The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1912-01-26
BIG JOB FOR sDL0Ns
Weighty Issues on the List for
. Next Congress.
Tariff, Trusts and Currency Reform
Expected to Engage LaWmaksrO'
. Attention During Winter
Chance for Action Slight.

HltCUtlOu AuTluHs WiuNSt
Chance for Action Slight
Washington is evident that the
three big subjects before congress a.
the next session will be the tarifI. the
trusts and the banking and currency
system Whether there can be legis-
lation on any of these topics will de-
pend on the sort of working agree
ment that may be reached between a
Democratic house and senate nomi-
nally Republican, but actually made
up of regular Republicans. insurgent
Republicans. conservative Democrats
and progressive Democrats.
Most Of the long.range predictions
are that legislation covering these
three subjects will not be enacted on
the eve of the presidential campaign
The house of representatives will
take up the tariff again as soon as
the new session opens II Is expect
ed that President 'ra'! WI be ready
by tina; time to submit to congress-
The report of his tariff board on the
wool schedule and the cotton seized
ule
The indications are that the ways
and means committee will not 20
guided entirely, ii at all. by the re-
ports by this board The general un-
derstanding now Is that the house
will pass bills revising the wool sched'
ule, the cotton schedule and enlarg-
ing the free list that will not differ
materially from the bills 1t put
through at the late session.
Few persons here are optimistic
enough to believe that the senate will
at the coming session accept the
house tariff bill Unless the house
leaders change their minds they will
not agree to program such as was
followed by the senate in the session
that has just closed
The outlook for banking and cur
rency legislation is not at all favor
able The national monetary COM
mission will make its final report TO
congress early in January. and will
establishment Of national reserve
association.
Neither the Democrats nor the In
surgent Republicans look with favor
| at this time on the commissions plan
The banking and currency committee
of the house of representatives ex
poets to have a plan OF its own ready
for presentation soon after the SEES
sion begins
There seems to be some prospect
of the radicals in congress amending
the Sherman antitrust law. Apparent
ly the Democrats and the insurgen
Republicans are not far apart on pro
posed amendments to this law.
The senate will probably take thC
lead on this subject The interstate
commerce committee of that bodJ
win meet in November to consider
proposed amendatory legislation. Thi!
committee will have before 1t bills IN
troduced by Senator Clapp of Mime
sofa, Senator Newlands Of Nevads
and Senator La Toilette Of Wiscon
sin.
So far the conservative Republi
cans have not submitted anything Il
the committee for its consideration
President Taft will, it is understood
/ renew his recommendation for tht
national incorporation law, and thu
conservative Republicans viii prob
ably support a bill for law Of tha
character
The interesting fact Is that the so
called radicals in the senate have
the votes to put through such al
amendment to the Sherman anti-trus
law as they want.
The amendatory bill introduced
by Senator La Toilette was not OF
fered until the Wisconsin senator
had consulted many OF the progress
sive Democrats, as well as his fellow
insurgents The two important fea
lures OF the La Toilette bill are these
1t puts on the corporation the burden
OF proof to establish the reasonable
, ness of an alleged restraint of trade
II provides that in any action brough
under the Sherman antitrust law thu
restraint OF trade alleged shall b.
conslusively deemed to be unreason
able.
Both the progressive Republican
and the progressive Democrats insis
that the Supreme court has writer
the phrase reasonable restraint o
trade" into the Sherman anti.trus
law. The La Toilette bill tighten
up the Sherman law in many re
spects
: The congress is going. to be SLOW
about doing anything that will ten,
TO create condition under whic
any department Of the federal gov
eminent will undertake to be respon
sible for the daily conduct OF tn
great corporations.
The tendency just now is clearl
away from the idea that some persOi
or some bureau or some department
here at Washington shall be empow
, cred to say that this trust Is goo,
trust and that that trust Is a bad one