The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-18
Measure Passes Senate by Vote of 45 to 29 and Bill Is Signed by President Wilson
BOTH HOUSES ARE TO |2ECONVENE TUESDAY, JANUARY THE FOURTH
Only Important Legislation
 Accomplished in Two Weeks Sessions Was Ex-
 tension of Revenue Law

| Washington December 17--Congress ad-
 burned tonight for the Christmas holi- lays, after the Senate had adopted the
 pint resolution which passed the House
 esterday extending the emergency reve-
 ue law one year, or until Decembr 31, bis. The Senate adopted the resolution liter a lively partisan debate. by vote
 f 45 to 2s, democrats supporting it solidly
 nd republicans unanimously opposing it.
 President Wilson signed the measure to-
 light.
 Both houses will reconvene at noon,
 tuesday, January 4, when the admins
 ation legislative programme, including
 1e plans for national defense, will be
 udertaken in earnest.
 During the two weeks of the session
 he only important legislation was the ex-
 ention of the war tax. This was done
 prevent a lapse of the law December
 next, with the understanding that the will be taken up for amendment in
 kder to increase the revenues as soon liter the holidays as possible.
 CONGRESSMEN DISPERSE ..Upon the adjournment tonight there Ias general exodus of members for : leir homes. The day in the House had | |een devoted to speeches on national de- |snse Discussion of war revenue reso- l i,,4 . tariff argument, republicans assailing .Ae Underwood law as inadequate and |ondemning the general fiscal policy of he administration. Senator Underwood | Alabama, in his first Senate speech, \ gorously upheld the law which bears name and challenged republicans to pmpare it with the Payne-Aldrich tariff. 1 Senator simmons. chairman of the Inance committee, in response to ques- Itns from the republicans, said he un- Isrstood it to be the administration plan propose further revenue legislation | ISter the holidays and his impression was ere would be no issuance of bonds to I*efray increased expenses of the govern \ ent, including the preparedness pro- |$amme.
 EtSenator Penrose of Pennsylvania, who Ead in the minority attack on the reso- Etion, interrupted Senator Underwood s Beech to draw picture of idle men in |Hs state during his campaign for re- E,iectio nlast year. He said the present in the steel business was due | the war and immense purchases by |SFlligerent governments.
 DISCUSSED STEEL FISenator Underwood, asking if Senator Egenrose attributed the late depression to |hmpetition of foreign steel mills, due to E5i tariff reduction in the Underwood law, |binted out that importations of steel had ERen less since the beginning of war Ethan at any time in the most highly Protected history of the country. *} '"The senator from Pennsylvania ; &enator Underwood said, "has made
 Year that the depression which fol- Ei wed the terror of the first few ft onths of the war was due entirely kb the democratic administration, but @hat the present prosperity alone is He to the war.
 y ''This discussion today has clearly Hxsfined the issues between the two Efreat parties on questions of legisla- s5on. MT. Penrose says we are commit Etng a crime against the American E3sople by reducing the custom house N xes and replacing them with taxation Esssting solely on the wealth of the Ebuntry.
 EA 'eHe has challenged the democrats 3e9r that legislation and he has chal- Hinged them correctly. The present riff law was written with great de- E E.oeration reducing the tax at custom Houses with the purpose of making ! bonn in our system of taxation for 2 tax on wealth. By means of the in- { ssme tax the burden is removed from sH (Continued on page Two)