The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-11-18
GROSVENOR ASSUMES TO SPEAK
FOR CONGRESS.
PLANS OF The PRESIDENT
Roosevelt to Call Special Session TO
Redeem Party
Pledges.

Chicago, Nov. IA Washington
special to the Chronicle says: Repre-
sentative Grosvenor probably gives
the republican policy for the short
session of congress when he says that
no attempt will be made to amend the
Dingley tariff act. He says the ques-
ton of time is the important consider
alton. He points out that congress
was in session from March Is to the
latter enc of July in 1897 preparing
and passing the Dingley act, a period
of more than four months. The short
session lasts but three months and a
few days. 1t is broken by the holi-
days which usually lead to an da-
journment of ten days or two weeks.
Thereafter both the senate and house
are pushed to the utmost limits Of
endurance to act on the great appro-
priation bills.
It is not difficult to pass during the
short session legislation about which
there is no controversy. Two years
by extensive reductions in certain
schedules during the short session,
but as the members of both parties
were in favor of the legislation it real
ly occupied little of the time of the
session. 1t will be recalled that the
rivers and harbors appropriation bill
failed because the session expired at
loon March 4, 1901.
A few members of either or both
houses who desire to prevent the
adoption of amendments to the Ding
ley act could do so with little trouble
or exertion. This fact is recognized
by veteran members of congress-, and
it is the consensus of opinion in Wash
ington that if the republican party is
disposed to revise the tariff it will
have to do so either during a special
session of the Fifty-eighth congress
or during the long session, which
begins n year from next December.
General G%rosvenor says, with the
air of an oracle and prophet, that 1--WE
will then knock off work until the
following session. meaning that when
the Fifty-seventh congress expires
there will be no. session until Decem-
Der, 1908.
1t is known hat President Roose-
welt is considering the a%dvisability
of calling the Fifty-eighth congress
in special session soon after the ex-
piration of the present congress-. The
president is satisfied that none of the
reforms which he has been advocat-
ing, including antitrust legislation
and tariff revision, can be successful
ly worked out during the coming short
session. The president is equally sat
isfied that the republican party must
redeem the pledges which it gave
the people during the recent cam
paign, or otherwise it will go into the
presidential fight in 1904 seriously
handicapped.
The president expects that his plan
CT calling a special session will be
violently opposed by many leaders of
the republican party in congress-. He
expects, moreover, that these same
leaders VIII eventually oppose the re-
forms which lie will suggest to them.
Nevertheless, the president is going
to put the responsibility on them. He
is going to demand that they, in their
capacities as representatives of the
party, redeem the pledges which were
made to the people, and which the
people accepted in good faith.
The president appreciates that he
has a delicate task to perform. He
has already received plenty of evil
dence indicating that the party lead
ers in congress are disposed to trust
to luck and time to work out the sal
walton of the party. They do not
want to revise the tariff, neither do
they want to plunge into the trust
question. The president believes
they will resort to every dilatory tao
tic wheich they a bring into play
to block his programme, but he will
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