amendment providing
for election of United States senators
by direct vote. This is an epoch-mak-
ing reform. Reference will be made
later to confert nee actions on this
measure.
Fourth-The house passed bill re-
quiring the publication, before the
election, of the names of contributors
to national campaign funds. This is an
important measure and carries out the
last democratic national platform.
This measure was broadened and i'm
proved in the senate and the president
has signed it. This is distinct vic.
tory for the party. Mr.. Taft emphat.
ically opposed the idea in the lssttcam-
paign.
Fifth-The democrats kept faith
with the president and almost unani-
mously supported the reciprocity agree
ment. While it was not wholly ac-
ceptable to democrats they regarded it
% step in the direction of tariff re-
duction and were justified in support
ing it.
Sixth-The wool bill, vetoed by the
president. would have given the peo-
pie large measure of relief. 1t would
have given more relief had it become
law in the form in which it passed
the house. 1t would have been still
more satisfactory had it been framed
on the basis of free wool.
Seventh The farmers free list Is
very meritorious measure. The
president 8 reasons for vetoing it were
lamentably weak. The farme ought
to remember that in this matter the
president deliberately surrendered
them to the greed of the protected in
terests and cast in his lot with those
who furnished his campaign fund.
The cotton reduction bill was good
and the senate amendn 9 Is m; de it
better. The presidents veto of this
measure will furnish further evidence
Of his subserviency to the exploiting
class. No real relief is to be hoped
for from him.
The house deserves credit for the
way It dealt with the question of state
hood for Arizona and New Mexico.
The first resolution permitted Arizona
to vote out the recall of judges and
permitted New Mexico to change her
constitution 80 as to make it more
easily amendable. When the president
vetoed this. congress wisely changed
the resolution to compel the elimina-
ton of the recall of judges 1.-THE pro.
vision can be reinstated by the state)
and thus secured statehood for both
territories.
Now, having stated the creditablt
things done by the democratic house,
let US look at the few mistakes made
First-It was mistake to make Mr..
Underwood chairman Of the committee
on ways and means. He is not q
tborough-going tariff reformer and his
environment is against progressive de-
lnocracy. The party had right to ex-
pect that a positive and aggressive op-
ponent of the whole protective policy
would be placed at the head of the
ways and means committee. The mis-.
take has already cost the party dear
~. 1t has led to a surrender of the
democratic doctrine of free wool and
to the surrender to the senate of the
honor Ut introducing the bill reducing
the tariff on iron and steel-a humilia.
ton that the other members Of the
committee ought to feel.
The second mistake of the session
has already been mentioned-the nut
ting of tariff on WOOL The tariff on
wool is the keystone of the protection
list arch and those who do not know it
have yet to learn the ABC Of the
tariff question. Every speaker on the
tariff will be confronted by the tariff
on wool ii he attempts t. attack the
principle of Protetto', md he must
criticlse congress, or, if he defends
congress-, he must do so at the expense
OF party principle. The mistake can be
corrected at the regular session by a
new measure making free wool the
basis of the reduction, but this is not
likely SO long as Mr.. Underwood's in