The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-06-07
TIE NATIONAL GApITsL.
WILL CALL SPECIAL SESSION .AF-
TER FALL ELECTIONS.
Some Pciisilac Talk and Gossip One
Hears at the National Capital
between Sessions.
Washington

Washington, June 5.-President
Roosevelt has capitulated to the
stand patters.' He has agreed not to
call congress in special session until
are few and unimportant and it is
obvious that they are put forth as
reason for postponins the session only
for effect According to the presi-
dents own announcement he has
agreed not to summon congress to
Washington until November 13, pre-
cisely three weeks before the date
set by law for the beginning Of the
regular session. Those who have
heard the presidents emphatic as
sertions that nothing would prevent
his calling congress in session on Oc-
tober 16, now believe that there
will be no special session whatever.
The stand patters' are, moreover
| Convinced, and with reason, that the
president has himself delivered
death blow to tariff revision in the
next session of congress.
Having persuaded the president to
postpone the special session until No
vember 13, the ''stand patters" will
now proceed to show him that that
leaves only three weeks before the
regular session. They will add that
nothing can dissuade congress from
Iadjourning the special at least a week
before the date for the regular ses-
| sion. December I. and that means that
the extraordinary session would last
| lust two weeks. a ridiculously short
time, as everyone admits. The rea-
| son that congress would insist on ad-
journing week before the date of
the regular session is tha the men,
| bers would be determined to secure
their extra mileage It Will be realized
that when congress last permitted a
special session to be merged into a
| regular session. they lost their extra
mileage. Now the president will be
asked if. in his estimation. the two
Reeks of special session is worth to
the people the 100000 for mileage
which it is certain to cost. That he
will be compelled to reply in the neg
ative seems almost assured. 1t may,
therefore. be safely predicted that
there will be no special session Of
congres next fall. which is precisely
what the opponents Of tariff revision
and railway rate legislation want.
Senator German. speaking for the
Democrats in the Senate. promised
Senator Aldrich. the Republican man
ager of the upper chamber. that the
| Democrats would permit any tariff
bill sent over tv the House during the
special session TO come to vote be-
fore the beginning OF the regular ses-
|
had agreed to call the extraordinary
! session for October IS. Now that the
president has gone back on that
agreement at the behest of the stand
Datters.' Senator German could not be
asked to agree to a vote at the cur
tailed special session. even If the
house could frame and send over
tariff bill which it could no..
With the tariff disopsed Of SO far
as the special session is concerned.
the House Will claim that it is i'm
practicable to send over to the senate
tariff bill at all for fear the dis
cussion might be prolonged, the
business OF the country has too little
time to become adjusted To the new
schedules before the fall elections and
the Republican members ef the house
suffer at the polls as a result Of the
unsettled condition Of the business,
during the fall of 1905. This argu-
ment will doubtless prove quite suf-
ficient for the president and the tar
| if revision policy Of the adn1inistra-
ton may now be laid away on the
shelf as one of the policies killed by
! the presidents vacillation.
But the president regards railway
rate legislation as even more import
ant than tariff readjustment. it may
be said, and this is doubtless true.
but is not the postponement Of the
special session a yielding on this i'm
portant issue? 1t may not be. 1t is
possible that the president will yet
win out out on that policy and will
refuse further to yield to the in
fuence of the leaders Of his par
ty but those who fully appreciate
the magnitude Of the struggle he has
undertaken irl this direction fear that