Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-12-18
HOUSES ADJOURN
OYER HOLIDAYS,
MEET JANUARY 4
Senate Adopts Res luton Extending
Emergency Revenue Law for
Another Year and Wilson
Signs IT.
ROW OVER TARIFF MEASURE
Underwood Defends Act Bearing
His Name, and Penrose
Assails It.
SAYS WAR SAVES DEMOCRATS

=. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17.-Con-
gress adjourned tonight for the
Christmas holidays after the senate
had adopted the joint resolution
which passed the house yesterday ex-
tending the emergency revenue Law
one year. or until December 81, 1915.
The senate adopted the resolution
after lively partisan debate by
vote Of 40 to %. democrats support
ing it solidly and republicans unani-
mously opposing it. President Wilson
} signed the measure tonight.
Both houses will reconvene at
noon uesday. January A, when the
administration legislative program,
including the plans for national de-
fense, will be undertaken In earnest
During the two weeks of the session the
only important legislation was the ex-
tension of the war tax. This was done
to prevent a lapse of the law December
81 next. with the understanding that the
law will be taken up for amendment in
order to increase the revenues as soon
after the holidays as possible.
Exodus for Home.
Upon the adjournment tonight there
was a generalexodus of members for their
homes The day in the house had been
devoted to speeches on national defence.
Discussion of the war revenue revision
in the senate resolved itself into a tariff
argument, republicans assailing the I'm
derwood law as inadequate and condemn
ing the general fiscal policy of the ad-
ministration. Senator Underwood of Ala
bama in his first senate speech vigor-
ously upheld the law which bears his
name and challenged republicans to COM
pare 1t with the Payne-Aldrich tariff
Senator Simmons, chairman of the
finance committee, in response to ques-
tions from the republicans said he under
stood it to be the administrations plan
to propose further revenue legislation
after the holidays. and that his impress
sion was there would be no issuance OF
bonds to, defray increased expenses of
the government. including the prepared
ness program. s.ui teN
Penrose Tells of idle.
Senator Penrose Of Pennsyivanla. who
led In the minority attack on the resolu-
tion, interrupted Senator Underwood's
speech to draw a picture Of idle men In
his state during his campaign for re-
election last year. He said the present
prosperity in the steel business was due
to the war and immense purchases by
belligerent governments.
THE senator from Pennsylvania" said
Senator Underwood. in replay, ''has made
clear his belief than that the depression
which followed the terror of the first
few months of the war was due entirely
to the democratic administration. but
that the present prosperity alone is lue
to the war;
Revenues were greater I'm the first year
\of the present tariff law. he added. than
in the last year of the Payne law. Sem
ator Penrose insisted that the war had
been political blessing to the democratic
patrty rather than a handicap to the sue
cessful working out of its free trade pol
icy
War Saves Demos.
''The treasury deficit. which is blamed
on the European war;" he said, would,
in my opinion, be a thousand times worse
were it not for the war in Europe. The
war in Europe has been the only cause
which has saved the fiscal policy of the
party now in power from the most gigan-
tic collapse ever witnessed in a civilized
country. believe IL we had not had the
war in Europe we would have the black
est times in the history of the American
republic. compared to which the depres-
sion under Cleveland's second admins
tration and under the Wilson German law
would have been insignificant"
Republicans who Joined in the debate
included Senators Lodge. Smoot. Gronna,
Gallinger and Works. Senator's Thomas
and Gore supported Senators Simmons
and Underwood.