The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-01-07
Two HARD TASKS
FOR DEMOCRATS
Tariff Legislative Program and
Selection Of Committees for
Next Session.
NEW TREATY TO END scAREs
PENDING Pact With Japan Relied on to
Insure Long Peace With the 10
Ianders-Prospects Of the
Ship Subsidy Measure.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

WaSnlngtOn.-lt 10 fulIy expected
that the Democrats of the house wher
they meet In caucus In the middle OF
January will appoint tentative
ways and means committee. It Is un
derstood that all the Democratic mem
bers elected to the new congress will
be present at the caucus, although
Of course the new members can have
no voice In legislation until the pres
ent congress dies. They can, and will
be, taken into consideration, however
In caucus matters which have to do
with the program of the party when
1t comes into full power In the rep
resentative chamber.
1t is altogether probable that the
tentative committee will become the
legal ways and means committee
when the subsidiary bodies of the
next house finally are appointed. 1t
10 to be the duty of this tentative COM
mittee to frame such tariff legisla-
ton as the Democratic party finally
concludes It will take up for consid-
GRAFTON next December.
II has been disclosed also that to
the tentative body will be given the
work of what Is to be known as a
committee on committees, In other
words, because Champ Clark, the next
speaker Of the house, has agreed that
the committee-appointing power shall
pass from his hands, It will be trans
mitted to the ways and means COM
mittee, which will undertake the task
OF assigning members to committee
positions and report the results of its
work to house caucus of all the party
members.
Delicate Task for Committee.
The chief legislative duty of the
tentative ways and means committee
will be the planning for tariff revi-
sion under Democratic auspices, but
this work will not be much harder
than that of naming the membership
of the committees of the house. This
latter labor not only will be hard, but
II will require the exercise of caution
and Of rare diplomacy, for there is
great jealousy in the matter of com
mfttee appointments. The Republi-
cans found this to be the case and It
Is hardly possible that the Democrats,
being human like the enemy" will
be any less susceptible to the prompt
ings of personal ambitions and to the
showing of keen disappointment at the
failure of personal hopes to be rea-
liZed
Congress may use its good Offices
to prevent the establishment of a re-
formatory institution almost under
the shadow of the walls of the house
at Mount Vernon where Washington
lived and died. Few projects of re-
cent years have attracted more atten-
ton in the capital than this one to es-
tablish penal institution close to
what most Americans consider ground
of an almost sacred nature. 1t is
probable that another location will be
found for the reformatory.
Rely on New Japan Treaty.
Washington officials hope and be-
lieve that when the new treaty with
Japan is signed. and ratified by the
senate of the United States and by
the emperor's council. the main trou-
bles out of which II was feared war
might spring will be removed from the
field of friction.
The Japanese officials and to some
extent the Japanese people never have
forgotten that 1t was the United States
which gave to the empire the impetus
to modern civilization. While the
masses Of the Japanese people were
and still are angry because of discrim-
nations made In America against the
islanders because of their color. there
have been some leaders of the people
who have seen fit to remind them con-
stantly Of what America did for japan
In the year 1854, when Commodore
Perry at the mouth OF the guns of his
ships opened the Japanese ports to the
trade Of the world and let in not only
trade, but civilization.
II Is thought probable that the new
treaty with japan will In certain dip
lomatic ways touch on the question of
Japanese exclusion and will 30 arrange
matters that the western coast, and
the rest of the country, too, for that
matter. need no longer fear that labor
10 to suffer because of the influx of the
islanders. II this matter can be ar.
ranged by treaty so that further racial
troubles can be avoided, the Washing
ton feeling Is that Japan and America
will remain friends for years to come
and that the recent war scare will
serve only to remind people of how
easy It is to conjure up trouble out OF
conditions Of peace.
Civil Service Pension Bill.
Representative Goulden OF New
York has introduced retirement pen.
sion bill for government employees
under the civil service. This il only
one of several bills of the kind which
have been introduced. but Il gains
prominence from the fact that III
sponsor IL Democrat and because II
the present Republican house does not
pass the measure. It will fall to the lot
'f Democratic house either to pass
Dr. reject the legislation.
There Il an immense amount Of