The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-11-28
What Will Be Attempted in
Approaching Session.
THE POLITICAL RESULTS
Protectionists Don't Care if Repub-
licans Lose the House.
WHAT LEGISLATION is IN SIGHT
Long Session" to Open Next Monday
the Most Important for
u Generation.

From The Journal Bssroat, Room 40, Post
6ItttdtHCs R0shtJGgtotss
Washington Nov. 28.-The first session
of the fifty congress will begin
It's work on Monday Of next week at noon.
1t will adjourn somewhere the middle Of
next summer, not earlier than July, and
probably not later than the early days Of
August. 1t will be known as the long
session. in contradistinction to the sec
ond, or ''short session." which will meet
in December, 1902, and adjourn by limi-
tation on the 4th of the following March
The session to open next Monday will
probably be the most important in a gem
Grafton. if a small part happens of all
that has been outlined as likely to be done
by it. 1t win be important politically, in
that it will make the issues on which the
next two campaigns will be fought; it will
be important economically, because of the
many new subjects of legislation which
it will take up.
Politics of the Session.
First, as to the politics of the session.
There is now no expectation that the re-
publican party, at present in control Of
both branches of congress. will satisfy
the demands Of the middle west for tariff
revision or reciprocity treaties. This
failure to act will throw the political
pendulum back to the other side of the
arc, where it was last in and before 1892,
during the discussion of the Mckinley bill
will paly r;f
tions-reciprocity, Babcockism, wider
markets for American products-the prin-
cipal issue of the campaign next year;
and, unless the results of that campaign
are disappointing to tariff reformers,
make them paramount, also, in the presI-
Dental campaign of 1904.
The ultra protection east, solidly re-
publican. will take this position of mac
tiOn deliberately, with full view Of all
the possible political consequences. Pos
sibly it may throw sop to the west in
the way of lower sugar and tobacco duties
on imports from C-iba, and it may try to
prevent the tariff from appearing in poll
| tics by referring the tariff and reciprocity
questions to commission, as recon-
mended by the recent reciprocity conven-
tion in this city; but it will do nothing
substantial, or show that it seriously in
tends to satisfy western republican de-
mands.
What VIII the Harvest Bet
What the ultimate effect of this policy
Will be cannot be measured at this time.
In 1892, and while McKinleyism was an
issue, the middle west, heretofore reli-
ably republican, swung away from its po-
litical moorings; some states gave demo-
cratic maiorities for the first time in
many years; the rest considerably re-
duced their republican margins; every
where there was unrest and discomfort
Subsequent events sustained the conten-
tions of the Mckinley policy, in the main,
and so this unfriendly feeling did not be-
| come permanent. In 1894 the larger num-
Der Of the middle west states came back
| to their republican allegiance, and with
the beginning of the free silver craze,
| 1895, became more strongly republican
! than before. In 1900 this attitude was
practically unchanged, save that 1t was
| slightly intensified; the middle west Civ
| Ing the largest republican maiorities and
| pluralities in it's history.
But silver is now dead. Bryan as q
| political factor has died with it. and the
| democratic party is coming back into the
hands Of its oldtime leaders, the mer
who controlled it during the days Of
| Cleveland's political ascendency These
men are naturally free traders, and every
campaign which they have directed has
had the tariff as a principal issue. Next
year they will take advantage Of repub-
| lican inaction and make the tariff agair
an issue They will present the case Sc
ductively, and the middle west is agair
in danger of going astray. Indeed, there
| are not wanting expert politicians in both
| parties who pretend to see a condition
OF affairs which will be much worse thar
the 1892 condition. They pretend to be-
| lteve that there is danger that the mid
| die west will cut away from New Eng
! land and the east, splitting the 'republi-
| can party in twain. Without saying that
| there is any likelihood that such a state
I of affairs Will result from congressional
| inaction this winter, it is very evident
| that middle west conditions are very un-
| satisfactory from the orthodox republi-
can point of view, and are tending in the
! direction indicated.
! The foregoing are some of the consid-
| erations which will make the session OF
| congress now about to open of the first
| Importance politically The republican
! party will deliberately and with full
| knowledge Of the possible results. pre-
sent to the democratic party, on a gold
| platter, its 1902 and 1904 platforms New
England would rather lose the fifty
! seventh congress to the republicans thar
to revise the tariff or ratify the pending
| treaties, and 1t figures that the furry
! will be only temporarily, and that by
| 1904 the sailing will agin be smooth
Proposed Legislation.
Now, as to the proposed legislation OF
| the session. To begin with, the national
expenditures are to be radically increased
| The first steps will probably be taken
along several new lines. Among the sew
! eral items of proposed increased expendi-
I! ture-all of them will probably not pass
! are these: Isthmian canal, Pacific cable
| ship subsidy, irrigation, rural free de-
livery. The most likely to fail in this
list is the ship subsidy. start will be
made towards building the canal, whose
! total cost will be almost 5000 900 900. This
/ enormous sum will not all be appropri-
| ated in one year, but the canal will an
pear regularly for years in appropriation
| bills for sums varying from $40 600. 900 tc
| $25, 900, 900. The appropriations will be
| larger than that, If 1t is really the in
tent of the government to finish the work
! in ten years. The Pacific cable appropria.
| tions will also stretch over a series OF
! years The initiation Of an irrigation
i policy will mean steady drain on the
| national treasury Of millions q year fol
! Just as long time as the public will con-
sent Rural free delivery is still techni-
| cally in the experimental" stage, but last
Continued on second Pare