Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-03
Congress Commences Session
Afflicted With a Feeling
of Tiredness
PRESIDENT MAY PROD 4
Message Counted on to Put Some Life
into the session-some Of the Dere-
iicts Of Recent Storm Anxious Moth
I Ing Should Be Done-Lobb,ists Are
Hopeful.
rJohn Callan oLaughlin in Chicago
Tribunel

rJchn Callan o'Laughlin in Chicago
Tribune.1
battered congress which will meet at
noon today at the capitol. Many of its
members have suffered shipwreck and
are drifting aimlessly on the sea OF
politics in search Of haven which has
an official salary.
Derelicts like Plat and Depew float
with the tide, awaiting the certain
fate Of retirement from public life.
Others who weathered the storm Of the
recent elections look with we:lried eye
upon the three months of the coming
session. There is no united purpose to
do more than absolutely necessary,
nothing like the energetic determine
ton which marked the assemblage
year ago and which resulted in the
passage Of the railroad rate, meat in
spection, pure food, and other laws.
There are no high hopes save among
the lobbyists. The session like. the last
Of those of past congresses Will be as
lifeless as the leaders in the senate and
house can make it.
But weary as congress is 1t will have
to reckon with the man at the white
house. His message, which will be
transmitted on Tuesday. will give the
senator's and representatives some solid
material for legislative digestion. The
E income and Inheritance tax proposition
easily will take first place in public es-
timation. The relations Of capital and
labor, national licensing of corporations
doing an interstate business, and the
relief of labor thru a more stringent
eight hour law on all government work,
the limitation of the hours OF labor of
railroad employees, and the anii-injunc-,
ton question will be second.
The currency legislation. tariff legis-
lation in behalf of the Philippines, a
ship subsidy and immigration will be
among the other important matters the
president will call to the attention of
the legislative branch of the govern
ment.
These are by no means all the recom-
mendations the president will make in
his message but they are the ones
WIllGIls Will dppCli " SOAlSoASs's' so sNsA
probability above anything else he may
say. Japan, Cuba, and Secretary Roots
South American trip and the presi-
dents views on the negro problem Will
be Interesting, but will not call for any
special action. Rather will what he
says regarding Japan tend to discour-
age any agitation of the Japanese ex-
clusion question.
@ Tho it is generally recognized that
the annexation of Cuba is a certain
consequence of American Intervention
in the island, there is no likelihood of
any change thru congressional action
OF the relations which this government
maintains toward the queen Of the
/ Antilles.
+ Secretary Roots visit to South AM
erica will point the way to the presi-
dents recommendation for ship sub
sidy bill; and it may be stated author
itatively that the presidents views on
this subject have been strengthened by
what the secretary of state told him
about the condition of the American
merchant marine in southern waters.
II AS to the negro question, it is like
" some kind of an investigation will be
made by one of the two houses not OF
+ q race aspect, but of the action of the
4 president in dismissing 200 soldiers Of
the Twenty fifth infantry 1t is I'M
3 derstood that Senator Foraker of Ohio
Intends to introduce a resolution on the
subject If no one else has the temerity
to do so. The senator is not concern
ed so much about the race feature as
about the. degradation Of veteran SOL
I diers without trial. Such resolution
{ OF inquiry probably will be adopted and
the senate committee on military affairs
may be charged to look into, the mat
ter.
The message Of the president will
not be all the work the executive has
cut out for the legislators.
AS to congress, there will be the u.s.
nal grist of bills turned into the legis-
lative mill, with little chance OF any
getting thru. 1t is too ,shorr a session
for action on any measures save those
imperatively demanded by the people,
and in the past even these sometimes
have failed. Besides the appropriation
bills which must be passed. congress
will dispose of the following measures:
Of rivers and harbors.
Restricting immigration.
Defining the extent Of the application
Of writs of injunction in labor dis
putes.
Granting tariff reductions to the Phil
ippines.
Providing for the establishment of an
elastic currency.
Investigation of the child labor and
women employment questions.
Appropriations for the enforcement
of the pure food law.
Granting subsidy in behalf of the
merchant marine.