The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-06
Congress Did Not Believe Taft Would Fulfill
 His Threats
DEMOCRATS STUDY
 THE SITUATION
Tariff Revision Is Not Only Problem Facing Democrats-Is Thought Extra Session Will Be
 Very Lengthy One

Washington, March Notwithstanding the positiveness with which President Taft had declared repeatedly in all but direct and official language that unless Congress should enact instructions to put into operation the reciprocity agree ment he would summon an extra session to resume consideration of the subject, his fulflment of that threat within two hours of adjournment was an actual sur prise to many members of that body. it was especially so in the Senate. As late as an hour before final adjournment yes terday prominent senators and others about the capitol made bets there would be no extra session.
 Pressure, nothing less than tremendous, had been brought to bear upon the ad- ministraton and upon members of Con- gress to prevent the calling of an extra session Until the last moment rumors were incessant that a way would be found to avoid it. One of the most per sistent was that there was in progress some kind of negotiations between the President and Canadian government, 50 as to give excuse for withholding the special call. Another rumor was that there was some kind of an understand ing between the President and the re- publican leaders in Congress to the ef- feet that one or more of the great appro- priation bills, probably the general de- fieiency bill, YVES to be Host in the shuf- fe' so that the special session would be unavoidable. Still another was that the leaders had determined to hold up In xvbi ba White House was especially interested and at the last moment make it's passage con- ditional upon the abandonment of the extra session project The blockade of the appropriation bills in the filibusters in both houses yesterday tended to give color to these stories.
 Threats Were Not Believed
 Some go so far as to say that if cer- tain senators had believed the President would actually make good his threat ties %sJosJ nave, ssslues sl.sfHs sr +,1s.ss to rass the reciprocity bilI \ natever may be the degree of truth se any ,f these stories. there ea that tsf,s , .e ot the Pt1 ses- sion proclarpasjan mel s4 ae at the hara~. lose me sngress who. e~ stress eireion. will barely nave time s6 nenle itr Il brief respite and to 4tss shslr, affairs for another sessoJ@ h,rn lraHy think will extend far ine i,e ssSnmer. There are those who believe ,sii<be SD lonx as to leave only9a ''const f,ive .recess'' before the regular session begins In De- cember.
 At the present time. chy prediction If the length of the special session must be sheer spoken. The democrats of the House who will initiate tariff legislation, have had no time to inaugurate plans. Any programme prepared now or at any time within the next several weeks would be subject to sweeping changes dictated by contingencies which the adminstra- ton. the democratic House or the repub- lican Senate could neither foresee nor control. The best informed leaders of both the democratic and republican parties. who are familiar with tariff ques- tion, realize that whatever may be the sentiment throughout the country, there can be no sudden reduction of customs duties. It is conceded that even dem ocratic House, which immediately will be bombarded with demands for the rad ical modification of the tariff, or even the destruction of the protective policy, must of necessity proceed with caution.
 Hold Democratic Conferences
 Democratic leaders of the House will have many conferences QurlnR the cOH- ing session with members of their party in the Senate This fact became known today when it was announced unofficial ly that expenses will be considered with revenues It is now suggested that work will be given the committees on expendi- lures in the various departments, which in the past have been empty assignments, intended only to give to the chairman thereof extra allowances for clerk hire and similar perqusites in the gift of the party which happened to be in the ma Jority in the House. The same condi- tion of affairs has existed in the Senate. Appropriations for the large part have heen in the hands of the House and Senate committees on appropriations. There have been few exceptions such as the bills for the army, navy, pensions and postoffice departments, but for the most part the bulk of the expenditures las been pas ed on by overworked com mittees on appropriations The effect has | been that appropriations aggregating mill lions have been voted upon by the great body of Congress with little or no op- I portunity to study their merits. It was in that way that the billion dollar con gressa was created. It rests with Con- kress whether the rapid growth of esti- mates and the almost as rapid growth of appropriations is to pe checked.
 Some of the democratic leaders who have been giving thought to this situ- ation have come to the conclusion that they have before them a greater work than revising the tariff They realize that the executive departments are called upon to expend great sums of money \ as the result of public sentiment and that Congress must supply the means for those expenditures or else cut the x- pendtures
 Democratic Leaders in Study Confronted with the responsibility of initiating any revision of the tariff which may be attempted following action in the extraordinary session upon the Cana dian reciprocity agreement. the derl- ocratic leaders already are giving thought ! to the dilemma. Rhey realize that If tariff legislation should be passed by the House which would prove insufficient revenues, the Senate probably would at once amend it..
 Tn the event of supremacy of the House fin conference. which is not improbable In view of the fact that the Senate will be barely republican and a portion of It's majority comprised of insurgents. who may act with the democrats. 1t is not doubted that President Taft would use the veto. In fact he has strongly inti- mated as much.
 Many people think. therefore. that few