Evening star., 1900-12-01
THE COMING SESSION
Doubtful if All Can Be Done That
Has Been Outlined.
TACTICS OF OBSTRUCTION UNLIKELY
Many Matters Whose Consider
alton Cannot Be Rushed.
CONGRESS MEETS MONDAY
TACTICS OF OBSTRUCTION UNLIKELY
CONGRESS MEETS MONDAY

| lined. This Congress has shown. at its
first session, that it is capable of dsposing
of business more rapidly than has been the
| practice in other Congresses, but what has
been the program for this winter would ue
| good deal for long session, considering
the character of the mea sures proposed.
| Congress assemblies Monday under condi
| tions of peculiar interest Not only are
both branches of Congress and the execu-
| tive in control of the republicans, as they
| We're at the opening of this Congress and
| the Congress before, but a new term of
four years for the executive has been voted
that party. and its policies every branch of
| which was discussed in the campaign. nave
| received public sam ton. The measures
| upon which it is proposed to act this WIN
ter, if possible, are not new, but such
| as were under consideration before the IS
| sues of the recent presidential campaign
| We're made up.
The party in power may be warranted,
! therefore, in assuming that the election of
| Its President by an increased majority and
| the considerable increase of its strength in
| both the House and Senate of the next
| Congress is an Endorsement of all that fig
| ured in the recent campaign as party meas
| Tres.
| The attitude of the minority party is
| as well indicated now 1t usually is at
| this stage, and it does not appear that an
| obstructive policy is contemplated. In
| Qeed tnCfe Is NIUE 10 duopt
| such policy, since its only result Tould
be to postpone for few months or, per-
| haps, to fcrce an extra session of Congress,
! the responsibility for which would rest
| upon those who caused the obstruction or
| business. There may be some individual
| personal grievances which will lind express
| sion in excessive opposition to measures
| proposed, but there is no indication OF a
general policy of obstruction.
| Already at Work.
| will ba l,-a
soon as the two houses are ready to take 1t
up. The Presidents message, which will be
| an interesting and important document,
and exhaustive in It's treatment of the
quest ions of the hour, is expected to be
| transmitted to Congress on the day of it's
meeting. The reading OF this message Will
probably be all the work of that day, an
adjournment on account of the death of
| Senators Gear and Davis being taken i'm
| medately at the conclusion of the reading.
The business of the session will begin on
| the following day, and ii is expected to be
pressed with energy until the time of the
! holiday recess which recess will probably
! be unusually short.
| The committees of the House on appro-
| priations, military affairs and rivers and
harbors are now at work upon the legisia-
| tive appropriation bill the army bill and
| the river and harbor bill. respectively. and
| the Senate commerce committee will get
| to work at once the shipping bill. The
| legislative bill will be ready by the time
| the House is ready to take it up, and the
| army and the river and harbor bills Will
follow in quick succession. In the House
| the o.e margarine bill is a special order IN
| the House for the 9th of December, ana
| the Nicaragua canal bill is a special order
| in the Senate for the 10th.
| The Work Outlined.
| The work that is laid out for the session
is prodigious. The fourteen appropriation
| bills which must be acted upon involve
| almost work enough for short session, but
| in addition to these many important mat
! ters some of which will provoke much con-
! troversy. are proposed
! 1t is intended to pass the Nicarag qua canal
| bill if possible; also the ship subsidy bill
and the bill reducing the war revenue.
| The army bill in some form must be passed,
! and it has been determined in advance that
! there must be river and harJor bill. The
! reapportionment bill is one of the necessary
( measures, and a combination is being
+ talked of to force through a lot of puDiic
| building bills which were hung up in the
| committees during the long session preced-
! ing the election. In addition to these mat
| ters, and an infinite number of clamorous
| small bills of individual and local inter-
est which will demand attention from both
I houses, the Senate has the Hay-Pauncefote
| treaty, the reciprocity treaties and some
| nominations to dispose of
In the ordinary business of the session
| there will be some ground for contention.
! The river and harbor bill always leads to
! attempts at log rolling, and the measure
/ has to contend with opposition from those
| who do not get hat they want in it, but
apart from this there threatens to be some
| controversy over the purpose of the COM
mittee to define the policy of Congress with
| reference to the NJ M.sslsSippi river improve
| ments, and to mark the line distinctly be-
| tween general improvements to be under
taken by the government and those to be
| left to the of municpa tiles.
| The other appropriation bills, except the
| naval bill, are not likely to excite pro-
| tracted discussion.
| 1t is proposed by the department. how
ever, to greatly increase the appropriation
! for the navy, the need for it being apparent
| In view of our important new possessions
and distant interests. This is likely to call
| forth discussion from that section Of Con-
greSs which opposes our having remote in
| terestS and which will want to make a
point of the Increased cost involved. There
Will also be some political talk growing out
| Oh the armor plate contracts.
| War Tax Reduction.
| The bill to reduce the war revenue tax
| promises to be time consumer. The dem
ocrats will probably propose that the entire
war tax be repealed, and will make it a
| part of their party policy to insist upon
| this. the purpose being to place themselves
in the attitude of favoring economy and a
| reduction of the burdens of taxation, and
also to open the way to propose some form
! of income tax that may come within the
|
| revenue is needed than the Dngley law
produces. Moreover, there is at present a
| difference of opinion among republicans as
| to how this question of tax reduction
| should be considered.
In the Sena.e particularly there is dis
| position to make as heavy cut as the
| government income will bear, at once in
| stead Of making a cut now and another
| later ON, as might be contemplated in the
| partial repeal proposed by the House COM
| mittee interests which feel that they are
| not going to be included in the cut made
| by the House committee are going to be
| clamorous before the Senate, and 1t is prob
! able that there will be many differences to
| adjust between the bill passed by the House
| and the one reported from the Senate
nnance committee in its place.
| Increase of the Army.
With reference to the army bill, a very
| strong effort will be made by democrats to
| avoid a permanent increase Of the army at
| this time, and to bring about instead an
extension of the present law under which
| the enlarged army Is maintained. Some
| republicans appear to be in sympathy with
this idea. II 1t is adopted for this session