The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-12-06
Qasbtngton Chat

Much speculation is rife in all
quarters as to what Congress may do
and may not do during the three
months session just begun and which
will adjourn March 4th, 1907. As
there are so many Government supply
bills to be passed it is unlikely that
there will be much of chance for
general legislation. Possibly the
River and Harbor bill carry about
sixty million dollars, stands the best
show. Next comes the PHILIPPINE
Tariff bill and then the immigration
bill. Outside of these three measures
and the passage of general appro-
priation bills, both Houses will be
content to do little else than talk,
thus sustaining the record established
in the first half of the session in
which it is estimated that shot air"
was let loose to the extent of fifty
million words.
Plenty OF material is still awaiting
discussion and it is probable that con-
siderable talk will result from the re-
cent dismissal by the President of a
battalion of negro troops. The Smoot
case is to be argued in the Senate and
a vote had if possible. The Santo
Domingo treaty, which has been be-
fore the Senate two years, will receive
attention, also the Isles of Pine treaty
The bill limiting the hours of continu-
Gus labor for railroad employees will
come up early in the session. The
question of bigger battleships will be
one of the important subjects dis
cussed and of course the Panama
Canal will always be lively topic.
1t is hardly probable that much
Roadway will be made in measures
for referring the currency and it is the
consensus Of opinion that neither the
Eight-hour law or the Anti-injunction
measure, both advocated by labor
will become laws uutil
late in the session, if at all. One
thing is certain, Congress is now open
for business and will speak for itself.
The deplorable conditions long
existing in the Government printing
Office are far from being settled and
the public printer continues to be the
target for all the criticism, with the
result that he has asked Congress
complete investigation of his manage
ment of the Office since taking charge.
The employees are in a constant state
OF unrest, spend much of their time in
relating real or fancied grievances and
most of them never know when they
report for duty in the morning whether
they will be discharged without
cause" before the day is over.
In consequence of this long-drawn-
out state OF restlessness, the Senate
Committee on printing will shortly
take matters in it's own hands. A bill
will be devised abolishing the Office
of public printer and provide that the
administration of affairs be vested in
a resident committee of three, to be
appointed by Congress, and which
will act as court of last resort in the
settling of differences. 1t is believed
the establishment OF such a board to
take charge of the big plant, will
eliminate all personality and do away
entirely with dissatisfaction, discon-
tent and unrest among the several
thousand employees. Grievances will
go before the three heads and when
decisions are rendered the employees
will have no recourse and cannot re-
sort to the plea of personal luminosity
when ruled against, such as is now
the case under the zone man power"
Considerable interest is being mani
tested ia the preservation of the Key
Mansion, located on Pennsylvania
Avenue in Georgetown and in which
Francis Scott Key, the author of "The
Star Spangled Banner" lived for
many years. The idea to purchase
the property by memorial associa-
ton was suggested by the fact that
the legislature of Massachusetts ap-
propriated sum sufficient to preserve
the home of DR.. Samuel Smith, the
author of America"
The owners of the Key Mansion
were planning to tear it down aud
build small stores on the site but local
patriots were inspired to prevent what
they felt would be a dissertation and
prevailed upon the owners to suspend
building operations for six months,
by which time it is expected to have
the purchase price raised by popular
subscription.
Public interest has been steadily
increasing in this historic old man.
sion ever since President Roosevelt
decided that "The Star Spangled
Banner" was the national anthem,
This question was settled at the time
that several foreign governments re.
quested the United States to furnish