The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-03-10
EXTRA SESSION MAY
keep S0lONS AFTER
SUMMER time COMES
LAW MAKERS WILL MOST PROB
ABLY BE At WORK FOR LONG
TIME YET.
HOPE FOR BRIEF SESSION
Taft Gave Congress Sharp Surprise
With His Call for Extra" Many
solons Believing II Would Not Be
Given, Despite Reports and Runors.


WASHINGTON, March 6-Notwith-
standing the positiveness with
which President Taft had declared
repeatedly in all but direct and OIL
cial language that unless Congress
should enact legislation to put into op-
Grafton the Canadian reciprocity
agreement he would summon an extra
session to resume consideration OF the
subject, his fulfllmsnt Of that threat
within two hours Of adjournment was
an actual surprise to many members
of that body. 1t was especially SO In
the Senate. As late as AN hour before
final adjournment yesterday promi-
nent Senators and others about the
capitol made bets there would De no
extra session. Pressure nothing less
than tremendous had been brought to
bear upon the administration and upon
members of Congress to prevent the
calling Of an extra session. Until the
last moment rumors were incessant
that way would be found to avoid
| it. One of the most persistent was
that there were in progress some kind
of negotiations between the President
and the Canadian government, looking
to the withdrawal of the agreement by
one party or the other, so as to give
excuse for withholding the special
call.
Another rumor was that there was
some kind of an understanding be-
tween the President and the republi-
can leaders in congress to the effect
that one or more of the great appro-
priation bills, preferably the general
deficiency bill, was to be lost in the
shuttle" so that the special session
would be unavoidable. Still another
was that the leaders had determined
to hold up some appropriation IN
(which the White House was especial.
lily interested and at the last moment
make it's passage conditions upon the
abandonment of the extra session
project. The blockade of the appro-
lpriation bills in the filibusters in
both houses yesterday tended to give
color to these stories.
Some 20 so far as to say that If
certain senators had believed the
president would actually make good
his threat, they would have made
tstrenuous efforts to pass the recipro-
lefty bill. Whatever may be the de-
lgree of truth in any of these stories,
There can be no doubt that the issue
lof the Presidents extra session pro-
lclamation met scant welcome at the
hands of those members Of congress,
iwho, after the stress of the last SEES
Ision, will barely have time to go home
flor a brief respite and to adjust their
faffairs for another session, which
fmany think will extern far into the
Isummer. There are those who be-
tlieve that it will be 80 long as to leave
: lonly constructive recess" before the
regular session begins in December
At the present time any prediction
lof the length of the special session
must be sheer speculation. The Dem
locrats Of the House who will initiate
tariff legislation, have had no time to
linaugurate plans. Any program pre-
pared now or at any time within the
next several weeks would be subject
to sweeping changes dictated by con
tingencies which the administration
1.-THE Democratic House or the Republi
lean Senate could neither feresee no.
control.
The best informed leaders Of both
houses who are familiar with tariff
questions realize that whatever may
be the sentiment throughout the
, country, there can be no sudden re
duction Of customs duties. It Is con
ceded that even a Democratic House
which Immediately will be bombardet
with demands for the radical modif1
cation of the tariff or even the de
struction of the protective policy
must of necessity proceed with eau
ton.