The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-12-08
congress MEETS
FORMAL OPENING OF SHORT sEs.
sion MONDAY.
Little Work Expectedto Be Done
During Opening Week--Presi-
dents Message Tuesday-Out-
line of More Important Work
Scheduled.

Washington, Dec. 3.-Both houses
of congress convened at noon today,
but Notwithstanding busy session is
expected, practically no business was
transacted the first day, and little is
expected during the first week.
1t had been the hope that the legis-
lative, executive and judicial app1o-
priation would be placed on the calen-
dar Of the house as early as Tuesday,
so that the beginning of the considera-
ton Of the appropriations could be
made almost contemporaneous, but the
date of the presentation of the report
has been necessarily postponed, so that
it is not probable that it will take
place before Thursday.
1t is expected that the pension and
ratification bills will be reported be-
fore Christmas, but not even the most
sanguine members count upon their
massage before that date.
The senate is not COT nting on doing
much the first week of the session,
nor is the outlook there good for much
strenuous labor until after the holt
days. The reason for this is found in
the desire to confine the work of the
session largely to appropriation mea-
sures, and none of those can be taken
up by the senate until sent over from
the house There is one item of gen.
eral legislation on the senate's calen-
dar of unfinished business, namely,
Senator LaFollette's bill limiting the
number of hours railway employees
may be kept at work during each day,
and the vote is set for January 10.
The probabilities are that Senator La
Toilette will desire to discuss it, but
it is not anticipated that even he will
wish to take it up during the first few
days of the session.
The proceedings in both houses to-
day we're of the most perfunctory
character. They consisted of the
routine business of appointing COM
mittees by each body to notify the
other, and by both to notify the presi-
dent, and in the house of the call Of
the roll and the administration of the
oath of Office to the new members.
After this proceeding tho attention
of the house was officially directed to
the fact that four prominent members
Of that body, Messrs. Hit, Hoar, Ket-
cham and Adams have died since the
close of the last session, and motion
for adjournment out of respect for
them Immediately followed.
Hear Message and Adjourn
The presidents message will not be
received until tomorrow, and both
houses will probably adjourn for the
day ~ soon as it is read. 1t is expect
ed the nomination of Attorney Gener-
al Moody to succeed Justice Brown on
the supreme court bench will be made
the first nomination to be sent in by
the president, and there will be an
effort to secure it's immediate consid-
GRAFTON.
There has not yet been timo for as
general an exchange Of views among
members as is ordinarily desired by
leaders before expressing their views,
but all seem to regard the present sit
uation as so simple as to need compar-
atively little intercourse to arrive at
an understanding. That it will not
be possible to do much on the appro-
priation bills before the holidays will
have the effect of condensing the con-
sideration of the fourteen large supply
measures into two months. Consider
ing that the aggregate Of the appro-
prations to be considered will approx
innate billion dollars, some senators
and members express the opinion that
congress cannot do better than give all
of it's time to these measures.
The report on the ship subsidy bill
probably will be an exception to the
rule for no general legislation. The
friends of that measure have never
been more insistent than now. They
are extremely hopeful and yet very APP
prehsnsive. The DILL has passed the
senate and IL in COMMITTEES in the
house. The committee heretofore has
been very evenly divided, but the i'd
vocates of the bill believe that they
will be able to get it ont In due season,
and they hope for its confederation
when once reported to the house
Speaker Cannon has given no POSI-
tive assurance a. to his attitude, but
the bills supporters find encourage
ment in his silence. One incident
that 10 very materially helping the sub
sidy ID the recent speech OF SeerstAry
Root in support Of the bill.
The senate has on ito calendar two
important house bills thu immigration
bill and the Philippine tariff bill. but
there are snass In tho pathway Of both
Of them. There Il still intsnse opposi-
ton to the Philippine BILL especially
- It ii now believed that Il cannot 70
csive serious confederation during ne
present short seaoi0n.
The session bids fair 20 b produc-