The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-04
CONTEST OVER
ADMISSION OF
ROBERTS
WIN be First Business Of the House
After the Swearing In Of
Members To-day.
DEATH OF VICE president
VIII bs Announced, a Recess Taken,
and Finance Bill win be Pushed
Before Holiday Recess.

WASHINGTON, Dew. S.-The open-
Ing week of the session in the house
promises to oe crowded with stirring
events. There IS always a good deal OF
glamor in connection with the assem-
bling Of new Congress, which is a
social as well as a political event. The
galleries are always crowded, and there
is intense interest in the election OF
speaker, the swearing in of members
at the bar of the house, the reading OF
the Presidents message, the biennial
eat-drawIng, the Introduction OF bills
and resolutions into the legislative
hopper, and the general clearing OF
decks for action later on. But as the
committees are not appointed until
Just before the holiday recess, no actual
business Is transacted usually until
after the recess
Z This year 1t will be different. At the
very threshold of the session will come
the contest over the admission of Rep
resentatIve-elect Roberts, Of Utah, and
later in the week the house will plunge
into an important and possibly pro-
tracted debate upon the financial bill
which was prepared by the Republican
leaders last spring at Atlantic City.
The Roberts case has attracted the
attention OF the whole country. The
Republican leaders have adopted a
plan Of procedure which is designed
to prevent Mr.. Roberts from taking his
oath Of ONCE until after the charges
in connection with his alleged polyg-
anus practices have been investigated
by a special committee. Mr.. Taylor.
Of Ohio, will make the objection to the
administration of the oath to Mr.. Rob-
erts, and will offer a resolution to refer
his case to the committee. There is
considerable opposition to this method
OF procedure on the ground that the
refusal Of the house to prevent a rep
resentatiye-elect bearing proper crrden-
tials to be sworn in upon unproven
charges would create bad precedent
and might result in chaos at some fu-
ture time when political feeling ran
high. But there are several pfecedents
for this course In the case Of members
charged with dIsloyalty after the war,
and these will be used in support Of the
procedure. Every member Of the house
has been bombarded with petitions in
the Roberts case, and there undoubted-
Iy will be large majority without re-
gard to party lines. in support OF the
plan outlined.
Owing to the time which will be con-
sumed in the disposition OF the Roberts
case tomorrow the drawing Of seats,
which usually requires several hours,
will be postponed until Tuesday.
The announcement Of Vice PresI-
dent Hobart's death will be made prob
ably after the Roberts case is disposed
OF, and the house Will adjourn out OF
respect to his memory,
The drawing of seats and the read
ing OF the Presidents message will oc-
cupy tuesday. Tuesday night the Re-
publIcans will caucus on the financial
bill. II Is the Intention OF the hepubs
IIcan leaders to make this a caucus
measure and proceed and pass 1t before
the holiday recess, The caucus will de-
eide, II the present intention Is followed
out, not to walt on the committee on
banking and currency. but to bring the
bill into the house forthwith, probably
under special ordertfrom the commit
tee on rules. The debate may begin on
wednesday, The length Of time to be
given to debate has not yet been de-
termfned. BY some It Is thought that
three or four days may suffice.