New-York tribune., 1906-12-04
THE OPENING OF CONGRESS-.

Few of the important matters of legislation
20 come before Congress will ''see their finish"
on the statute books during the present short
session In the three months till March 4 there
will not be enough time to carry out any legs-
lative programme comparable with that of the
last session. There are many questions press
ING for solution, among which the most impor-
tant unfinished business will have a sort Of
right Of way. There are two measures, each Of
which has passed one chamber. which will be
pressed urgently during this session.
The Philippine Tariff bill passed the House
Of Representatives on January 16 last by vote
of 25S 10 Il. The opposition vote was made up
of Republicans and Democrats from the beet
sugar, cane sugar and tobacco states The bill
admits the products of the Philippines duty
free into the United States. except tobacco,
sugar and rice, on which it imposes a duty
equal 10 % per cent of the present rate until
April II, 1909. After that date these three
articles would also be admitted duty free. The
bill was smOthered by the Senate Committee
on the Philippines, which refused to report II
favorably. The opposition in the Senate, Ike
that in the House. due to the representa-
tives Of the tobacco. beet sugar and cane sugar
industries in this country. There is no reason
TO believe that the admission Of Philippine prod
ucts free would injure any American Industry,
and the passage OF the bill is matter OF sim
PIE justice TO the Philippines
The House stopped one important measure
which was passed by the Senate last year, name
". the ship subsidy bill ana a strong effort
will be made at this session to get it through
the House. The bill has the advocacy Of Sec
retary Root. who in his recent speech at Kan
sas City said that subsidies were necessary
10 build ND an American merchant marine ser
vice between this country and South America
Unsubsidized American ships cannot compete
tons The bill met with very strong Opposi-
tion in the House last session. and it may be
that this session will prove TOO short TO secure
its passage
A bill 10 bestow citizenship upon the Porto
Ricans should meet with little delay. No in
terests" would suffer from liberal dealing
with the island. Even in a short session time
should be found 10 make this measure n law.
II contains no purpose or even remote sug-
gestion of preparing the island for future state
hood. The gain TO the Porto Ricans would be
chiefly sentimental At present they are not
strictly aliens 10 the United States, nor are
they citizens OF any foreign country. They are
citizens Of nothing except Porto Rico, and Porto
Rico is not an independent state. They look
To the generosity Of Congress 70 end this anon
alOus condition.
Currency reform VIII come before Congress
ar this session in q more crysTaliZed state than
ever before. The bankers of the country have
united upon a measure which, in their judg-
ment would provide a currency automatically
adjusting Itself TO the needs of the market and
giving that elasticity 10 our financial system
which the present currency lacks; while the
success Of essentially the same system in Ger
many is a strong assurance Of its safety. Il IS
a credit currency. and of credit currency plans
Congress has shown itself exceedingly shy in
the past But if the very word credit sug-
gests insecurity, ii must be remembered that
insecurity VIII not be avoided by clinCinE 10
the present system uureformed. Financial
st-inGenCy once or twice a year always con
tains the possibility OF a panic. The abstruse-
ness Of currency questions and the Congress
mans habitual fear of doing more harm than
TEN may again postpone action on the question,
though the movement for currency reform has
gained strength from the agreement on a specific
measure after a long period Of divided counsels.
There is no more important matter before the
country to-day.
The tariff viii hardly appear as a question
before this Congress unless in regard TO some
arrangement with Germany To avert q tariff
war. The application of Germany's war rates
10 American goods was deferred on q compro-
mise some time ago and a commission is now
In Germany investigating the question whose
recommendations may reach the Senate during
this session. Appropriations will take up so
much time that little complicated and debata-
bic legislation is 10 be expected.