The Washington times., 1911-02-28
CALLS De EMOCRATS
FOR ORGANIZATION
Underwood Asks Ways and
Means Members to Meet
h. Monday.
Bv IOHN SNURE.

Extra session, or no extra session, the
Democratic members of the House
Ways and Means Committee will hold
a meeting next Monday in the House
office building, and will proceed to con-
slider the business of making up the
committees for the Sixty-second Con-
gress and of preparing the way for
tariff revision.
Chairman Underwood, of the commit
tee-that is, he will be chairman as soon
as the committee is organized-has
scalled the Democrats together and
means to lose no time getting down to
business. 1t is expected the discussion
Monday will be largely preliminary and
will range over a wide field, both with
respect to how to go about tariff re-
Vision and the selection of committees.
II IT is absolutely settled by Monday
that there is to be an extra session,
of course, the Democrats will have little
time left in which to determine the
committee membership and to get ready
to report one or more tariff bills to
the House.
AS a matter of fact, the House Demo-
cratic leaders are convinced the extra
session is coming. They are making
their plans accordingly.
Sad Dish for Republicans.
All the committees are to be made up.
The big committees, such as Ways and
Means, are to have fourteen Democratic
bers. That is. the proportion will be
two to one. This is a sad dish of crow
TO the Republicans who have for so
many years been plucking at all the |
nice, juicy morSels about the House in
the way of committee assignments.
Representative Underwood talked |
today about the situation as respects |
tariff revision. He said 1t was i'm
possible to say how far the Demo- |
Gratis of the House would go with |
respect to passing bills revising diff |
ferent schedules. He said much would |
depend on developments, on the situ-
the like. 1t would be the policy, he |
said, to introduce a bill for the re- |
vision of one schedule and follow 1t |
up with bill for the revision of an |
would go, Mr.. Underwood said could |
not be definitely foretold at this time.
The allegiance of Mr.. Underwood and |
the House Democratic leaders gener-
ally to the system of revision sched-
ule by schedule is unwavering.
Senate Not Worrying House.
Mr.. Underwood would not discuss
the question of what the Senate
Democrats might do with the tariff
bills sent over TO it from the House.
1t is the purpose of the House Demo-
Gratis to go ahead in their own way,
fulfilling their pledges to the coun-
try, as they interpret them, and not
bother about what may be done at
the Senate end of the Capitol.
The Republican leaders have been
asked by the Democratic leaders what
they are going to do about filling the
minority places on the committees
The Republicans have worked out no
plans AS a matter of fact, it is
most difficult problem for the Repub-
licans, divided as they are between
regulars and insurgents.
While none of the Democratic lead |
ers assert 1t openly, there is no doubt
that what they expect to DO is to
hurry the tariff bills along through
the House as rapidly as the Ways and
Means Committee can act upon them,
and report them out for the consider
alton Of the House In the process of
doing this. they expect to pass bills
schedules. The plan which has been
generally talked of until very lately
Is to revise only a few of the chief
schedules, as woolen. cotton, iron and
steel, and food products. But more
comp rehensive plan will be carried
out. u
Separate schedule bills will be prti
tackled. This may mean prolonged
Extra session.
The House Democrats will pass the
Canadian reciprocity agreement They
will pass II unatta ched to any other
tariff proposition, If there is an extra
Bession. President Taft has been given
assurance of this. What the Senate I
will do is as hard to forecast as to pre-
1ict the course of a Jury. 1t will. doubt
less, pass the reciprocity agreement, If
L comes TO a vote. but whether the
agreement will be amended or whether
D tariff revision bill will be attached
10 It cannot be foretold. il