The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-14
|NS|D|OUS LOBBY
PROMISES TOHOLD
Center OF STAGE
Legislative Affairs Progress
sing But Overshadowed
by Confession Artists
HOUSE AND SENATE
BATTLE FOR MULHALL

day--Sentiment Growing Against
Enactment of Currency Law
This Session
Washington, July 13.--Martin M. Mul.
hall. confessed lobbyist of the National
Association of Manufacturers, after dodg-
ing subpoena servers of the House of Rep
resentatives since Saturday afternoon, will
be before the Senate lobby investigating
committee again tomorrow and resume
his revelation of alleged dealings and
double dealings with men of affairs in
and out of Congress.
Though legislative affairs. chiefly tariff
revision and currency reform, are pro-
crossing and destined to take on new
vigor this week, interest in them is over
shadowed by the Mulhal charges, hitting
at public men right and left, as the Over
man committee digs deeper into the huge
pile of correspondence carried on between
this man, officials of the National Asso-
IcldtlDn OF ManuIdtluTeTS, idDot icdutiS,
congressman and others.
Enlivening the interest in the lobby hunt
is the game of hide and seek attending it.
members of the Senate committee in the
role of hiders and members of the House
investigating cosamittee acting as seek
ers after the arch witness Mulhall and his
u years pile of correspondence.
House Vies With Senate
Chairman Garrett and his colleagues, di-
rected by the House TO inquire into Null
halls charges. We're considerably aroused
yesterday over the trick played by the
Senate committee. which let Mulhail leave
town for over Sunday before subpoenae
servers could round up the witness for a
Saturday afternoon session with the House
committee
AS matters stand now in the contest be-
tween the Senate and the House for jur-
isdiction over the person and effects OF
Mlllhall, the Senate claims nine points of
the law, being possessor of both witness
and documents. and will continue to hold
them nntil all the papers in the case have
been read INTO the record ana interpreted
by Mulhall and until they are through
with the witness.
1t is not the intention OF the Senate
committee to release Mulhall from the
subpoena which antedates that issued by
the House committee. Members of the
committee declared today that they could
not finish with Mulhall In less than a
week, and that they might require his
presence longer on direct examination. In
order to avert any possibility of the wit
ness getting away from the Senate side
the committee contemplates holding day
and night sessions
The House investigators will continue to
watch for an opportunity to catch Mulhall
when he is not engaged before the Over
man committee. and in the meantime they
are planning to examine acquaintance
and relatives of the Baltimore lobbyist to
get all possible information about the man
and his operations from outside sources.
Wilson Will Return Today
President Wilson returns to Washington
tomorrow from his vacation, and he will
he gratified to find the Senate ready tn
begin debate on the long considered tariff
bill. He also win find that the bill has
been made party measure, as he desired,
and that when It becomes a law 1t will
have been placed on the statute books by
the democratic party and not as the result
of any particular effort by an individual
congressman or senator or clique of indi-
viduals.
The tariff debate really will begin in the
Senate Wednesday, although the first re-
publican gun will be fred at the measure
tomorrow, when Senator McCumber of
North Dakota attacks the agricultural
schedule. lie will speak by unanimous
consent because he is obliged to leave
Washington for some time.
Senator McCumber will return in time
to vote against the bill.
Senator Simmons chairman of the
finance committee, will submit the ma
jority report on the bill in day or two,
and he will make the opening statement
for the administration Wednesday.
Republican leaders intend TO fight each
schedule vigorously and substitutes for
each one will be offered. in some cases
there will be many amendments to each
schedule. Senators Penrose. Smoot. Bur-
ion, Smith of Michigan. Borah, Cummins,
IaFollette, Weeks and other republicans
already are prepared with amendments
and arguments. Democratic leaders say
they do not expect to take up much time
and both sides hope to pass the bill by
September at the latest
Erdman Act Amendment
Action of the commmittee of 1900 repre-
septing the members of the Brotherhood
of Railway Trainmen and Conductors, em-
ployed by the eastern railroads. ratifying
in New York today the strike vote taken
by both organizations, is calculatedt to
hasten action in the House on the bill en-
larging the scope of the Erdman act. The
Newlands bill, which passed the Senate. IL
before the House for passage, while Chair
man Clayton, of the judiciary committee,
has bill Of his own which he prefers
Owing to the emergency brought about
by the impending strike, 1t seems prob
able that the House will pass the Senate
Bill In order that a means may be provided
for arbitration of threatened gigantic
industrial struggle. The matter will be
brought up in the House tomorrow.
Currency again will be taken up by the
House committee on banking and cur
rency beginning tomorrow, and there is a
slight prospect that the committee may
get together and complete consideration
of the bill by the end of the week. The
owen committee in the Senate has dropped
consideration of the currency BILL while
The tariff debate is progressing. 1t will
he taken I'D within a few weeks. The
bill probably will be passed In the House
bv the time the Senate has disposed OF
the tariff.
Despite efforts to assure legislation al
this session, sentiment against enactment
az a currency law continues to grow II
r.. Senate Democrats and republicans
alike have been heard to say that the bill
will get no further in the Senate thar
committee consideration which 1t viii
lead to It's being taken up on the floor
next winter.