The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-03-01

Shlp SUBSIDY probable
Next Monday, March 1 at II
O'Clock noon, the present Con.
gress expires by limitation. ln
the three mouths of the present
session it has done little to com
mend itself to the favor of the peo-
pie. 1t has passed, or will before
its expiration, all the appropriation
bills. aggregating nearly billion
dollars, showing Il growing prof
legacy and extravaganza in expen-
dltures, and but one popular piece
Of legislation to the gOod-that
limiting the hours of continuous
labor of railroad employees. The
eight-hour bill, the anti.injunction
bill. the anti.child labor bill, the
publicity of campaign expenditures,
the conservation of public coal and
oil lands, aud other meritorious
legislation fail.
The Washington correspondent
of the Republic makes the follow.
ing comment on the situation with
but few working days left to the
present Congress:
President Roosevelt will have no
occasion to congratulate Congress
on the work of the session which
will end March 4, as he did for the
work of the session which ended
June 80 last.
That session, he said then, had
been productive of more sub
stantial work for good" than any
session within his memory.
The record Of popular legislation
at this session is meager. 1t in
cludes only the La Toilette Esch
bill, limiting the hours of contiuu.
Gus labor of railway employees.
The list of popular measures
which will fail of passage is long
The excuse of the Senate and the
House is that this has been a short
session, and time has been lacking
for more legislation than the pass
age Of appropriation bills. De-
spite this, the Senate found time
to talk about the Brownsville in
cident for nearly a month.
Although he has made the sub
ject the text of a special message
to Congress, President Roosevelt
has been unable to obtain any leg
islation for the conservation Of
public coal and oil lands.
He withdrew from entry last
summer nearly 10000, 900 acres Of
lands known to contain coal. To
prevent the acquisition, by one
means or another, of all this by
the Standard Oil Company, or the
various coal combinations, he
recommended legislation authoriz-
ing him to lease such lands under
a royalty system.
The House Committee on Pub.
lie Lands has reported Il timid bill
with leasing provision, but the
majority of the Senate is frankly
against it, and no action need be
expected, unless the President can
bring greater influence to bear in
the week remaining than he has
thus far.
The bill excluding from trans
portation in interstate commerce
the products of child labor has
been declared unconstitutional by
the House Committee on Judiciary
and prospect of its passage killed.
The immigration bill has been
passed, but the popular support
which il received was counteracted
by heavy popular opposition.
Had it not been made the medium
of settlement of the japanese in
cident it would have died in dead
lock between the House and the
Senate.
The sustaining by the Senate of
the right of Senator Reed SmoOt,
of Utah, to a seat in the Senate
was contrary to the popular desire.
Four million women had signed
petitions for his expulsion, but the
Senate failed to find in him any
constitutional disqualifications.
The bill for the comforting of
American citizenship on Porto
Ricans, which was recommended
by the President in his last annual