The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-04
What Congress May Do.

The paramount issue before this con-
gress is rate legislation. The president
has become a standpatter on this sub
iect and will fight it out on the lines
laid down in his original Recommended
tions to congress. There will be little
or no difficulty in agreeing upon bill
in the house and the committee on rules
will bring in a rule to limit debate and
it will be passed,
I. The real struggle will come in the
senate, where debate cannot be limited
and where there is large republican
Opposition to any bill which contem-
plates giving the Interstate commerce!
commission the power to make rate
and put it in force. There is an OBJ
servable weakening in the antirate leg
islation group, however, and the prob
ability Of the passage Of a satisfactory
measure is today brighter than it has
been at any time.
Congress may be expected to do some
thing about the Panama canal also.
The question Of a sea-level or lock
canal is in the air, owing to the vote of
the board of consulting engineers. It is
"a sea-level canal, a lock canal, or to
leave the. whole question to, the com
b mission. The matter Of money to prose
| cute the work will also have to be. faced
by congress. ALI the available cash and
I more, is gone. Congress will have to
appropriate enough to keep the work
going year or order the secretary of
oS11rv 10 ho l1
| for in the Spooner act
r. Federal control Of insurance will
4 also be up, but whatever is done on
this subject will be supplementary to
what is already being done by the
states. There is no probability that
congress will attempt anything to the
J exclusion Of state supervision. 49, s.~
KS; The deficit, which threatened last
+ summer to become an issue in this ses.
i sion, is conveniently taking itself out
& of the way. At the present rate of
! gain in custom receipts the deficit will
have disappeared before JUNE 80 of
!. next year, the date when the govern
! ment ends its year. If congress is
able to restrain it's penchant for spend
ing money the treasury will be right
side up with care.
AS The president is going to ask the
II senate to try again on the San Domin
go treaty, and taking advantage of tbs
fact that a number of senators &anc
representatives saw q new light aon s1th<
Philippine tariff, he will ask for re
construction Of the duties between this
country and that semiforeig On land.aS
The action of the German, govern
men in denouncing'O the present tar
if between the two countries is signifi
cant of an intention of the German.
to put their high tariff against us il
force in March. The state department,
is negotiating for reciprocity treat,
]. to, avoid trade confusion and loss, re
sulting from the German move, bu
congress is proverbially slow in takin<
up reciprocity treaties.
The ffty-ninth congress is: strongl,
republican in both branches and it
Il acts this winter will be the basis ofSth
presidential campaign in 1908. &Presi
dent Roosevelt will do all he can /
keep the party going forward, but h
cannot do everything. Some wisdom
ISL and some capacity to foresee the futur
must be Forthcoming from the presump
tive candidates for president, all O
whom have their partizans in this con
gress $500 ..,,. s.. d..