Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-06
Senate Slipping Its Free
Trade Bride a Bit.
pIssidsnilWIIson May Be- un-
able to Control in Fight at Hand.
Aug. I likely 10 Be Reached Before
The Tariff Bill Is Passed.

Washington, d. c., May Especial
The waters are roughening for Thu
new Democratic administration. Heat
winds are springiag UP against thu
ship of state. 1t IS not the fine sailing
of March and April. Does it mean {
tempest, the shortening of sail and thf
battenins down of the matches, with al
passengers below? Probably not. Il
possibly is only a cloudy sky and q
fretful sea which will subside.
Such an outcome was to be expected
sooner or later. 1t could not be one tri-
umph after another without resistance
from any quarter. Enemies were bound
TO rise up and smite right and left.
That is what has very. recently been
happening. Californian All, that word
is not pleasant one for the admins,
tration to contemplate. The Bryan
trip to Sacramento did no harm but II
apparently did little good. The legs-
iature has been persistent. An alien
land law there is to be and the State
Department has new problems with
Japan. 1t may not be a serious re-
Verse for the administration, but it is
no success.
And there is our old friend tariff.
The battle has been waged before the
House of Representatives. The bill
has been pressed ic finality there and
is now up to- the Senate. Demoera-
tic representatives stood together in
the House with splendid conference
They upheld the Democratic ways and
means committee. Assaults on the bill
We're all repelled Republicans scored
the measure in terrible terms but this
did not shake the discipline of the
democracy. Amendment after amend
ment was ruthlessly voted down Now
the ways and means Democrats can
take little rest.
But the mutterings of the opposition
at the north end of the Capitol are
ominous. Democratic senators are TAX
ing notice of what their constituents
are saying. The Senate. now on the
popular election basis, is likely to be
almost as responsive to the peoples
will as the House. There is only one
main difference, that senators are cleo
ted for six years where the represen-
tatives are elected for two years. The
Underwood bill is to be before the fl
nance committee for about two weeks
and those will be crucial weeks for
President Wilson and his immediate
supporters in Congress.
An impression grows that Senate
Democrats are little more disposed
TO make changes in the schedules. Il
looks as though the Presidents grasp
of the tariff situation in the Senate
was not quite as firm as it has been.
Certainly inside the finance commit
tee, as far as its Democratic members
are concerned, there is more DISPOSE
ton 10 make some changes. How
strong this will be in votes is yet to
be demonstrated. The President prob
ably has majority of the Demo-
Gratis of the committee with him
Quite possibly any changes that are
made must have his sanction
Office seekers are raising a great to
do. The federal plum tree has been
shaken delcately thus far Urgent re-
quests of the President to beat the
houghs with heavy clubs and get out
the large quantities of maturing fruit
meet with slight response. He and
Postmaster General Bufeson went out
under the spreading branches the 9TH
er morning and gathered about 100 fine
postal plums but that was only a cir
= cumstance to what the yield might
have been. A few of those large lus-
cious Offices in the Departments have
been bestowed, like the commissioner
of fisheries and the commissioner of
labor. But bless YOU, my Democratic
brethren, those We're scientific places
and are not the kind of pabulum upon
which faithful Democrats are allowed
(Continued, on Page Five)