The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-01

Adjournment.
Washington, December 81. There is
much speculation INDUCED in here as to
the probable length of the session of
Congress which will reconvene on the
third of January. 1t is thought that this
Congress will be compelled to consume
about as much time with the Wilson bill
as did the 51st Congress in the consider
alton of the Mckinley bill. Senator
Voorhees,, chairman of the Senate finance
committee, looks for long session be-
cause of the general matters before the
country. He mentioned the fact that
the last Congress did not adjourn the
first session until August 5th, and
that, too, when the general revision of
the tariff was not in issue. While he is
of the opinion that the House bill will
pass the Senate within month, or six
weeks at the outside, after it gets into
the Senate, Mr.. VOORHEES, believes date
fully as late, if not later, than August
9th will be reached before Congress takes
a rest from it's labors. Other Senators,
memb bers of the finance committee, think.
Congress will be in session until late in
September, if it does not run into
October, AS did the 51st Congress. The
TACT that the approaching summer brings
with it campaign for congressional
elections may hasten legislation. Speaker
Crisp has been quoted as saying that he
expected to see the Wilson bill sent to
the Senate by the first of February and,
at the latest, by the middle Of that
month. If this is done and the Senate
committee is expeditions in it's work, the
bill could be laid before the Senate by
the first of March, or at the time when.
it was believed in the House when the
bill was frste under consideration in
committee, that the law could be made
to take effect. The time, however, has
been extended to the first of June. If
all the calculations of the leaders of the
party in both Houses are not out of
joint, the bill should become law with
in one month before that date. This
would give the Senate six weeks in
which to debate the bill and allow two
weeks for conferees to discuss the
changes made in the bill by the Senate,
it being taken for granted that changes
will be made.
1t is now nearly five months since the
subject of the tariff came before Con-
gress. The time consumed by the Demo-
cratic House compares not unfavorably
with that occupied by the Republicans
up to the corresponding stage in the con-
sideration of the Mckinley bill. The
ways committee took up the discussion
of the present bill as soon as the COM
mittee organized, about August 18th,
the extra session being convened August
7th. After formulating plan of action,
Mr.. Wilson's committee began hearings
September 4th and continued them
twenty days. 1t remained in session
during the recess and finally reported
the bill to the House, minus the internal
revenue schedule, on Decem ber 10. In it's
discussion of the bill up to
this point there have been consumed
about four months. The Mckinley bill
was in committee threesmonths and two
days. While the Wilson bill was repoi ted
to the House December 18th it was un-
derstod that it should not be called up
until after the holidays. If it is called up
promptly January 3rd, and passed by
February Is, it will have taken month
and twelve days to dispose of it. The
Republicans put in month and Eve
days in performing the same work. Be-
yond this point any discussion of the
amount of time it will take to dispose of
the bill enters the field of pure conjecture.