| OCR Text |
Show WILSON STANDS PIT I ; PREDICTION Or WHITE MOUSE p LAMB AMONG CAPITOL HILL i LIONS REVERSED. EASY PROGRESS FOR POLICIES a 0 Dsmocrsts and Rspublloan Alike Surprised Sur-prised at Way President Wins His t Way Will Ost Such Law a H f Wants. 1 By GEORGE CLINTON, j Washington. Members of the Dem-j Dem-j ocratio party In congress today say, in the way of what might be called an admission, that when Wood row Wll ' aon was elected president the general Democratic view of It seemed to be that after March 4 It would be a case of a White ilouse lamb among Capitol Hill lions. Today some of th Demo-' Demo-' ersts say that It seems to be a case : of Capitol Hill lambs and a White liouae Iton. Democratic aenators and represen-I represen-I tatlves told Prealdent Wilson some I time ago that they thought It likely he would win his tariff fight Today , they are telling hlra that he haa won ( It Consistently with the original Hon and lamb theory the Democrats thought at the first that the leaders In congresa would have their own way 1 in tariff legislation. Now they ssy 1 that they made a mistake and that It is virtually an assured thing that th Democratic senators will get together, preserve party harmony and give Mr. Wilson ezactly what he bas asked fur In tbe way of tariff reform. It Is difficult to determine which Is the more surprised in Washington today to-day the coservatlve Democrats or th Republicans because of th comparatively compara-tively fairly easy way In which Mr. Wilson seems to be making progress with his policies. The Democrats now not only say that his tariff bill will go through the aenate virtually as he haa approved it, but that the fair promise today Is that he will get currency cur-rency legislation and anti-trust legislation legis-lation in accordance with the views which he will eipress as to what form such legislation shall take. Responsibility Is Wilson'. Th tariff tneaiar after it becomes a law possibly may work the ruin which some gentlemen predict for It but whether it works evil or good it will be Woodrow Wilson's legislation. A good many of tbe formerly reluctant Democrats ra tbe aenal whll they do not appear to have become eager In their desire to support the president, presi-dent, seemingly have made op their minds to supporKhtm, and voting support sup-port from all hJ party In the upper house Is what the president needs be. cause the Democratic majority there . Is not large. Bom of th Democratic aenators ; wbo have leaned toward protection ' bav. as their progressive brethern pat It, been brought Into Une by presl- 1 dentltj persuasion accompanied by a ' showing of firmness. For a good many weeks some of th upper bouse I men urged tbat certain schedules as 1 prepared by Mr. Underwood and his committee on waya and means were ' of a kind to bring disaster to som 1 of tb bom industries. Every possl- ' ble argument personal, political and economical, was used to Induce the 1 president to recede a few steps, but ' th Democrats say today that he 1 stsnds where be stood at the first and 1 tbat bis bill, barring a political or a legislative cataclysm will become the law of the land. 1 The Democratic senators of both ' factions finally have agreed among themselves that they must have con- 1 cord at any cost say that of futur elections. Prssldsnt Wins Victory. 1 Mr. Wilson seemingly baa won his 1 victory and his backbone has proved ' to be made of a different kind of ma- 1 terlal than some of bis party breth- I era thought when they first went to the White House to hall him presl- I dent. The president tbe Democrats I say, haa been forced to make no com- promise In order to secure what they t declare now seems certain will be the fruits of a victory won by stand- I Ing pat on a national convention plat- t form and on the platform of promises i made by the party speakers In tbe ' last rsmpelgn. t It seems likely to prove that Mr. Wilson Is going to accomplish something some-thing which Mr. Cleveland failed to accomplish. Th latter once allowed ' a Democratic customs bill to get a place on tbe statute books after do- 1 dining either to sign It or veto It dur- t ing tbe time of constitutional limit allowed for either action. This Is an t old and oft repeated tale, but It ear- ' ried a lesson with It and th present t president of the United States seems I to have learned It i Mr. Cleveland lectured congress and held It up to the scorn of tbe country I after Its majority had failed to do t hat It had been Instructed by the b people to do. Mr. Wilson told congress con-gress In advance what he eipected It I to do. and it Is known definitely that the word went forth that a veto would n be forthcoming unless the tariff bill t met squarely the promises made in ti advance of the election. ii Same Old Tariff Drama. o Up to the present time there t hss been no real debate of the ii tariff bill When the senate gets hold cf th measure there will be s debate, for even with the seeming c assurance tbst tbe senators will put i tbe measure through very much as S Mr. Wilson wants It there are many b of the apper house men who will aat a to air thetr view concerning the d schedules and will want to give tbeta ' li aim j at some Unglo. ' e It is understood tbst Senator L Follette may talk for a day In be ha! of bis Ideas of the tariff, and It I rumored tbat several other progrsi slv Republicans and som Democrat Intend to do tbs same thing, lo th house It Is sbsrply a case of the mi jorlty rule. What tbe leaders of th dominant party want to have done I done and the program that tbey 11: for general debate and for debate un der the five-minute rule Is adhered to In the senute no majority rule against th debating wlah of tbe lo dividual. It is expected that tbls bill, freight ed with so msny joys or woes accord Ing to the way In which It la look at, will be paased by the house at thi time agreed upon and that It will b passed by a great vote. It has been put cynically within i day or two that two good old travel Ing companions reached Washlngtoi together, the tariff and summer weath er. Tbe latter for a few hours no has quit tbe company of tbe tariff but tbe two companions will get to gether once more shortly and tbt capital and the capltol will presenl again tbe scenes of recent summers It Is th same old tariff drama ovei again In the same setting and with i good many new faces among the minoi actors. A good many of the members ol congress say with a perfect abandon of frankneas that It Is just as "well tbe dominant ones limited general de bate to a few days and will llmll debate under the fire-minute rule tc only a few days more. Even such tariff patriots as Mr. Payne and Mr Fordney It is said are glad In theli hearts tbat the thing as far as th bouse Is concerned Is to be over quickly. No Friction There. While some persons wbo seem always to be looking for a row have found on aeveral occasions symptoms of friction between President Presi-dent Wilson and on or two of bis cabinet officers nothing really bas developed de-veloped yet In tbe way of trouble which any political opponent of the president could lay his finger on and say "here la where tbey come to the parting of th ways." These seemingly are tbe plain facts In tbe case thus far, and men or all parties here say tbat as far aa peace and concord in tbe cabinet are concerned con-cerned tbey are there to sit at the family council table twice a week and probably to be preaent whenever tbe official ones get together on othei occsslons lu between. There seemingly, however, bas been a alight difference of opinion on tbe face of things between Attorney Gen eral McReynolds and the president Note tbat It is said on tbe face of things, but nothing bas happened to show that Mr. Wilson up to date doea cot agree with bis cabinet officer. T seeming dfference lies In the fact tbat Mr. Wilson on one or two occasions bas expressed views which seem d be counter to those expressed by My McReynolds In a specific case. The Attorney. General has said that tbe case of the American Telephone ind Telegraph company, charged with being a monopoly In restraint of trade, or something much like that ihould be rcferrer to tbe Interstate commerce commission instead of going go-ing tbe way of prosecution. Doea thla mean that there la a radical difference at opinion on trust matters between President Wilson and his attorney reneral? It seems to ba a can In Kblcb Mr. McReynolds believes tbat regulation rather than prosecution ihould be used In dealing with certain cer-tain kinds of alleged trust cases, rbere are some people wbo bold that tbe telephone Is a natural monopoly, tnd tbat therefor It should be sub-lect sub-lect to regulation rather than to court procedure. 3sllsvss In Competition, In an article which Mr. Wilson rote for a magazine be stood against, leemlngly, at leaat, that for which his cabinet officer haa juat chosen to en-lorae. en-lorae. The president apparently he-levea he-levea In a return to competitive con lltlons, but whether bis vises on competition com-petition extend to concerns like telephone tele-phone companies is not yet to be d-:!ded. d-:!ded. Perhaps he ia In accord on his particular proposition with bis ablnt't officer or other. la It might e a caae for a hurry up consults ion and a requeat for a speedy ex ilanation of by a member of the of lclal family chooaee to go counter to b view of tb head of that official amlly. Mr. McReynolds, th present attor-iejr attor-iejr general, was appointed to an of-Ico of-Ico In th attorney general's depsrt-nent depsrt-nent by Theodore Roosevelt Mr. toosevelt. It Is known, believes thst ilg business affairs ahould be looked ifter by a commission similar to he Interatate commerce commission, rhlch regulates common csrrW rasters. rast-ers. It Is possible that Mr. Mc-teynotds Mc-teynotds took his view of the tele-ihone tele-ihone case from Mr. Roosevelt but t any rate wherever be got It. Wash-ngton Wash-ngton is yet wsitlng to see If be and be president ar to come to logger leads over It Tbe president of the United Statf lelleves In a return to competitive Dethod. Ilia tariff bill, bis partt nembers say, shows that be wauia kings about upon a competitive sls. Tbe natural thing to suppose tbat he wanta to extend his plan f competlton to tbe great corpora-lona corpora-lona of tbe United States as the i. it today. There seems to be no doubt ht-oever ht-oever that at the bretnoiug of th ext regular session a bill to do aeay rith trust conditions In the United tales will be Introduced In the lor ocse of congress and the chances are lao tbat a similar bill will be Intro-uced Intro-uced into tbe uppt-r house What i xoioi to become of either the oa r the other i |
