The Washington herald., 1913-10-02
SENATE CAUCUS
in LINEFOR BILL
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

pressed himself in favor Of the Clark
amendment in preference to the Smith
Lever proposal, declaring that the Smith
Lever substitute adopted by the House
w6s an 'anesthetic," while the case
needed a ''purgative"
Senator O'Gorman was dissatisfied
with several things in the report He
was not pleased with' the income tax
law. as it was finally agreed to. and
particularly objected to the treatment
accorded the mutual insurance COM
panies. He also agreed with Senator
Pomerene on the necessity for restoring
the wine tax. =
Caucus Call Surprising.
The call for the caucus came as 4
surprise early this morning. 1t was
known last night that Senator Reed
was circulating a call for the caucus.
This was not looked upon as likely to
lead to anything. but when II became
known that Mr.. Reed and other Senators
had threatened to vote against the con-
ference report unless they were given
a chance to be heard in CAUCUS Demo-
cratic Senator'S hastened to sign the call
and give the insurgents an opportunity
to voice their complaint in the party
councils.
During the day all sorts of disgusting
rumors were afioat. Some of the leaders
in the Senate thought they saw in the in
surgent movement against the tariff hill
the beginning Of a Democratic revolt
against President Wilson. II was pointed
out that four of the insurgent Senator's
were members Of the majority OF the
Banking and Currency COMMITTEES. ans!
that these Senators had been In opposi-
ton to the Presidents plan for taking
up currency legislation at this session
pHTfi h.
figure in the plans of the insurgents, the
fact was not disclosed In the caucus. IOT
all of the Senators who were questioned
after the caucus adjourned tonight de-
clared that the currency bill was not con-
sidered.
Senator Simmons will call up the con-
ference report today in the Senate and
will ask that body TO remain in conIinu-
Gus session until the report is dis
posed OF. II is likely that the ses-
sion, beginning at noon today, will
be prolonged into the night and may ex-
tend over tomorrow. But the Democratic
leaders have no doubt Of their ability to
bring about an agreement in the Senate
on the report which will result in the ap-
proval of all of the conference report as
II was submitted in the House Monday.
except the amendment taxing cotton fC-
tures, and that will be eliminated.
Agreement Soon Expected.
The report then will go back to the
House and II the House agrees to recede
from the Smith-Lever amendment, as II
is expected il will do. a prompt agree
ment 90 the report will be had, and the
next step viii be to present the bill to
the President for his signature. This leg
islatiye program makes II reasonably
certain that the bill can be disposed Of
not later than Saturday night. and II
there is no hitch in the plan. there will
be no need for a further meeting of the
conference committee.
Several speeches will be made in the
but mostly by Republicans. 1t
is understood that Senator La Toilette
will complain of the action of the con-
ferees in excluding the Republicans, but
his friends do not believe that he will
vote against the conference report. The
Senator said that while the action OF the
Democratic leaders in the conference
committee was subject to criticism, II
was no worse than the Republicans had
done when the Payne-Aldrich law was
passed. and that the tariff bill, which
he believes to be an improvement over
existing law. ought not to be allowed to
fail because of the arbitrary methods of
partisan leaders in Congress. -.---
Senator Smoot Senator Kenyon. Sena-
tor McCumber, Senator Penrose. and
Senator La Toilette are expected TO
make speeches from the Republican side,
and il is likely that there will be other
speeches. On the Democratic side, Sena-
tor Pomerene. Senator Vardaman. Sena-
tor Hitchcock, Senator Williams, and
others will be heard ...