The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-14
SENATE MAY OFFER
STUMBLING BLOCK
Democrats in Control BY
Very Small Majority
NOT IN FULL ACCORD
Several Democrats in Upper Body
Said Not to Be in Sympathy
With the Tariff Revision
Programme
Bv c. E. STEWART

Washington, November H. Especially
It Is conceded by the leaders and the
thinkers in Washington now, who are
looking forward to the new admins
tration and its hopes of achievement
that the only real trouble that con-
fronts the democrats in carrying out
their platform pledges to the people,
will likely arise in the Senate
The stories of party division in the
House are tabooed; they are not credited
as having any foundation in fact, and
they are believed to have originated
mostly in the minds of their creators,
but the Senate, while it will be demo-
cratic will be so closely divided that
insurgency on the part of one or two
democrats is liable to cause serious
trouble The Senate has always been
more or less chubby" and just what
its economic and social MIND" will be
cannot by any means be surely calcu-
lated.
The Senate is not, and has never
been, a very manageable outfit. Mr..
cleveland had a Senate that was norni-
nally democratic, but it mussed up his
tdTlll pfOEI very sddlS ioliN hVfNN'
him to admit that his tariff legisla-
ton failed to execute the party pledges
as he would have executed them. Mr..
Roosevelt.had his full share of troubles
with the upper chamber. and Mr. TAFT
can charge up to the insurgents of his
own party in that body the formulation
and the first powerful impetus to re-
volt against his party leadership. The
Senate is a law unto itself. More and
more in recent time 1t has been dis
posed to make something of its au-
thority of rejecting or confirming APP
pointees of the President. Under Nc
I<inley and Hanna the Senate largely
surrendered it's Independence in that
direction and became kind of rubber
stamp that was automatically affixed
to presidential certificates. 1t is not
that way now, not so as you can tell
1t, and 1t is not likely to be so any
more soon Certainly not until the
members of the Senate begin to look
upon such matters in a different light
than they are disposed to do at this
time.
Club Spirit in Senate
The club spirit prevails in the Sem
ate TO a certain extent and it will pre-
vail until senators are elected by the
direct vote of the people. The Senate
Is not, and will not be as responsive to
the sentiment of the country as the
House of Representatives is, until they
begin to owe their election to the peo-
pie
These 90 men can, If they see Mt
block all legislation enacted by the
House, and 1t is powerful force
given to 80 men, and 1t must be remem-
oered that 1t Is not given them direct
~ by the people, but through the leg
'slatures Yet they presume to speak
for a hundred millions of people.
The democratic control of the Senate
viii be so very small that few reac-
tionary democrats by joining with the
republicans can play havoc with leg
station passed by the House. 1t is a
problem that President-elect Wilson
will have to solve early If he wishes
70 carry out the full programme of the
party. Among those who 1t is be-
heved may give trouble is Senator
simmons of North Carolina 1t is said
that Senator simmons is not in full
accord with the party on the vital
question of the tariff, and nominally
he is the leader of the party In the
Senate.
Gore Will Be Big Factor
Senator Gore of Oklahoma, who viii
be big factor in ethe Senate after
March 4, partly on account of his abil-
lty and progressiveness and partly be-
cause he is close to the President-elect
ntimates, it is said, that the demo-
rats will find 1t necessary to COM
,ine with the progressive republicans
n the revision of some of the sched-
/ lles, such as the sugar schedule for
instance, because of the opposition OF