Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-28
Democrats Assume Reins.

March 4. without the slightest sense
OF shock in the transition. and in ad-
mirable contrast with change Of
government in the republic to the
south of US, the democratic party came
into power. During the previous
month forty legislatures were in SEES
sion and the doings Of some Of these
Legislative bodies are of national i'm
por .anc-. Most of them were committed
to reform and progressive measures to
La degree hitherto unknown in state
Legislation. In Pennsylvania election
reform bills were considered In Ohio
the adoption of a new constitution the
previous year demanded much serious
work and fine achievement. In Indiana
the progressive movement In legislation
was also prominent. In Illinois the
law making body was i'll deadlock
through the month of January. which
finally was broken by a combination OF
democrats and republicans in the selec-
ton of William Mckinley tdemocraD
as Speaker of the lower house; the
inauguration of Gov. Dunno followed.
but IL was not until March 70 that
james Hamilton Lewis (democraD and
Lawrence Y. Sherman republican, were
elected to the United States Senate.
One OF the last official acts Of President
Taft Was to veto the sundry civil appro-
priation bill on the morning OF his sue
cessor's inauguration. The same day the
voters OF Vermont changed the date of
| the state election from september to No
ve-nber. II was also in the closing hours
/ Of the Congress, March 4. that President
/! Taft signed the bill which created the
/ new Department Of Labor. This measure
was against his personal Judgment and
he had intended TO veto it. hut when he
/ learned that his successor was in favor
of this tenth department he agreed to IT
as q matter OF courtesy.
April the Sixty-third Congress met in
special session To revise the tariff. Mr..
| Underwood (den.). chairman OF the ways
/; and means committee. introduced the adj
ministration tariff measure, which In
/ cluded provision for q tax on incomes.
| There followed long and exhaustive dis
cussion OF each section of the measure.
I IT was not until September . that the
/ Senate democrats in caucus came to an
! agreement on income tax rates. The ex-
| enption line was fixed upon as 5000, in
/ comes from 5000 to So0o0u paying ] per
| cent, surtaxes of from l TO u per cent be-
ing imposed upon larger incomes. Sep
/ TENDER the Senate passed the demo-
cratic tariff revision bill BY vote of A
| TO 81. September II the. democratic
members of the conference committee of
| both houses began work On the adjust
! ment of differences in the tariff bills.
With the passing of the tariff bill by the
/ Senate the great work for which the new
Sixty-third Congress had been convened
| by President Wilson was virtually COM
pleted.
| The work of the tariff conference conf
| mittee was finished September "a and
was approved by the House on the fol-
lowing day and in the Senate three days
| later. President Wilson signed the bill
| the evening of Friday, October 3, at a
| few minutes after o'clock in the pres
/ ence of his cabinet, the democratic lead
ers of both houses and few friends. The
! Presidents reason for signing at such q
| late hour was To make sure that the bust
! ness day had ended at Pacific coast ports
! so that there could be no dispute regard
| ing the application of the new rates to
any wares passing through the custom
| houses Friday. October 3. Congress had
provided that the new tariff should go
into effect al the moment when the bill
| was signed.
perhaps the most exciting work of the
! Sixty-third Congressman even except
ing the revision of the tariff-has be.I,
the consideration OF the currency and
banking bill introduced In the Senate by
| Robert l. Owen of Oklahoma. chairman
of the Senate committee on banking and
currency. and simultaneously in the
House by Carter Glass. chairman of the
House committee on banking and cur
rency. Three days before this bill was
introduced to Congress. June %. Presi-
dent Wilson read his message before g
joint session and urged the lawma king
body to remain in Washington Ions
enough 10 give the business men OF
this country banking and currency sys
TEN by means of which they can max.
use OF the freedom OF enterprise and Of
Individual initiative which we are abou
/ to bestow upon them'-referring to thu
) tariff measure
) Despite the earnest effort OF the Presi
dent and shis Spokesman In Congress t.
] promote agreement upon the banking ans
currency measure, 1t was not brought [,
D a conclusion during the special session
but was carried over.
The bill. passed by the House Septem
I Der Is was finally agreed to in the Sen
: ate December 10. The conference 70
t port was adopted by both houses O