The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-01
CONGRESS- IS
 SOON TO MEET Last Session of the Fifty
 eighth. THEN ROOSEVELT REGIME interest in What Will occur
 After March 4. Panama Canal Commission's Troubles, Instead of Strengthening Them- selves out, Seem ts Be Get
 tins Into Worse TansIe Than Ever.

Washington, Nov. 3o.--(SpeciaI. )-- Tn a few days the last sitting, the se cond session. of the Fifty-eighth Congress. will begin. With It's end will expire for the present, at least, the connection of something like a hun dred Senators and Representatives with the national legislative business. s The 4th of March, on Presidential in- auguration occasions, is immediately followed by special session of the Senate to confirm nominations for Cab- inet positions.
 The interest of public anticipation is looking forward rather to what shall transpire after the 4th of March when the Resident will enter upon what may be regarded as Roosevelt own admin istration, rather than to the short ses- sion which is to begin next Monday This Is because the business of the short session will very likely be con- fined to important necessary legisla- ton, but somewhat of a routine sort. with little indication of any kind of political agitation. Allowing for the holiday recess and Sundays, there will be just about sixty days for legisla- tive work. The absence of political discussion should allow for the prompt transaction of business, as the major ity, with the Committee on Rules, headed by the Speaker. shall direct.
 Necessary Legislation.
 The general appropriation bills, of which there are thirteen, must be pass ed before the end of the session. The most serious proposition which will at once confront Congress Is how to pro- vide against revenues short of expen- 10 fI,A rf IA eral. not to say extravagant, expendi- lures to which the country seems to have committed itself by its verdict November 9th.
 Democrats win probably contend that this can be done only by reduction of tariff rates and that they will find sNo will agree to the ex- tent that this can be done only by par ing rates to a revenue basis Is rot to be doubted.
 Opposed to this idea will be all the stalwart stand-patters who. even if they admit the necessity of raising more revenue through the tariff, will insist upon postponing the experiment. It is now generally believed that the of the revisionists and the standpatters will have to be settled In extra session which compromise be-
  in the spring If the anti-revis- ionists continue stubborn. the most eff fective argument which will be brought to bear will be that if revision and reduction to meet revenue necessities be not effected in the recess period of Congress, following March 1, 1905, 1t will be a seriously disturbing question at a period too near the Congressional election of 1906.
 But, according to not few serious thinkers, the biggest, most masterful man in this prospective difference among Republicans. will prove to be no less than President Roosevelt. A veteran newspaper writer of special articles on leading public characters said today:
 Tn my opinion Roosevelt will favor revision and he will raise a row to &C., compIish it. If he calls an extra ses- sion. he will lick 'em; If he does not he will disappoint many people who have believed in him and helped to elect him."
 Canal Commission Troubles.
 Troubles of the Panama Commission grow apace. A certain United states Senator. long an ardent advocate of the Nicaragua route for an isthmian canal. predicted at the outset that the Panama canal promoters would have endless troubles which would return to curse the whole project. They did be- gin early and often.
 First 1t was through rumors Of diff ferences between the canal commis- sioners, personal differences; then some one or more of the commissioners could not get along very well with United States Minister John Barrett; then came the bother of almost incipient reyeIuticr among the natives, on ac count of the Panaman army's salary. the result of which General Huertas, the diminutive erstwhile commander of the twenty-six or twenty-seven troops the miniature standing army was compelled to content himself with a pension; then. again. 1t was said that ommissioner Hecker's resignation was practically forced because he could not enjoy life on the isthmus as an as- sociate of Admiral Walker, chief com missioner, along with which were ugly rumors about members of the com mission tipping off their friends about sundry material and supplies which the would be obliged to buy. It has been a story of trouble all the way through.
 The latest tribulation supplied by the incidental observations of the commis- sion comes from an engineer who has written to a friend in Washington a letter complaining of the methods of the commission in dealing with men who have been transported from this country to work on the canal. The writer of the letter was formerly em- ployed by the old Panama Canal Com pany and also on the Nicaragua survey in 1890, He writes:
 "Dirty Deal," He Says.
 '"The canal commission Is giving us a dirty deal all around. They hired a lot of us, agreeing to pay all our ex- penses while here, but soon after we got here they informed us that no ex- penses would be paid. and that if we did not like it we could quit and go home.
 "when we got on the steamer in New York city they had written contracts for us to sign. stating our salary and that our expenses were to be paid; that we were to have six weeks vacation in each year and that we could have a dollar rate home to New York for our vacation; also, we could have a fifteen dollar rate for our immediate families who might want to come down.
 As soon as they changed their minds about 1t they informed us that the