The Washington herald., 1906-11-26
DEAL TO PASS TWO
BILLS is PLANNED.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.

CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.
holidays, so that the actual time at the
disposal Of the two Houses will be reduced
to a trIhe more than two months
An opinion which is expressed more
frequently than usual this winter is that
the period at present allotted to short ses-
sions Is altogether too limited TO permit
the proper transaction Of business. Rep
resentative Livingston. Of Georgia, the
ranking Democrat Of the Appropriations
Committee, says that three months is by
no means sufficient for the careful con-
sideration of even the appropriation bills,
and that as a result of the enforced hur-
~ the committee is compelled 10 accept
the recommendations Of department and
bureau heads, without thorough lnvesu-
cation. In consequence, he says, the to-
tails OF the bills reported by the commit
tee will be larger than they should be
this year. Congress has the power TO add
TO the length Of the short session by pro-
viding for a meeting day earlier than the
first Monday in December.
Posted on Presidents Wishes.
The recommendations contained in the
Presidents message naturally will have
much TO do with the trend Of legislation,
but it Is quite obvious that the brief
time at the disposal Of Congress viii
make II impossible 10 act on all the mat
tiers which Mr. Roosevelt Will place be-
fore it. The leaders are already pretty
well informed as TO the contents Of the
message, and their store Of knowledge
will be added TO during the coming week,
for as soon as the President returns they
Will descend on him Ia punches, prepared
70 make up for the time they have lost
By reason Of his absence.
By the end Of the week ali Of the mem
bers of consequence will know the de-
tails Of the message, which means that
they will be informed as 10 Wether II
will contain any reference 20 the tariff
That is about the only matter Of impoT-
lance concerning which they are not ad-
vised now.
But the two Houses have their hands
full even without the work which the
Presidents suggestion for new legislation
will entail. In addition % the apprOpria-
ton bills. attention viii be demanded by
"a number Of the important matters which
the long session did not act on finally.
The immigration biz. for example, was
CURED.
The Senate and the House had each
passed a bill but the two had not been
TeCOnCilcd when the session ended. and
Il is certain mat II the Fifty-ninth Con-
gress is brought to a close without the
enactment of a law providing additional
restriction on the enormous volume Of
Immigration now pouring into the United
States the lawmakers will hear from the
country IN no uncertain way.
smOot Case stiII Pending.
The Senate will have to deal with the
Smoot case If il wishes to avoid the
charge that It's majority leaders have no
real desire 10 act in the premises. Sena-
tor Smoot will have served four years Of
bis six-year-term on March ( next, and
II bis case is permitted to 90 over TO the
Sixtieth Congress IL viii mean that the
Republican majority has no intention 70
disturb him. SO many promises have been
made that the public viii not be inclined
10 believe anything is to be done until
il is actually done The opinion preva-
lent throughout the country is that II
Mr. SIu00t is not fit TO be q member Of
the Senate be should be oUsted at once,
and that if ne is fit. the stigma which
rests on him should be removed without
further loss OF time The report OF the
Committee on Privileges and Elections is
now before the Senate.
TWO election reform measures which
made little or no progress last session.
because Of the fear Of the leaders IN Con
gress that definite action on them might
have an unfavorable effect on this years
political contests. may be brought To the
front again shortly after the two Houses
get together next Monday. One provides
FOR publicity. regardless Of campaign ex-
penses and campaign transactions gen
orally, and the other forbids campaign
contribution from corporations. Both
have the support Of the President, all
OF the minority, and several OF the more
Independent Republicans In House and
Senate including Representative Mccall
OF Massschusetts-
In Toilette Bill 90 Come Up.
Senator Ia FoIlette's bill limiting the
working hours 81 railway employees will
be voted on January q, the Senate hav-
ing agreed on that date last session. II
the bill passes the Senate, it VIII have
fairly good chance Of getting through
the House.
The Presidents visit TO Porto Rico.
where he addressed the people of the
Z
terest TO Senator Foraker's bill which
seeks 10 make them citizens legally as
well as sentimeutally.
other leftover bills OF greater or lesser
! Importance are those providing for copy
I right changes. swamp reclamation under
| the irrigation act. multiplication, an
eight-hour day. the retirement Of super
animated Federal clerks. and numerous
others. The Santo Domingo, Isle OF
I Pines. and Moroccan treaties are still 70