Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-02-10
HARD TO GUESS
SENATE ACTION
Course OF that Body on Leg
islation Is Puzzlinq.
BY ARTHUR W. DUNN.

by ARTHUR W. DUNN.
Washington. Feb. 10. = especially
After observations OF the United
States for q great many years IT must
be acknowledged that it is n very diff
dcult matter to understand thai great
lawmaking body.
Professor Willis T.. Moore, chief of
the weather bureau. may be criticised
as a weather prophet, and we may
have soine doubt as to what the po-
litieal conventions will do in 1912, but
of all guessing contests known. the
senate is the most uncertain. This
much may be said, however, 1t is safe
to COPPER everything that points To
the wreck ef the ship OF state and a
general eataciysn.
The fact fs the senate IS never 80 far
from taking itself seriously as when
1t is pointing out the grave eonse-
quences that are soop to follow any
particular tine of procedure.
Senate Has Plenty Of Time.
For weeks the leaders have been try
ing to impress their fellows and CON
vince thems@ves that everything was
wrong, that the whole business was
s'going to the demnitiol bowwows,'
and yet they knew sill the time that
they were "only foalin.." There was
no danger, rot much difficulty, no
great alarm and no naed for fear.
Everybody knew it all the time.
After pointing out that not q mo-
ment of time could be spered for leg
fslntion they calmly adjourn the sem
ate from Friday until Monday. They
have been playing the game for TWEEN
convince themselves that It IL some
thing nor than make believe.
"se1ins Things"
Those senators AMI representatives
the Canadian reciprocity Increment
are not Inclined to accept President
Taft's Gliding words that they are
"haunsed By g~aosts."S
For Instance, the men from several
agricultural eernmaaities do not think
they are merely seeing things when
they point OUT that many food articles
are admitted free in the raw state, bat
with a duty when manufactured.
1t is en- interesting fsct that tbn
greater the distance from the border
the fewer ''spcoksr seem to be visible.
and we take It that the ghosts TO which
the president refers may be considered
"locaI issues" as General Hancock de
scribed the tariff.
s.F Departmental influences.
Many a measure which the people oi
a state or a community desire to have
passed run up against the objections
of some person In the departments and
fails. A number of Ohio men were
very much interested recently N hay
Ing passed a bill which wuuld allow
the periodical publications. of colleges
and educational institutions to be adj
mitted to fIe mails secnaa-class
rates. The bin had passed the house,
but seemed to be. anchored In the sen.
ate committee on postonfces. So Sana1
tor Penrose was consulted by the Ohio
senators.
"TIe department is opposed to that
bill, . said Pesarese. .sOhjertion is made
to anything which. extends the second
class p~rivileges.r
1t appears also that the department
Is against any measure which win adj
NIT fraternal papers to second class
rates, and as a result the thousands of
petitions from organizations on this
subject will be of no avail. Depart
mental influence against legislation Is
always a powerful factor.
Needs Two thirds.
Senator Borah may be able to bring
his resolution for popular election OF
senators to a vote in the senate, but
he may have more difficulty In con
trolling two-thirds of the senate which
Is necessary to pass an amendment to
the constitution. at the same time 1t
will prove mighty embarrassing J
many senator's to vote against the res
olution.
Tariff Board Prospects.
Many times threats are made In con
gress which turn out to be for scare
purposes and nothing more. Fer that
reason the friends of the bill creating
a tariff board profess to believe that
the measure can pass this session.
Senators Bailey and Hepburn have
said as plain as men can without de-
claring a fllbuster that the tariff
board bill will not pass, but senators
who make such declarations often be
come Modified and releut when 1t ap.
pears that a large majority of the sem
ate means business.
The great difficulty with the tariff
board bill is that more than half of the
senate would like to see IL defeated, al
though there are many who viii have
to vote for 1t if a vote can be reached.
II a majority of the senate were as
anxious to have the bill passed as are
the insurgent senators nothing could
prevent 1t from going through.
As a matter of fact only about hall
a dozen regulars on the Republican
side are for a tariff commission. A