The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-23
FREE LIST AND
 THE WOOL BILL
 ARE REPORTED Many Believe Extra Session Will Now Last Until
 December RECIPROCITY BILL IS IN GRAVE DANGER Finance Committee Reports Demo- cratic Tariff Bills Adversely and Senate Faces Most Bitter
 Fight in History

Washington, June 22.-Treading owe grounds rendered dangerous by ad verse reports made today by the Sen ate committee on finance on the demo cratic farmers free list and the woo revision bills and startled by tn threat that these measures togethe with bills to revise the cotton, sugar lead ,and steel schedules would be of bill, the Senate concluded today with out reaching the expected vote on tho Canadian measure.
 Chairman Penrose of the finance com. mittee fulfilled his promise made ir anger on the floor yesterday when II became apparent that the republican majority had been hobbed by the coalition of insurgents and democrats and called meeting of the finance committee for today. It resulted in the adverse reporting of the wool bill by vote of 9 to 4, and the farmers free list bill by a vote of to 5.
 When these reports were presented to the Senate every chance of al agreement for a vote on the reciprocity bill to be followed by early adjourn. ment was removed The Senate real ized that 1t was confronted with gen eral tariff revision to which the reg ular republicans were opposed, and fol which both democrats and insurgent republicans sought credit.
 That the Senate had entered upon the most difficult stage of it's progress toward action on the reciprocity meas ure was conceded on every hand. II was admitted the measure was threat ened with death or amendment thai might make it unacceptable to Presi- dent Taft or obnoxious to Canada.
 When the finance committee met to- day the regular republican members who had a bare majority of that one time invulnerable body, expressed re lief that it had been demonstrated tha' their eeEantzation was no longer II ectaiusrd; ti,st they cr'ai0 ahitt It' burden to the Senate itself and tha 1t was no longer necessary to dissem ble At the same time the views oi the republican regulars that the effect would be to accomplish practically nothing In the present session was voiced by such men as Senators Pen rose and Lodge.
 Attacks Wool Bill
 The remarks of the republican lead CTS were expressive of contempt for tht democratic bills, MT. Penrose saving that the wool bill was made over nlgh by mechanics and that no sensible body of men would think of devoting less than 10 months to revision of sched ule K
 The question now uppermost i' whether the President would accep any amendments to the reciprocity bill
 The democrats who hesitate to defea reciprocity by amending 1t are many but If there is a prospect of forcing the President to accept any amend ments in the way of furthering tarif revision the amendments will have z majority of the Senate behind them
 Conferences were held in the demo cratic ranks all day. The suggestion already has been made in some quar' ters that the wool bill and the free list bill be passed ahead of the reel procity bill so that the latter can b' ifsed to induce the President to sigr the others. Democratic leaders ano insurgents confess, however. that the, have determined upon no line of flu ture action and do not know what turr the complicated situation will take within the next few days.
 The debate over the finance commit tee action, however, was short. From that the Senate ran into a discussion of the reciprocity bill. Senator Cum mins attacking the Root amendment or the ground that it would indefinitely delay the relief which American papel consumers seek from the grip of tho so-called paper trust. Late in the after noon there was an apparent effort t' bring about a vote on this amendmen but Senator Nelson of Minnesota anc Senator Heyburn of Idaho renewed th debate as to Canada's powers of con trolling wood pulp exports. Finally, a Senator Nelsun's suggestion, the vot on the amendment was again held over Senator Cummns in his attack upol the Root amendment declared he be lieved the manufacturers of print pa per in the United States to effectivel, control prices and dicta, the mills iron which purchasers may buy. He ex pressed the belief that the prices a which paper is sold in the United State are not determined by the ordinar' rules and forces of trade and com merce.
 Paper Prices Fixed e,rhe manufacturers have so manipulate ed the business in which they are eh gagged" he said. that they fix Tor th' puDllSnerS or the tHitcu o'"s's J"'s price as they desire to demand Tor "ha they produce.
 Senator Nelson declared the reclprocits bill could affect only paper and pulp iron privately owned lands He said Its effec would be to benefit American owners O Canadian stumpage, and that such bene if would accrue to certain American paper manufacturers who own Canadian lands.
 An already badly tangled situation wa further complicated when the finance committee decided to throw the wool re vision and so-called farmers free lis bill into the open Senate at once to talk their chances along with Canadian reef prcoity.
 The committee refused to take respon sibiity for reporting Tn detail on thes matters at any given time and decided t cast the burden of Senate legislation upol the coalition of democrats and insufeen republicans, suddenly brought about las night when the wool bill came from thu House The finance committee had beel instructed to report the wool bill b, 1 July 10.
 Tt would require 10 months properl. | to conside. the wool schedule and gran re.,,-cstos, hoe ringe and ve might as wei report it today as July 1o,' said the chair | Interest in the Senate situation count ed largely about the fate of the Canadai reciprocity agreement. Senator Penross l champion of the agreement, admitte l .-t.ts .Ir,t,r 1 @