The Washington times., 1911-04-22
RECIPROCITY GOES
TO SENATE, NOW
: FACES REAL TEST
Fate of Measure Which Pass
ed House Is Worry
ing President.

After passing the House by the over
whelming vote of 266 to SO, the Cana
dian reciprocity bill is now up to the
Senate. The upper body will formally
receive the measure Monday, and it
will be referred to the Finance Com
mittee.
The Canadian agreement was ap-
proved by the House last night, after
a day of spirited debate and more than
thirty attempts to amend ii by Re
publican regulars and insurgents. Elcv-
en- Democrats, including Representa-
tive Akin, of New York, known more
as an independent, stood out against
the. party leaders and opposed the
measure. Seventy eight Republicans
voted against ii.
The Old Guard made a gallant but
losing fight. Former Speaker Cannon,
after repeated efforts. had been made
by amending it, finally grew impatient
and exclaimed:
You say you cannot amend this
agreement because Canada is not will
ing. Great heavens! Let's bring Can
ada over here and surrender the hall
of the House to her.
posed, nearly all proposed putting some
stticles on the free list.
We are for the free list" replied
the Democrats. but not on this bill
The President says this bill must
stand or fall as il is
Great Wave of Noes.
And succeeding amendments were
swept away by great wave of noes
when the question was put.
The Republicans divided almost man
for man on the MEASURE The voting
strength of the minority Yesterday was
I57
The eleven Democrats who voted
against the measure brought out by the
new Democratic Ways and Means Com
nittee and fathered bv Majority Lead
cr Underwood were:
Representatives Bathrick, Whitacre,
and Claypool, of Ohio: DoughtOn, Gud-
ger, and webb. of North Carolina: FoW-
Ter, of Illinois. Rucker. Of Colorado:
Hammond, of Minnesota: Pujo. of
Louisiana, and Akin, of New York.
AS the Senate Finance Committee is
not Yet organized. and as there is a
fight On among the Republicans over
reciprocity measure in committee is
much Of an uncertainty. Nor is il Yet
clear whether there will be any dispo-
sition TO delav ii in committee.
measure in committee by providing for
free admission of additional articles
from Canada.
If Senator Cummins goes on the con-
mlttee, he will lead in this effort. An
other element will try to amend ii by
providing for free listing of various ar
ticles used hv the farmer. Senator Nc
Curnber will lea in this movement. He
is a regular Republican and high tar
If man who is opposed to the agree
ment.
; There are many Senator's who profess
to ne in favor Of the agreement on con
dition that they can amend il at WI.
President Taft. Of course, is opposed to
amendments of any kind on the ground
that amendments would be quite as ef-
fective in defeating the bill as straight
out-and-out majority vote against it.
Seven for It.
At present there are but seven avowed
Republican Senators prepared to sup
port the measure as II left the House.
These are Senators Lodge and Crane
OF Massachusetts,, Brown of Nebraska.
Burton of Ohio. Root of New York.
Stephenson of Wisconsin. and Mclean
of Connecticut. Senator-elect Kenyon
OF iowa is expected to favor the bin
without amendment and his vote would
make eight.
Senator Bailey of Texas, will muster
u rev DtIlOCTdIlr votes IN opposition
to the agreement. The size of this
Democratic opposition vote is a mere
matter of speculation. OF the twelve
dyed-in-the-w wool insurgents. eleven will
insist on Brown of Ne
braska being the only insurgent who is
ready 10 vote for the bill as It stands
today.
As at present figured out there will he
forty-three Republican Senators pre-
pared either to vote against the bill
or to amend 1t. With A vacancy in
Colorado the present membership of
the Senate is only ninety-one. The
President, therefore. would have TO
count on almost solid Democratic sup
port to get the agreement through the
Senate.
Some of Senator Bailey's friends say
he can muster as many as twelve votes
against the bill. If he should do so
1t is probab that the bill would be
defeated. II is considered proba bile. |
however, that the Democratic opposition
- overestimated.