Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-22
Leaders Expect Protracted
Extra Session of Congress.
TARIFF, ISSUE PERPLExING
New Members Likely to Engage in
Record Making
LEADERS OF RANK
Absence of Dominant Figure and Re-
organization Schemes Giving the
Democrats Trouble.

Some Of the leading men In Congress
are of opinion that the extra ordinary
session will run far into the summer.
| They base this expectation upon the GER
| tainty that the democrats will get into
| a snarl among themselves over the tariff
| and upon the theory that a new Con-
| gress. with a complete change in the po-
| ltical majority in one branch and par
tial overturn in the other, will be pos
sessed with the lust for legislative ac-
tivity.
The democrats are finding it no easy
task to set their house in order for the
great work and responsibility before
| them. They are starting their task un-
der new and hitherto untried conditions.
The very organization of the lower
branch of Congress is being constructed
| upon a new pattern and with unfamiliar
tools.
Minus Dominant Leader.
There is no single strong and dominant
figure in their councils to be at once the
| suggester and a court of last resort.
There are fourteen leaders of equal rank,
each a king in his own right and repre-
sentative of a sovereign state. New
rules are being designed to meet the de-
! mand for more democratic spirit in the
, conduct of legislation.
1t is feared by some that every broad
ening of the procedure means slackening
of control and opening the door for con-
fusion. Meanwhile the days are slipping
by and the fateful Tuesday Is rapidly
approaching when the democratic party
will be called upon to make good the
hao CT. Of hot i< dn vr,boy
into power.
Not wheel has been turned \ on the
big job of tariff revision which c6nfronts
the party. No preliminary work was
are to take it or to leave it. just as it
stands. But II the democratic caucus,
called for April !, decides upon revision
of one of the general schedules, the House
democrats will find themselves absolutely
unprepared.
Di@czlS Task Presented.
A tariff schedule, particularly such a
one as the wool schedule which is pre-
posed to be tackled, cannot be revised In
a day and revised inteliigently. 1t is a
delicate ttueehanism. adjusted to sfhe vari
GUS branches OF the industry. The wool
grower, the wool spinner, the preparer OF
washed, secured and combed woods in
its various stages. the cloth makers in
a ;, score Of branei,es: ~ mn must e be con con,
enue without protection to the manufac-
turer.
The committee on ways and means
would have to fall back upon the hear
ings and the record made in the prepa-
ration of the Payne-Aldrich law, or un-
dertake new hearings. The committee has
| no expert at work and has no technical
information gathered on the basis Of q
revenue tariff as opposed to protective
tariff.
Some one has suggested that there
might be horizontal reduction-15, 10
or 25 per cent-of every paragraph in
the schedule. That could be done: but, it
is said. would be about as appalling in
result as to attempt to dust q display OF
Sevres china with a sledgehammer. The
time which the responsible leaders would
otherwise have given to this subject has
been devoted to the petty sQuabbling OF
Tom, Dick and Harry over committee as
signments.
Senators Serve Notice.
Nor can the democrats of the House ex-
pect TO cook up a half-baked tariff meas
ure and send it to the Senate for glazing
and finishing. Democratic senator's have
served notice upon their colleagues in the
House that there is not to be any repeti-
ton of the action on the Wilson tariff
bill. when the Senate remade the bill
upon an entirely different principle.
"You send us over a bill framed in ac-
cordance with democratic principles and
we will accept it,, say the democratic
senators They call attention to the fact
that there are no Germans. Hills or
Smiths among the democrats of the SEN
ate now to boost fhe rates. In the present
| temper of democratic senators the rates
| are more likely to be lowered than ad-
| ivanced, and senators don't want any rates
| mt in the bill by the House for tine pur-
poses of trading"
Many Interests to Consider.
1t seems very apparent at this time that
the new Congress will take up other SUBJ
jects thar reciprocity and tariff. Presi-
dent Taft intends to urge his permanent
tariff commission plan. which will cause
a wrangle The advocates Of direct cleo
ton of senator's will make another try
| for their constitutional amendment. An
apportionment bill will be sent over by
the House.
| The new members with q record to
make will clamor for public buildings and
| river and harbor improvements Con-
! servation measures left over unfinished
from the last session will be revised. In
deed. the leaders think that the extra ses-
sion may be called upon to take up a
variety of subjects for legislative action.
/