The Washington times., 1906-06-25
Split Better Than Even on
Legislation in Historic
Congress.
WON EIGHT IMPORTANT BILLS
He Also Lost an Equal Number,
Though Less Vital Pet
Measures.

What viii ever be remembered as a
history making session OF Congress, is
drawing to a close. Only a few days
more, and the members will be hurrying
away more or less light-heartedly, TO
enter into the campaigns that wifi IN
volve their political future Mans poll
teal coTpses will strew the by-paths, for
the present overwhelming Republican
majority viii be sadly reduced IN the
next Congress The Republican leaders
admit that much; they say the next
House VIII be close. but they rio.~ >
| the Democratic boast that the present
minority party Will be IN control.
Remarkable for legislation of i'm
portance this Congress has been even
more noteworthy for fts chickering's, al
most constant. with President Roose-
vent Differences of opinion were mark
ed before the session began; they were
the relicts Of the last meetings of the
Senate Of the session before. when vain
efforts were made TO force action on
the santo Domingo treaty along the
| lines desired by the President Notable
victories have been achieved by Presi-
/ dent Roosevelt IN his contests with the
AOLleAGASs UuL -@9a4llO DOlAAllEI II uOl OuO
of them The treaty remaiLs where It
was. in Senatorial cold storage
Delivered ''the Gods"
The great feature Of the session was
| the railroad rate debate. President
| Roosevelt took the initiative; even Sen
| ator Tillman, who piloted the bill
| through the Senate. gives the President
| credit for that. To the passage OF the
| railroad rate bin all other ma tiers were
| subordinated. At the very outset of
| the session 1t was stated seu1i-authori-
| tatively that the President and Speaker
! Cannon had come to an understanding.
| The President was 10 refrain from
making tariff revision an issue. In re-
| turn. Stand-patter Cannon would de-
liver TO him the House IN firm sup
| port of his railroad rate and Statehood
| policy. II there was such a bargain.
| It was religiously observed. The Presi-
| dent ''refrained." and Uncle Joe Can
non delivered the goods-wIthout diff
Guilty in the matter Of railroad rate,
but with his scepter badly nicked and
SCARED when It came to Statehood
For it was on the proposition to force
| an ''unholy'' union between Arizona and
New Mexico that Western members and
! others rebelled, forming a combination
| with those who opposed the bill. re-
! ducing the Philippine tariff and joining
forces in the historical attempt to beat
| both bills Like other instructions in
the House of recent years. the attempt
failed miserably, although Speaker
Cannon. when It was over, knew that
he had been IN a fight
Famous Rate Bill Debate.
The two months Struggle IN tho Sen
ate on the railroad rate bill will rank
with the most famous donates in the his
| tory of Congress. II vas considerably
| enliyened by the raising; Of questions Of
veracity. with the Pres dent on one side
and Senators TlllmaD and Bailey and
ex-senator Chandler, of New Hamp-
shire, on the other. A compromise bill
was finally passed. the most important
concession to the railroad interests be-
Ing the adoption of court review pro-
vision Both sides claimed the victory,
but the people accord il to the Presi-
| dent, who has expressed his satsfac-
tion with the measure The conference
7 SPort on the bill has been adopted by
the House, and yet remains 10 be acted
upon by the Senate. but this win be done
before the session closes.
! In the Senate the Philippine bill still
slumbers, and there It will continue. one
i Of the defeats sustained by the Presi-
dent at The hands Of Congress this year.
NOT Clu ne come OUT or Inc SJ4IenOO0
fight unsCathed. The bill was so amend
ed as TO exclude Arizona and New Mex
leo from Statehood, unless approved by
popular vote in those Territories.
The Beef Disclosures.
Another spectacular feature of the ses-
sion was furnished by the beef dis
closures The Senate originated the
measure which is about to become the
law OF the land in an amended form /;
the House perfected" - 1t had been
perfected" once by the House Com
mittee on Agriculture when the Presi-
dent, in that remarkably emphatic way
of his made known his disapproval /;
and, although part of his opposition
was based on a misconception of the
House bill there was enough OF the
really faulty to make the situation an
unusual one An exchange Of letters
between President Roosevelt and Rep
resentative WadswoTth of New York
chairman Of the House Committee on
Agriculture, added TO the intenseness
Of the situation Then, when threats Of
open warfare. encouraged by the hostile
attitude of Speaker Cannon, were at
| their height wise counsel prevailed. the
Speaker and the President came to an
| understanding. a compromise was
| reached and the inspection measure will
| become a law in the closing days of
| the session.
! Among other matters of Importance
/ was the passage OF the measure allOW-
ing the tax-free use of denatured alcohol
IL, the manufactures and the arts, as a
/ fuel and an iIluminant. There was Bit
ter opposition to the measure at the
4 | outset, out the Presidents insistence
: and the popular clamor against the
Standard Oil Company, compelled its
| adoption.
Victory for Lock Canal
Among other Presidential victories
; Of the session must be mentioned the
canal matter. From an apparently
hostile Senate, he wrung a declaration
that the canal shall be of the lock t--pe.
a declaration into which the Senate
was forced by the attitude of the
House and the Presidents threat to
veto any measure that proclaimed a
sea-level ditch.
The disarmament" element, under
the leadership OF Representative Bur
ton won a partial victory over the Ad-
ministration last week. in placing re-
strictions about the construction Of the
new ten-million-dollar battlesLip of the
Dreadnought type, which win delay
Il the building Of the ship for a consider