Milford chronicle., 1905-06-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.

that he VIII not call COugfess III epociAi
session until after the November elections
and he now expects to convene the ex-
traordinary session on November 18th.
There are many of the leaders in the Re
publican party, however, who believe
that this decision sounds the death knell
of the special session and that eventually
the President will be entirely dissuaded
from the idea of calling any special ses-
sion. The argument used with the Presl-
dent to induce him to abandon his first
idea was that he could accomplish no good
by calling the Congress in session at q
time that would prove Objectionable to
all the members, that as a result they
would all come to Washington in surely
or sullen mood and would merely waste
time instead of getting down to business
in advance of the regular session. The
President has needed this argument to
the extent above outlined and now the
opponents of a special session are ready |
with aggume nts for further delay although |
they may not present them until later IN
the summer.
The argument which is expected to dis
suade the President from calling any
special session is this: by calling Congress
together on November 1S, there will be
at most but three weeks gained before the
date on which the national legislature
would meet by law : Congress will never
again consent however, to remain in ses-
sion right up to the hour when the regu-
lar session must commence, for the reason
that when this was done year ago the
members lost the extra mileage which
they regarded as their special perquisite =
whenever they meet in special session.
For that reason, it will be urged, Congress
will certainly adjourn at least a week in
advance of December 4, the date on which
the regular session must begin, and so
only two weeks would be gained. Then
the President will be asked if in his iudg-
ment the two weeks gained will compen-
safe for the $l9O,OO0 which Congress is
certain to take for itself for mileage and
the old argument that no member of Con-
gress wants a special session at all will be
revamped and so the special session, of
1905 will, in the judgment of those best j
fitted to Judge, have been added to the
long list of things gone glimmering." !
There is no Disgusting the fact that the a
Presidents decision is a victory for the L
stand patters. They so regard it and they |
are jubilant at having won the day. 1t
will be remembered that when, early in L
the last session, the President called the b
leaders of both houses of Congress to the
White House for a conference on the tariff, ,
Speaker Cannon, while protesting that
there was not the slightest necessity of
a single tariff schedule, declared
that if any must be changed it should be ri
done at a special session called for the IL
purpose this spring. The Speakers rea- &c
son for urging a spring session was that if >,
It were undertaken to readiust the tariff pi
schedules at a special fall session, or dur ia
ing a regular session, the Democrats in I
the Senate would purposely prolong the II
debate until so close to the fall elections I'll
that the business of the country would "
not have time to become readjusted to II
the new schedules and the Republican
of the House would suffer at ,y
the polls The Speakers argument was NJ
met by Senator Aldrich however, with a
the assurance that there would be no un- e e
delay if the special session We're a,
deferred until fall and the President IA
abided by the judgment of the Senator n
from Rhode Island. ?
With the purpose of making good his !,
assurance to the President Senator Aid b.
rich Immediately thereafter secured from n
the Democratic leader, Senator German, o
a pledge that if the House would send :,
over a tariff bill during the special fall
session the Democrats in the upper house
would permit it to come to a vote before
she date for the beginning of the regular 7
session. OF course, now that the Presi-
dent has deferred the convening of the
special session until so late date there
is no chance for the Democrats to redeem
Mr.. GOrman's pledge, While the Speak
sr's argument against opening the tariff
question on the eve of an election has g. g.
gained added force. The stand patters'' r
are therefore doubtless correct in their cC
assertion that, while the President has in in
10 way departed from his original con- to
,iction that some readjustment of the al
ariff schedules to changed conditions is tt
ssential to a square deal, he has dealt 81 s.
ariff readjustment in the next session a sa
eath blow by his abandonment of 0cto- N N
er Is as the date on which to convene 2
he special session. r.
The President has not, despite all re- L. L.
orts to the contrary, taken any steps to- VI
ard the promotion OF peace between al
ussia and Japan. Much as he would or
ke to further the cause of peace in the to