The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
Taft's Position Made Plain in Case Reciprocity
 Does Not Pass
BIG NUMBER OF BILLS f LONGEST CONGRESS
Many Believe Now That an Extra Session Is Certainty-Taft .r Will Veto Unfavorable
 Legislation

Washington, February 19.-The first dent Taft will call an extra session of Congress if the Senate fails to act upon the Mccall bill, putting into effect the Canadian reciprocity agreement, came to- day from Mir. Mccall himself following an interview with the President at tho White House
 According to MT. Mccalrs announce | ment the President feels that he is un- der an international obligation to sum to get action on the reciprocity agree l ment. That session would be called im- mediately following the adjournment of Congress at noon March {. < ..t While it is the evident purpose of the President in permitting the announce l ment of MT. Mccall, to avoid an extra session by inducing senators to act upon l the agreement, 1t is the opinion of many about the capital that in all proba- biity the statement has come too late. Few senators are sanguine enough 70 predict that action will be taken on the agreement in the upper branch of Con- gress at this session, while some insist there will be vote. ft
 Congress Congested
 With appropriation bills in a badly congested state. the Lorimer case pend ing, with the permanent tariff board bill pressing for consideration, with the gen. eral service pension bill being urged by many senators and with the resolution for the popular election of senators com ing up daily as the unfinished business, 1t seems that the chances for action upon the Canadian reciprocity agree
 ment are slight; but, of conrse, condi-
 tionsl may change. There is some prospect that the Lori mer case may be disposed of Wednes- day. following speech which Senator
 Lorimer will make in his own behalf, but there Is no apparent likelihood of early votes on any of the other i'm portant mea asures mentioned ] Opponents of the reciprocity agree ment in the Senate are viewing with | complacency not to say satisfaction the
 body. The demands of public business are such that vote on reciprocity can | be avoided easily without the appearance | of a f1libuster. The bill carrying the agreement into effect probably will not be reported out of the finance commit tee before Thursday next at the earliest
 At that time there will remain only seven and half legislative days of the pres ! ent session.
 Taft Will Veto
 Following his interview with President Taft MT. Mccall also made the import
 ant announcement that the President
 would veto any tariff legislation passed | by the democratic House and approved | by a nearly democratic Senate if that should be necessary to maintain the re-
 publican party's protective principles. | MT. McCalrs statement. which Is gen.
 erally understood to have been approved
 formally by the President. is as follows; 'I believe republican senators are grad
 ually coming to recognize that, with the
 certain prospect of an extra session un-
 less they bring the reciprocity bill to a vote, there will be very serious incon- venience and embarrassment, if not dan ger, to the business and industrial en- | terprises that are really entitled to pro- lection. The President feels that he Is under an international obligation to sum- mon an extra session. He will do this reluctantly because it is bringing into
 power a democratic House and Sen ate much more nearly democratic than l the present Senate. But If the Senate
 should fail to act the President feels that under his agreement with the Cana | dian government to use his utmost en-
 deAvor to have the reciprocity agreement confirmed, he will be compelled to cali
 the session immediately. But it would be | a misfortune to have this inevitable con- l fiict como nine months ahead of the time
 when 1t Is naturally due.
 Refers to Precedents
 Garfield when In. the House.. voted 1 against denouncing the Elgin treaty,
 which was drawn on almost exactly the | same lines as is the present agreement
 rn Grants administration treaty in
 nearly the same terms WAS negotiated
 and rejected by the Senate. Mckinley in | later times advocated like policy, and
 after many years of agitation the present | administration has been able to take ad vantage of an international situation and
 bring to conclusion a fair and equit-
 able reciprocity agreement which fills | McKinley's requirement In that 1t shall | injure no interest at home and shall fur | ther increase our foreign trade. Tho
 President Is impressed with the extreme
 importance to the country of the ratin- | cation of the agreement and also with the
 solemn obligation he has undertaken tc
 use his utmost endeavor to have 1t enact
 ed Into law. s.4 .-t | Tn cOncluslon deSlre to call attention
 to the following extract from the Pres'-
 dents speech at Springfield. H.. with Tits attendant warning:
 "9There, are those conservative protec. tionists who hang back from an approva
 of this agreement on the ground that it Is a departure from the principle oi protection, and Is the opening wedge rc I lot in free trade My own view Is that no step could be taken more in the in.
 terest of reasonable policy of protec. ton than the approval of this treaty. The very existence of the policy depends or our abolition of the tariff where 1t is not
 really needed under the principle of tkt last republican platform. If we perss in retaining 1t in these times of higr
 prices and gradually exhausting food supply and base our retention on pro tecfion principles. we shall rouse an op
 position that will know no moderation II and will not cease radical economic
 changes until is removed from the stat
 ute book the last trace of protective I tariff ..sa- 4s-
 | "Dr. Cook" New Musical Comedy
 ChrIsttania, February 19.-Thc Norwe
 gian composer, Johann IIalversen, seem,
 dets srmined not to allow pr. Cook to pas