Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-30
INTEREST OF CONGRESS
In the Elections to Be Held
Next November
LITTLE LEGISL ALTON
EXPECTED AFTER RECOMMENDING
NEXT MONDAY.
Appropriations to Be Cut Down A
Statehood Bill May Pass, but No
Ship Subsidy Measure Expected.

the long session and will remain steadily
at work until adjournment is taken to let
the anxious politicians get to work in their
campaigns. Presidential, legislative and
congressional elections will be held next
November and every man in Congress- will
have personal stake in the esoutcome. Even
the senators who still haveslOng terms to
serve and whose reelection does not de-
pend on the new legislature to BE chosen,
are concerned in the general outcome in
their states as
For many members of the House the cleo
tions will have acute interest, especially
those who are serving their first terms in
Congress, and who. after SO short trial,
will come up for judgment before their con-
stituencies in November. To these men in
particular the coming session Of Congress
will be fraught with portentious results AS
a Tammany member of the House put 1t,
We've got to make good, and that mighty
sudden, too
The seasoned statesmen In Congress who
have been spending the holiday recess III
town while their colleagues have been home
fixing fences and getting in winter fire
wood. do not look for very much legislation.
They want an early adjournment.
Appropriations to Be Cut.
Word has come from the White House
that the administration would be pleased
to see the appropriat tions of this Congress
'cut to the bone Unnecessary expen-
ditures are to be avoided, il the House lead
ers have their way, for they are In SYM
pathy with the presidential mind on that
subject
The House leaders do not want to face
the charge of laViShneSS in expenditures in
the next campaign. But we must make a
showing with our constituents,| cry the
rank and file of the House What about
our public buildings. and river and harbor
improvements and all the rest of the pork
we promised to get?'' So with this they
trot over to the Senate and pr rcsnpt their
Senators to raise the House appropriations
and the Senate is never loathtfb do that
The result has been in the pitt that the
appropriations usually come HIT as The
Senate in its wisdom may decre and after
que deliberation. n
Not many features of genera Legislation
are on the leaders program. G3pSe No
vember elections loom up big AN Dlhinousiy
ahead of every proposition. and are to be
kept constantly in mind. OF coupse the pub
lie good is never sacrificed TO Hbftical ext
sencies. but political parties sllaxe to be
cautious on the eve of a fight, They say.
Statehood Bill Expected.
A statehood bill is expected. Negotia-
tons are now proceeding for an agreement
between the democrats and republicans for
bill which will admit New Mexico and
AItZOllit dS Oilc STATE anu InuldH IetT1lOFy
and oklahoma as another. This is the old
plan which rejected toward the close
of the fight in the last session, but which
is now being urged by some of the men
who stood out against it last session.
1t is said to be not unlikely that an agree
ment will be reached early in January along
the lines suggested and which will result in
a bill passing Congress practically unop-
posed.
Tariff will be talked all through the ses-
ctn nn g rr,xk
and takes the portfolio of the Secretary of
War he will begin efforts to have the tariff
on imports from the Philippines reduced
He has promised that to the Filipinos and
the policy is acceptable to the administra-
ton leaders in Congress. 1t will be opposed
by the high protectionists and may be the
cause of a bitter struggle in Congress. In
the House the tariff will be discussed by
the democrats on every appropriation BILL
No Ship Subsidy Legislation.
There will be no ship subsidy legislation
at this session beyond the possible author
ization of commission TO investigate the
subject and report to the next session. 1t
is admitted that a ship subsidy, bill now
would be defeated by an overwhelming vote
in tie House, and that almost the solid re-
publican vote west of the Allegheny noun
tains would he cast against It.
The advocates of ship subsidy are con-
vinced. however, that this opposition is due
largely to misrepresentation and they
think that campaign of education will re-
move the prejudices of the western repub-
licans. The report of a government COM
mission, which, of course, would include in
its personnel some of the men opposed to
subsidies, and who are expected to be won
over, Will be relied upon to start the cam
paign of education
In the Senate great deal Of time will
be devoted to Panama canal affairs. and
very little else is expected from that BODY
the regular appropriation bills begin to
crowd for attention