The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-03-10
END SHORT SESSION;
new ONE CALLED
TAFT SUMMONS EXTRA SESSION
FOR APRIL 4 TO ACT ON
RECIPROCITY.
Tariff Board Bill Crushed by House
FiIibuster-New States to Stay Out
Owen Defeats Admission Rather
Than Exclude Arizona AIone-New
Congress to Revise Tariff in Several
Schedules.

Schedules.
Washington, March 4-The 61st
Congress, needless OF one of the most
important legislative tasks set before
it, came to an end shortly after noon
today.
Within the hour following President
Taft issued proclamation calling the
new Congress to meet in extraordi-
nary session at noon on Tuesday,
April 4. At that time he will submit
for ratification to House 0verwhelm-
ingly Democratic and to Senate bare
ly Republican, the reciprocity agree
ment with Canada.
The Mccall bill, carrying that agree
ment into effect and passed by the
House. met at the hands of the old
Senate today the death freely predict
ed for it. The President, warned if
not entirely reconciled to the fate in
store for the measure, was at the cap
itol to witness the obsequies. The bill
was not allowed at any time to come
up in the Senate for consideration.
The permanent tariff board bill,
forced to it's passage through re-
luctant Senate at $3.50 o'clock this
morning, was hurried over to the
House, there to be strangled by Dem
ocratic fiilibuster. The President
heard the news with resignation in
the room reserved for him in the Sen
ate lobby Congress provided funds
to continue the work of the temporary
tariff board for another year.
It was at the request of the Demo
Gratis of the House and Senate that
the President fixed the date of the
extra session as April 4. The new
Democratic ways and means commit
tee of the House, which also is to
serve as the new committee on COM
mittees," will meet Monday to take
up its labors.
A full caucus of Democratic mem
bers of the new House will not be held
until April 8. In the meantime the
plans for the extra session will have
developed.
Democrats Will Revise Tariff.
There is little doubt now that the
Democrats of the House wilh under
take to revise at least two of the
schedules of the Payne-Aldrich tariff
oo+ ord thoro ;c <ro,x, ropc0p olco RI
believe these bills will be favorably
received in the new Senate-the in
creased Democratic and insurgent
strngth in that body giving major
ity to the principle. of further revi-
sion of the tariff downward.
1t also is supposed that, so long as
the new schedules do not fagrantly
violate the policy of protection, the
President will not withhold his ap-
prevail of them. He has announced,
however, that if general revision in
violation of the protective policy
should be inaugurated, he would not
hesitate to use the power of his veto.
How long the extra session will last
is problematical. While the new Con-
gress may promptly ratify the reci-
procity agreement, some Democrats
are in favor of withholding confirma-
ton until two or three new tariff sched-
ules are ready. If tariff differences
should arise between the new House
and the Senate the session unques-
tionably would be a long one.
President May Dismiss Congress.
In this connection, however, the in
teresting fact was developed that the
President has constitutional right
to bring the session to an end in case
the two houses of Congress cannot
agree upon a time for adjournment
Such action, it is admitted, will be
revolutionary and there is thought to
be little likelihood that any President
would care to invoke the power.
The Congress ended amid extraordi-
nary scenes of excitement and uncer-
tainty. The disorder at times during
the closing hours, when the successful
filibuster against the tariff board bill
was in progress, became almost riot.
Johnson of Kentucky, glazing ang-
rily at the speaker, shouted above the
general roar of confusion challenge
that but for the speakers gray hairs
he would carry the wordy disagree
ment to more serious conclusion.
The speaker, his sparce gray hair
bristling with rage, declared. with a
blow of his gavel on his desk. that
mo member need let his gray hair be
a bar to anything they had to offer"
The House stood up and cheered.
Owens Filibuster Wins.
In the Senate filibuster, conducted
i by Owen of Oklahoma, threatened the
final approval of four of the great ap-
preparation measures, up to within
half an hour of the time set for ad
journment. Senators Of both parties
appealed in vain to Owen to stop talk
inc n Of h4