The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-12-08
Cannon ELECTED
SPEAKER AGAIN
FIFTY-NINTH CONGRESS BEGINS
ITS FIRST SESSIoN-BoTH
BRANCHES ORGANIZE.
Meeting of the Senate Is Brief-Many
Measures introduced in House
Bill Fixing Penalty for Campaign
Contributions by Corporations.


Washington, Dec. 5.-The first ses-
sion of the Flfty-ninth congress con-
vened Monday at IL o'clock. Vice
President Fairbanks called the senate
to order while the house was called
to order by Clerk Mcdowell. There
were few changes in the senate mem
bership. Death had taken away Sem
ator Bate, of Tennessee, and Platt, OF
Connecticut. There were no changes
among the senate officials.
One noticeable feature was the alb
sence of flowers, which heretofore have
been common to both chambers. On
opening days the display has been SO
great that this exhibition alone would
have been sufficient to draw great
crowds, and the absence of floral tr1b-
utes, due to a resolution adopted unan-
imously by the senate and to an order
of the speaker of the house, robbed the
occasion of much of it's picturesque
ness.
The Senate.
The senate was in session only ~
minutes. Senators Allison and Morgan
were appointed by Vice President Fair
banks as committee to notify the
president that congress was ready to
receive any communication he desired
to make. Senators Aldrich Or. ID,
Knox (Pa.), Warner (Mo.) and Frazier
(Tenn.) took the oath of Office and an
adjournment was taken as a mark OF
respect to the late Senator Plat, of
Connecticut.
House.
The preliminary steps to organiza-
ton were taken by the house. Joseph
G. Cannon Qll.) was reelected speaker;
the members of the house took the
oath of Office; the officers and floor
employees of the body were reelected;
the rules Of the last congress were
adopted; and members went through
the formality of drawing for seats, all
of which was enlivened by the presence
of crowds in the galleries, the ANNA
tion of the reunion of veteran mem
bers and the interest of new ones.
A committee was appointed to act
with the senate committee in notify
ing President Roosevelt that congress
was ready to transact business. the
rules committee and the committee on
mileage were appointed, the house adj
journed after a session which lasted
three and half hours, in compliance
with resolutions announcing the dealn
OF Senator Plat, of Connecticut, and
Mr.. Marsh, of Illinois.
Many Bills, introduced.
A large number of bills and joint
resolutions were introduced in the
house. They cover a large variety OF
subjects, including Philippine tariff,
statehood, pensions, regulations of the
hours of employment in the executive
departments, merchant marine, in
crease of salaries of the vice president
and members of the cabinet, requiring
corporations to make full reports of
their affairs to the commissioner of
corporations, increasing the powers of
the interstate commerce commission,
investigating of campaign funds, of ex-
penditures on the Panama canal, of in
surance companies doing an interstate
business, of cotton reports, and of the
condition of child labor, provision for
a six-year term for the president, and
the election of senators by a direct
vote of the people.
Mr.. Williams (Miss.) introduced a
bill regarding campaign contributions
which fOrbidS federal COMBINATIONS
chartered by the federal government
engaged in interstate commerce from
asking for such contributions. The bill
subjects the violator on conviction to
a fine of not less than $500 and not
more than $4,000, and an additional
fine of double the value of the money
or other thing of value found to have
been contributed or promised.