Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-26
CONGRESS IS
FACING MANY
BIGPROBLEMS.
PRESIDENT STILL AFTER THE
CORPORATIONS
CHANGES IN ARMY SERVICE ARE
CONSIDERED
"Stand Patters" Are in Majority, and
Chances for Revision of Tariff
N Are Not Encour.
aging

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Oct. 19-. Within
| six weeks congress will convene for its
| sixtieth term and the legislative wheels
| OF the government will be again set in
melton after a nine months interim.
There will be many new faces in the new
congress, as Is the case every two years.
owing to political changes, deaths and
voluntary retirements.
For instance, Alabama will be repre-
sented In the senate by two new men,
her senators In the last congress, Messrs
Morgan and Pettus, having died during
the past summer. The president is ready
Tor the assembling of congress, having
completed his annual message to that
| body come time since. Indications point
| to busy session.
Aside from the annual appropriation
bills, which always occasion considerable
| debate of political character, intended
| for home consumption" subjects touch
| ing our foreign policies as well as home
topics. will engage the attention of our
| lawmakers for some months during the
| next year.
| The coming session is the biennial long
| session and can extend up to the begin
| ming of the next short session which
| meets in December 1908. The fact that
the political conventions of the two par
ties will meet next summer for the pur-
pose of putting forward their candidates
| for the presidential race will cause the
shortening of the session somewhat.
To Deal with Corporations
| President Roosevelt's message to con-
| gress will form the basis of considerable
| legislation. From the tenor of his recent
| speeches 1t Is surmised that he will
recommend the close supervision of cor
| porationS doing an interstate business.
| There are many who incline to the idea
that national incorporation act is the
IA In
| whether his recommendation will take
this shape is of course problematical. 1t
| Is highly probable that legislation looking
| to the solution of the railroad problems
| that have evolved during the past few
months will be sought by the president
| Other important questions to come up will
| be the increase of the strength of the
| navy, the Japanese situation, the dis
| patch of the war vessels to the Pacific
| and the Panama canal.
| Questions affecting the army and navy
will also arise in the next congress. An
effort will be made to secure the passage
of a graded pay" bill for the army,
| navy, marine corps and revenue cutter
service. A bill has been drafted and will
be- actively pushed. The transfer of the
artillery corps of the army to the naval
establishment has been recommended at
the instance of Secretary Taft, and this
change will be considered.
The national guard, which is more and
| more being recognized as a strong arm
of defense of the country, will az come
prominently before congress thA1 ,of
| A few years ago the guard wal. AAzS
upon as an organization of 'tin sy
whose sole claim to credit was ii io1.
appearance in dress parades and dA-2S
| With the passage by congress fv{
ago of the Dick militia bill, which So1c
the national guard under the war dtf Art
ment and appropriated money for its en-
| couragement and advancement to an eff
Client military basis. This continent has
changed and the guard is now regarded
as an able ally of the United Stats army.
capable of responding to a call ID arms
and participating in actual warfare long
| side the regulars. - te
| The Dick law specified 'fOT tho ma
tional guard should conf 10 h;e orr
| ganization of the regula " ain
five years. This period ex. ~ Janus
airy q next. The last am nrt of
| the adjutant general of the ~ owed
that a considerable portiona ~ all na-
tional guard organizations { not con-
form TO the regular establishment as re-
quired by law This is due in some cases
to the disinclination of militia officers
! to adopt the army organization In the
matter of formation of regiments, to the
failure of the state legislatures to put
Tie SudIu vi d pIOpcI lOOtii6 dho " tiiS
lack Of recruits in scattered communities
to muster the proper militiaastrength
Since the spring inspection by army Of
ficers seven companies of the Georgia
militia have disbanded on account of fail
ure to comply with the law, and in Ten
nessee two regiments have combined In
order to conform. Congress will be asked
to extend the time of conformation two
years from January Il next and also
increase the appropriation to the guard
from 100000 to S50OO,OO0 annually. which
will In al probability be done.
Another question affecting the national
guard which will come before congress
is the recommendation of General Murray,
chief of artillery, that there be en-
ployed on the defenses of the seacoast
states a certain portion of that arm OF
the organized militia. This is made neces-
sary by reason of the lack OF sufu-
cient coast artillery force to man those
defenses 1t is also understood that Dill
will be brought forward to put the naval
militia on the same basis with the navy
department as the national guard .nolos
with the war department.
viii Let Tariff Alone
Despite the desire of the ''revisionists
that the tariff be overhauled to meet
changed conditions, 1t is safe to preolct
that congress will not touch this SUD
JecC DIT the app
''stand patters" are in the majority ana
Will resist all efforts toward a revision.
The Philippine tariff bill Is expec.eu 70
come UP and its passage is cohsioereu
very likely. In the last two consresses
successful fights were waged against Inh,tne dne
bill by the American sugar ana toDacco
interests, the sole opposition. Las. ses-
sion a compromise was suggested ny tne
opposition, providing for the admission saS,tf Of
only limited quantity OF tnese p.vuueas .s
each year to this country under the re-
duced tariff The proposition was agree,
able to Secretary Taft. who has fatnerea re.a
the proposition since it's Inception, put
cnnditions IN congress prevented its ac-
ceptance and the bill failed
Taft In the Philippines it Is understood
that the compromise bill will be presented
to congress this winter and that iegisla.
tion of some character reducing tne tsriIt snI
on goods entering the United states from
the Philippines will be passed!
RHODES SCHOLARSHIP