The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-24

DEMOCRATS THINK
EXTRA SESSION WILL
BE EXTENDED fair
Measures May Keep Body in
Session Into the Autumn
Months
MAY DISPOSE OF
| :. TARIFF BY MAY |
,aady for Presidents Approval by
August-Currency and Other
Reforms May Keep Con-
gress in Session

Washington, March 23.-Democrats
expressed the view tonight that the
extra session of Congress would be a
prolonged affair. This was on the as
sumption that President Wilson would
recommend to Congress consideration
of the currency question as we'll as per-
haps other matters of pressing impor-
! tance, insofar as their discussion would
not interfere with the right of way of
tariff revision. The President has in
dicated within the past day or two
! that he will urge other needed legis-
lation when the tariff is out of the
way.
Consideration of currency and other
question might carry the session well
! into the autumn.
Democratic Leader Underwood is
known to believe that the tariff will
be disposed of in the House by May l,
and by both houses by July l. Speaker
4 Clark tonight said that If only the tar
IN were taken up Congress could ad-
journ the middle of August, While other
Headers predicated that tariff revision
would be ready for the presidential
approval by August /.
May Take Up Other Measures
IF the President should send in a
message recommending action on other
important matters than the tariff, said
the speaker, 81 have no sort of doubt
that Congress would take up these
matters. A good many members of the
House want to go right into general
legislation. A good many other menu
sbers believe that the extra session
should be confined to the tariff. If the
three special sissions. colled to revise
the tariff, in which L have served the
lworlx was confined largely to the tariff,
barring such routine matters as natur-
,ally come up
The big problem with which the
House ways and means committee ma
jority now is wrestling is the income
tax Three points especially are be-
,ing considered, the amount of income
exemption, the rate of tax, including
questions of graduation or straight tax
and collection. The Wilson act of 1898.
the last democratic tariff made $4,000
las the minimum taxable income, which
some of the revisionists argued tonight
was really equal to $4,000 or S6000 un-
der present living cost conditions. Some
House leaders While preterrlAg
straight tax at the outset and to have
the system develop gradually would
not oppose a conservative form of
graduation. Others favor graduated
tax increasing heaviIy on large IN
comes.
Dummy" Percentage Rate
The committee majority is working
with dummy" percentage rate and
the final result will hinge on these
calculations and on the report yet to
lbe made on the probable revenue from
1.-THE IA dutiable schedules. The question
.of collection source-whether from the
semployer instead of directly from the
salaried mans being carefully studied
Iout.
The maximum and minimum provision
tof the bill. it was said tonight prob
Iably will be radically changed, per-
lhaps with a reversing of the so-called
I"big stick policy by making the con-
Nentional or regular tariff rates, the
maximum to meet discriminating con-
ditions in any foreign country. The
Cuban reciprocity treaty of December
III, 1902, allowing 20 per cent reduction
on imports from Cuba from the regular
tariff rates, probably will be main
tained by a reiteration of the declara
zion that nothing in the new tariff shall
be construed to abrogate the treaty.
Some substantial changes in the Phil
1ppine tariff are likely