Evening star., 1901-11-11
Probable Recommendation of Action
Restraining Trusts.
PRESIDENTS RECENT UfTERANCES
Caucus of Republicans viii Be
Perfunctory.
SUBJECTS OF LEGISLATION

The impression is growing in congress
sional circles that President Roosevelt will
recommend in his first annual message ac-
tioI by Congress in the direction of re-
straining harmful operations of trade COM
binations, popularly known as trusts. This
idea is based, it is found, upon remarks
the President has made upon the subject
when talking to senators and representa-
tives who have recently called at the White
House. Comparison of notes by these gen.
tlemen has shown uniform tenor of the
Presidents conversation toward trust re-
striction.
The President has been urged by some of
the political managers to set the pace for
congressional action in order that there
may be fulfillment of republican pledges
upon the trust question so that the party
can go into the congressional campaign
next fall with a clean record on this score.
Other republicans have deprecated dealing
with the question at all.
The President did not need to have his
attention called to the subject, however,
for he possessed al the time he entered the
White House some very decided ideas upon
1t. He gave attention to the question when
he was governor of New York, expressing
his opinion very freely to the legislature
concerning state control of industrial COM
binations. In his letter of acceptance of
the nomination for the vice presidency he
discussed the trusts, and as late as last
September in speech in Minneapolis he
again touched upon them.
In all Of his public utterances the Presi-
dent has contended that the first essential
in attempting to regulate trusts Is
DDS and transactions; this, main
~ in the interest of investors in trust
stocks He has elaborated this idea in pri-
vate conversation with his official callers
he ar6d fha TO or,1 tha
belief is growing that in his message he
Will urge Congress to take action requiring
trade combinations to play fair with the
public regarding capitalization and earn
ing capacity. 1t is said the President re-
CARDS the greatest menace of industrial
combinations to be over-capitalization and
the draining of investments from the saw
lngs accounts of the people.
Congress will convene three weeks from
today, and although it is the beginning of
new Congress, very few of it's members
are yet in Washington. This is largely
due to the fact that there will be no contest
for speakership or other offices OF the
House, and to the fact that the subjects of
probable congressional action are pretty
well understood. Speaker Henderson will
arrive tomorrow, and by the middle of next
week the senators and representatives will
begin to come in.
Caucus of Republicans.
A caucus of republicans upon the speaker
ship will be held a few days before the 1st
of December. 1t will be a perfunctory af-
fair so far as the speakership nomination
Is concerned, for there has not been a whis-
per of opposition to Mr.. Henderson.
Major Mcdowell. clerk of the House;
Col. Casson, sergeant-at-arms; Mr.. Glenn,
the doorkeeper, and the other officers have
made enviable records, and there is no one
in the field against the reelection of either.
There will be redivision of some of the
smaller places on the House rolls, owing to
the retirement from Congress of some rep
resentatiyeS who failed of reelection. 1t
is the unwritten law that the appointee
goes out with his Influence" and the sue
ceSsor TO the seat in the House is likely
to name the new appointee.
The few prominent members of the House
now in Washington have yet definite
IDEAS upon the subject of a caucus on leg
islative questions. A policy will be deter
mined upon after the arrival of the Speaker
and conference between the chairmen of
the leading committees. 1t is considered
practically certain that the old committee
assignments Will stand in the of those
who have been reelected.
The main subjects of probable legislative
action are generally known. The trusts, in
ternal revenue reduction, river and harbor
Improvement, construction Of public build
lngs, pensions, revision of the currency
and banking laws, irrigation. insular af-
fairs and labor legislation will occupy a
great deal of attention.
Three other subjects. somewhat allied in
general tenor, will also be urged upon the
notice Of Congress-provision for an 18TH
mian canal, subsidies for the rehabilitation
of the American merchant marine and the
construction by the government or author
ization for private laying of a Pacific cable.
Fight ON the Canal Question.
The canal question will certainly provoke
q long and probably bitter fight. The same
opposition that has met the efforts made
In the past 10 build an interoceanic canal
will undoubtedly be actively at work this
season. The interjection of the Panama
canal scheme into the situation viii not,
in The estimation of well-posted people, ac-
cOmplish the purpose for which 1t Is al
legged to be designed. 1t is now thought
that Congress will brush aside the Panama
scheme at once and get down to the main
question of whether a canal shall or shall
not be built on the Nicaragua route, and
upon this the battle win be fought
The demand for Pacific cable probably
cannot be longer ignored. Opinion was
divided In the last Congress upon whether
, the government should build and own the
cable or whether a private corporation
should be authorized to land IL. This diff
ference of opinion resulted in failure to
act. Hawaii and the Philippines are de-
manding the cable. and the mercantile IN
terests OF the country will probably bring
pressure to bear upon Congress sufficient
TO force action.
Senator Frye of Maine and Senator Hanna
OF ONO have repeatedly declared during
the recess that this Congress would ma "a
a ship subsidy bill. The bill of last session
mas been modified, but il cannot be told nm
I'll IL Is introduced and its provisions
scanned whether the modified measure
meets the objections raised against the old
bill by an influential faction of the rennb-
iican party In the House. 1t is the general
belef that some kind of a shin suhsidy q
bill will be passed at this session.