The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-05-17
PenrOse LaFollette Amend
ment Voted Down by Dem
OcratS in Senate
DISCUSSION
ON FREE SUGAR
Senator James Says Underwood Bill
Is in Accord with Party Platform
Louisiana Senators Voted With Re
publicans, Poindexter with Democrats

WASHINGTON, May l7.-Democrat-
ic leaders in the Senate were indorsed
late yesterday in their determination to
refer the Underwood tariff bill to the
finance committee for consideration
without public hearings. The Penrose-
LaFollette amendment directing that
public hearings be hei. was defeated
by vote Of Al to SO, and the motion
of Senator Simmons to refer the bin
was then passed without a roIl-call.
Two Democrats, Senators Randell and
Thornton of Louisiana, voted for the
Republican amendment. Senator Poin-
dexter of Washington, Progressive, voted
with the majority. Senator Jones of
Washington, Republican, who previous
ly had determined to vote against pub
Tic hearings, announced that he had
changed his mind because the finance
subcommittee were giving private
hearings to some interests which he
thought should bc public
| The closing day of debate on the is
/ sue of hearings was enlivened with dis
eussion of the Democratic platform.
and its bearing on free sugar by Sen
ator James Of Kentucky, who vigorous
! lv defended the stand taken bv Presi-
/ dent Wilson for free sugar, declared
/ the party had stood for free sugar
and campaigned on it and defied the
Louisiana senators to find man Pres-
ident Wilson had ever told he was op-
posed to free sugar. Senators Smoot,
LaFollette and Clark wound up the de-
bate on behalf of the public hearing
| amendment, Senator Smoot predicting
that the Democratic party would be
put out of power as a result of its tar
if bin.
Senator Clark declared that the Tn
derwood bill was Just as much a law
today as it would be after the Senate
had voted upon il and Senator LaFol-
lette urged the Democrats to court the
open-door policy. 1.-The edict has
gone forth. - said Senator Clark. ''The
real vote on this tariff bill viii be
taken here IN the House, where il was
taken in secret caucus. / know there
are Democrats who 10 not believe the
bin is just and righteous altogether
who are willing to bow the head TO
the demands of office and ease the lash
of party eXpedencv.
Senator Walsh Of Montana was one
; of the few Democrats to enter the de
/ pate. Mr.. walsh SAID ne was IN re
? ceipt of scores Of kilograms urging hin
to vote for hearings. Most of them
. came from sugar interests, he said, bu
he believed not a single fact could b,
calculated in hearings that was not al
ready known and he would yot,
against them. Senator Newlands Of
J Nevada spoke briefly against sacrific
5 ing the sugar production of thi
country to Cuba.
The finance committee wills NEE
next week to hear reports from th'
subcommittee engaged in considera
tion Of various schedules Of the bill
and Chairman Simmons hopes to repor
the bill to the Senate by June |. Al
ready quite a number of minor change
have been suggested by the sub-eom
5 mittees These will be considered il
s the party caucus to be called befor
u the bill is reported. Great interest wa
!, manifested in the final contest over tn
! hearings question, the galleries bein
> crowded with spectators. The senators
! gallery was filed with guests and i
: the president Is gallery were the Misse
+ Margaret and Eleanor Wilson and
) party of friends. They remained III
d til a vote had been taken.