Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-12-08
CONGRESS IS IN SESSION
0nlyhppropriation Bills and Much
Talk in Sight.
LITTLE NEW LEGISLATION
Eight New Members viii Be Ushered
in as Members of the House-The
Many Matters to Be Talked On.

Many Matters to BE Talked On.
Washington, Dec Both houses of
congress convened at noon. Vice
President Fairbanks presided over the
senate and Speaker Cannon welded
the gaYel in the house.
There was full attendance of the
members of both branches and the
crowd of spectators was unusually
large, filling the galleries to their ca
pacity.
There was great curiosity manifest
ed by the throng about Senators De-
pew and Platt.
Both senators were present at the
opening session. Senator Depew ap
peared to be in fine health and was
greeted by many of the senators pres
ent Senator Plat was helped to his
committee room and from there to his
seat in the senate by two pages. Sen
ators one by one came forward and
shook him by the hand. He is appar
emily in better health than during the
last session.
The business transacted by both
houses was entirely routine.
Business of the Session.
Washington, Dec. 3.-Hotel lobbie
were crowded last night, and each in
coming train brought in batch of ma
tional legislators.
Although the second session of the
Fifty-ninth congress will begin at noon
today, there is an utter lack of the
high tension that usually marks the
approach of the event that puts life
and ginger into the national capital.
This is accounted for in a measure
by the well-defined impression that
there will be little legislation attempt
ed aside from the passage of the great
supply bills.
Here and there among the lawmak-
ers can be heard the discussion of tar
iff revision, currency, a greater navy
Philippine tariff and the Smoot case,
but, in the main, the talk consists of
congratulations over individual vic
tories in the last congressional cleo
ton or expression of regret for those
who fell by the wayside.
There will be no railroad rate bill
or Statehood measure to absorb atten
ton, as was the case at the first ses.
sion of the present congress, for con
gress intends the Hepburn act shall be
given an opportunity to demonstrate
it's worth or lack of worth before any
attempts are made to remedy any de
fects, and there is no possibility oil
statehood for New Mexico and Arizona
being considered.
Philippine Tariff Exhumed.
Nearly every subject that is to re
ceive serious consideration in the
forthcoming session has already beer
talked black in the face. The admin
istration will again press for the en-
actment of Philippine tariff bill, and
hopes for success.
That the senate will vote upon the
right of Reed Smoot to retain his seal
is openly conceded. Chairman Bur
rows, of the Committee on Privileges
and Elections, declares that he will
COLL tba x,aattar IN NJ the fret session
and push it to speedy termination
Behind closed doors, the senate will re
sumo discussion Of the Algeciras
treaty, and, after it is disposed Of, be
fore the first of the year, will likely
obtain action upon the Santo Domingo
treaty, which proved such perplexine
problem at the last session.
For the last ten days or two weeks
the House Committee on Appropria
tons has been hard at work on the
legislative appropriation bill, now has
1t practically completed. 1t will be re
ported either today or tomorrow. This
will afford some opportunity for the
takers to talk upon until something
else is ready to be acted upon.
There is promise of a lively SCRAP
over the river and harbor bill, the
groundwork for which was laid by
Representative Burton and his com
mitttee last session. The amount that
1t viii carry will depend to large ex
tent upon the appropriation for in
crease in the navy, and. perhaps, upon
whether or not the ship subsidy bill
Is to become law.
1t will be large If the increase In the
navy is small and the shipping bin /
permitted to die In Representative
Grosvenors committee, and compare
lively small IL a scare over the posi-
bility of war with Japan frightens the
members into complying with the pres
ident's demand for a larger navy and
IL the shipping bill is not passed.