New-York tribune., 1900-12-01
BUSY SESSION PREDICTED.
SENATORS FRYE AND ALLISON on THE
WORK OF CONGRESS.
SHIPPING. ARMY REORGANIZATION AND
THE MOST URGENT MEASURES.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rnIEuxr-I


Washington. Nov. 3O-Two Of the most in
fuential Republican leaders in the Senate. Mr.
Allison. OF Iowa. and Mr. Frye. Of Maine. ar
rived here to-day. Both look for busy and
fruitful session Of Congress. Mr. Frye who is
President pro tempore Of the deIiberative branch.
chairman Of the Committee on Commerce and
at present ranking member Of the Foreign Re
lations Committee. said that the most urgent
measures Of the winter will be the Shipping
bill. the Army Reorganization bill and the Mic
aragua Canal bill
Il have just reached the city" the Senator
said. "and have not talked with many people
yet and can't say much about the programme;
but think it Is going 70 be an energetic session
of Congress this winter. I do not know just
what the disposition OF the minority win be, but
should not think they would be unreasonable.
1 see no reason why things should not go
smoothly. OF course we shall pass the usual
appropriation bills and there is the usual lot OF
matters 10 claim consideration. l am desroUs
that the Shipping bin should be passed hope
to have the bin before the Senate at an early
day, and if vote be had 1t will pass The
Nicaragua bill and the Army bill WILL think
be passed I do not know whether the Panama
people are going 10 make fight on the Ntcara-
qua bill. but the report Of the Commission VIII
have an influence upon the situation. and do
IL
is though there has been some speculation in
the newspapers on the subject You cannot tell
just what can be done until you know what op
position has to be met. but ought TO be able
TO pass these three important measures m ad-
dition TO the ordinary work Of the session
SENATOR ALLIsONs VIEWS.
Mr. Allison considered the most Imperative
duty Of the session to be the passage OF the
TIA
bin and the Reapportionment bill. IAN other
matters are subsidiary" he continued, "and
can. If necessary. be laid aside until later. The
three measures enumerated however must be
passed otherwise an extra session Of Congress
win be necessary AS for reorganizlng the
Army. it is Of course. impossible to tell 70 what
extent Congress will go IN fixing the strength
OF the permanent establishment Something,
however, must be done at this session. Next
July the statute which authorized the existing
Army expires, and the Regular Army Will then
resolve itself into band Of some 27.OOO men.
That number. Of course. is not sufficient for
the needs of the country, and Congress must
do something TO increase 1t. A great deal will
depend upon the recommendations OF the Exec
utfve Branch of the Government in this respect,
and the strength Of the Army will. in my opin-
ion, be regulated in accordance with the exact
military needs Of the Nation.
REDUCTION OF WAR REVENUE
1t is probabI also. that something will be
done toward decreasing the amount OF revenue
row accruing from the War Tax law In what
form this measure viii be reported from the
Finance Committee and pass the Senate am
unable to predict. The bill must first come over
from the House before such an opinion can be
expressed. Congress may decide 10 drop several
items from the bill. SO to effect substantial
decrease in the amount Of revenue now derived
fro rEc u0- Coo he al
that items be abIOgated which shall decrease
the total amount by S30.OO0OO0. That recon-
mendation may be followed
I not in position 20 state whether the
Nicaragua Canal bill viii pass during this ses-
sion not This Is q matter which may. il
necessary, be postponed FOR action until later
date; but whether II viii or not remains to be
seen. have no doubt, however, that the mat
ter VIII be discussed 1t is an easy matter to
talk Of such things. but an entirely different
one TO vote upon them.
THE SHIPPING SUBSIDY BILL.
AS for the Shipping bill. there is no telling
what viii be done The fact is, the coming ses-
sion Of Congress will be fully occupied with mat
ters OF absolute necessity. so that it is hard to
predict the future Of measures which il neces-
sary, be laid aside for the time being. There
are only ninety days of this session. COM
paratIvely short time. Now the future Of the
Shipping bin. therefore. is uncertain. There is
no doatt that something should be DOM toward
encouraging an increase in our merchant ma
rfne facilities This country ought to carry its
own commerce. but just what shape a bill with
this end in view viii take when up for passage
ia a matter that cannot be foretold. There Is a
great deal OF sentiment throughout the Middle
West as well as the Coast States in favor OF a
bill OF this character. but whether matters OF
necessity during the session viii crowd the sub
tect out Of the list OF items to be considered is
Impossible 10 say. 1t may be discussed, but
that does not necessarily mean that final action
will be taken
I do not think anything will be done this
session IN the direction OF the passage Of a bill
designed 70 decrease the Southern representa-
ton in Congress"