The Forrest City times., 1913-01-17


 to high government offices. Today there is not Democratic leader in congress apparently who can say that ne knows one man who Is certain to be appointed to high office by the in- coming Democratic president.
 Ever since MT. Wilson came back from Bermuda the Democratic leaders have been conferring with him. The trains between Washington and Trenton have been heavy laden with passengers of national prominence go- Ing to the source of knowledge, to come back again with very little knowledge about the things of great est personal interest. Mir. Wilson, the returning Democratic leaders admit, IS not of mind to commit himself in any way definitely upon the subject of the composition of his cabinet until he Is certain that he has weighed all the recommendations and all the ob- Jections and has found out to the nicety of fraction all that he wants to know about the men whom he would like to invite to membership in his official family.
 It must not be understood from this that MT. Wilson has declined to talk freely with the Democratic lead CTS. He has had and is having con- ferences lasting for several hours with the men of greater prominence in his party It is known definitely in Washington, however. that nine- tenths of the time consumed at the conference Is given over to the dis cussion of policies rather than men. MT Wilson Is anxious to learn from the men of his party of long experi- ence in congress just what chance leg islation which he may propose has of being enacted into law.
 Expects AntaeonIsm In Senate.
 The president-elect has keen ap- preciation of the fact that the Dem ocratic membership in the senate Is an uncertain quantity In certain mat ters of party policy. He knows that there are ultra-conservative Demo- crats In the senate whom their more progressive, or radical If you will, brethren go so far as to call Repub- licans with little veneer of Democ- racy. It Is known from what the lead CTS say that MT. Wilson fears that some of his policies upon which he will make strongly progressive recom- mendations are not to the liking, in their outlined form, of some of the Democrats in the senate. So 1t Is that MT. Wilson is anxious to learn in advance from the members of his party just how much antagonism he may expect In the senate, and what if anything he must concede in order to insure united Democratic support of such legislation as he may pro- pose.
 There Is some fear, 1t Is known, on MT. Wilson's part, that the Democrats in the senate will decline to sanction tariff revision in the form of some of the provisions which will be put into the bill by the house of representa- tives which. under the constitution. must initiate all tariff legislation.
 Must Travel Old Road.
 Representative Oscar w. Under. wood, chairman, and his fellow mem. oers or the ways and means con- mlttee, are about to begin the hear. ings which always come as a pre-. Jude to the passage of new tariff legis- lation. The road which stretches be- fore the chairman and his fellows is much travelled one. The Republic. uncontrolled ways and means com mittee went over it at the extra ses. sion called by MT, Taft in 1909 A Democratic controlled ways and means committee went over 1t In part when reciprocity was under con sideration; then the same committee went over 1t again at the last session of congress, and now the ways and means members stand at the tape ready for the signal to begin the march once more.
 Cynical laymen in Washington say that If the committee hears anything new on the tariff question during the coming weeks of patient or impa- tient attention to the arguments of importers and manufacturers, 1t will be one of the miracles of chance. The printed public reports of the tar If hearings during the last four years make many volumes. Every subject from acetanelid to zinc has been exploited for all that was in 1t to bolster up the cause of either standpatism or downward revision.
 Cuts May Not Be Very Deep.
 It seems to be the belief of most students of legislation, and of the political trend, as 1t will affect legis- lation, that the tariff bills, which will be passed by a congress controlled by the Democrats and signed by a Democratic president will not repre- sent "a cut to the bone policy" It seems likely that the measures which finally will come out of con. gress will be considerably above a free basis. Democratic leaders have said that they do not want to do any thing which will upset business, or as some of them put 1t, which will give business a chance ito upset itself" The ways and means committee will