West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-03-02
OUR washington LETTER
Congress Rushing Through a Lot Of
Important Business During the
CLOSING HOURS OF THE SESSION.
The swayne Impeachment Case Will
Likely Be whits-wash-senator
Elkins Knocks Out Rail Road
Rate Legislation for Present
From Our Regular core,pondent

~O"b'N"' - NV ShbdBtu IN the
usual Titanic struggle Of crowding
into the last two weeks Of the ses.
sion all the work that has been neg
lected through the previous months
and the result is legislative Jam
which compels hasty legislation,
the neglect of work that ought to be
done and the careless performance
of work that should command the
utmost care and precision. Appro-
priation bills providing millions of
dollars are rushed through the clos
ing hours Of a Congress with less
consideration than should properly
be given to bills appropriating hun.
dreds and great policies are initial
ed on the assurance of few men
that theyare judicIous and necessary.
The occasion of all this is the con
slant fear that improper legislation
Will be enacted under the spur of
local demand, that members of
Congress unable, or unwilling, to
rise above the petty considerations
of their own political futures, will
loot the National Treasury and that
under the lash Of agitators legisla-
ton inimical to the interests of the
great corporations will be forced
upon the statutes. The leaders in
both Houses of Congress permit,
therefore, a waste Of time through
out the session in order that they
may have the excuse of "1ack of
time" for not passing the private
bill of this, that or the other mem
Der, instead of denouncing the UNI
desired private measure if it be un-
worthy, or of passing the public bill,
If worthy, regardless of the pres
sure of lobbyist or capitalist.
No more striking instance of ILL
considered legislation has been FUN
ished in recent years than is pre-
scented by the Naval appropriation
bill of this session. Early in
the session Republicans as well as
Democrats declared that the condi-
ton of the nations fianaces would
not permit of the construction of
more great battleships at enormous
cost, and it was generally accepted
that none, or at most only one,
would be authorized at this session
of Congress. The President, how
ever, who is determined to have his
"big stick policy carried out, has
demanded that not less than three
big battleships be authorized and
the House this week passed bill
providing for two, all that the Pre-
sident really expected Now the
Senate committee on Naval affairs
has determined to follow the lead
of the House, not because It be.
lieves that the country can afford
to, or ought to build two ships, but
because the time is so limited that
greatest expedition can be effected
by accepting the House bill and re-
framing from crossing the will of
the President.
Fortunately the Senate does not
expire with the Congress and for
that reason the San Domingo treaty
will not be rushed through while
the hands of the big Senate clock
are TUNED back in a ludicrous OF
tempt to establish the fact that the
hour of II O'Clock noon on March
4th, has not arrived. Senator Ba-
con, the leading Democrat on the
committee on Foreign Relations,
has given notice that the San Do
mingan treaty cannot be ratified at
this session Of Congress and tho
time is so short that no difficulty
will be experienced in preventing
the approval Of the convention
Instead, the treaty or protocol,
will be considered during the
special session Of the Senate which
invariably follows presidential
Inauguration and which is held for
the purpose OF confirming the cabi-
net and other nominations which
the newly inaugurated President
always sends to the Senate.
Rarely has the Senate seemed pre-
pared to judge Of great problem
nearly on its merits as in the case
Of the San DOMINICAN treaty. There
arc no party lines on this conven
ton. a few rock ribbed Republi
cans, staunch supporters Of the Nd
ministration, would be willing to
vote tor ratification without due
consideration, but many Republi
can and all Democratic Senators
Will insist on full and free discus
sion Of policy which the San Do
miugan act would inaugurste before
they viii cast an affirmative vote
therefore While the discussion of
The San DOMINICAN treaty will, Of