The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-12-09
NEW CONGRESS-.
Uncertainty IS to the Legislative
Outlook. r
in THE TARIFF MATTER
The Senate win Leave the House 70
Taks the First Steps.
THE EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

H . . .N
WIN Cause Great Interest Owing TO Conn
plloated Foreign Relations -RoorganiEs-
tlon Of Committees. s..tI Ed.
WARRINGTON Dec THE legislative
outlook for the Nfty-second congress
u not clearly defined. There are no
continuing subjects which either house
can take up Of itself and pass to com
pletion. This being q new congress,
legislation must originate do novo A
number OF important measures passed
by the last house were pending in the
senate when 1t adjourned Amongst
them were the elections or force bill, n
national bankruptcy bill, the pure lard
bill and others. There is no proba-
bility Of an attempt to revive the cleo
tions bill. 1t Is likely that the desira-
bility OF adopting some national system
OF regulating bankruptcy may engage
the attention of the state committee on
commerce. Senator Paddock, Of Ne.
braska, will endeavor to press his pure
food bill as substitute for the lard
bill. Senator Cullom has some amend
ments TO the interstate commerce bill
10 propose.
The silver question, in various shapes,
was pending when the Flfty-hrst con-
gress terminated anl there was an in
vestigation into the works OF the Nc
Kinley tariff act in progress by COM
mittee OF the senate. Should the result
OF that hatinvestigation be actively brou sht
TO the front it might precipitate tariff
d.bate In the senate There is a dispo-
sition, however, on the part OF lea ling
senators of both parties to leave the in
itiative in the tariff matter to the
house, where it belongs, and not TO
force the fighting In the senate on any
Of the issues which will enter into the
presidential contest OF 1872. A large
interest Of the coming session will be
centered In the executive sessions In
teresting information is exp 'c;ed in re-
gard TO our relations with Chilli
| The increasing gravity Of the si.u1-
ton in China may impose upon the
United states the necessity Of taking
action for the protection Of American
interests in that country. Information
will undou btedly be laid before the sem
ate as TO the proposed arbitration Of the
Bering sea question with Great Britain.
The correspondence on this subject,
when the senate last hearl it, had
reached a stage where Great Britain
proposed to limit arbitration to the
/ question OF what rights Great Britain
! had conceded TO Russia in Berlug sea
before the purchase OF AlasSa by the
| United States. and TO limit United
States authority over Bsring sea by the
decision thus TO be arrived at To this
the United States replied that such a
form Of submission would not he calcu
lated TO assure n conclusion satisfactory
TO either party. aad proposed instead
six points Of arbitration The senate
will probably be informed to what ex-
tent Great Britain has agreed TO sub
nit these questions TO arbitration
In the matter Of confirming appoint
nents the executive sessions Of tne sem
ate are likely to be important The
names OF nine new circuit judges Of ap-
meals, two Interstate commerce con-
missioners and a secretary Of war will
probably be among the first nomina'
tions sent in.
Changes in the personnel OF the sem
ate will necessitate complete reorgan-
ization of the senate committees. Sena-
tors Edmunds, Evarts, Ingalls,, Payne
and others who have hitherto borne q
large share Of the committee work,
| have left their places TO be filed by
others The element Of new member.
ship win play q still more important
part In the organization Of the house.
OF the 235 democratic members entitled
TO enter the caucus 10 select a speaker.
lo5 have never before occupied scat in
congress. Nearly every state In the
Union Is represented on this list Of new
members
When 20 these are added dtwenty-eight
new re ublicau members and eight
| Farmers Alliance men IL will be seen
that whoever Is chosen speaker will
have q herculean task before him in as
certaining the preference OF l+i now
members who know nothing about COM
mittee work and making assignments
that will be satisfactory. II Is not
likely that the committees can be ar.
ranged and the house he organized for
legislative business until after the