The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-03-01
SHORT SESSION
BREAKS RECORD.
Appropriations viii Exceed Al
Other Sessions
POLICIES ARE UNTOUCHED

Short II erm Can Do But Little Except
Pass the Various Appropriation
Measures-Work of the ses-
sion is B. Reviewed.
g.,
Washingtl- \ ebruary 2S.-Now that
billion doVx - Assion of Congress are
the rule, q = other than appropriation
legislati6Ss<S 5 n be enacted during the
short g e .,.ls and the one to end this
week r T. exception. The appropria-
tionsl che session probably will be
the largest on record, exceeding the
s1,o0s,Oo0,O0 of the first session. AS
only one of the 15 general appropria-
tion bills of this session has been sent
to the President for his signature, an
accurate statement of the amount to
be appropriated is impossible.
Scarcely any of the general policies
of the country were touched upon this
session.
The discussion in both houses of the
secret service and of the Panama canal
and in the Senate of the Brownsville
affair and Of the Tennessee Coal and
Iron company purchase has brought
the administration of Theodore Roose-
velt prominently into view. The veto
of tho census blu. because the employees
for the taking of the next census were
not to be placed under civil service
regulations was another interesting
chapter Of the session. The veto of
several dam bills, because they did not
recognize the principles advanced for
the conservation of water powers at
tracted much attention.
An appropriation OF 100000 for the
relief of the italian earthquake suffer-
ers was made at the beginning of the
session.
Revising Penal Code.
The passage OF a law for the suppress
sion of the opiura habit in this country,
1t Is hoped Will exert a wide moral In
fiuence. A lew was passed for the
preservation of the Calaveras big trees
in California. Another act .enlarged
homestead entries in the arid region Of
the west. 1t practically Is assured
that the monumental work of revising
and codifying the penal code of the
United States will be completed at this
session, as an agreement has been
reached by the conferees of the two
bodies. As a result of this legislation
the United States government will.
,, ssr;d
regulating the interstate shipment of
Intoxicating liquors. An amendment
to the code prohibits Interstate
&C. O. D" shipments of intoxicating
liquors and provides for the marking
of the package of such liquors in in
terstate commerce with the bona fde
name of the cOnsignee and the nature
of the contents. Several of the So
called "Ku- Klux Klan" laws are
stricken from the statutes by this re-
vision
The statehood bill admitting Arizona
and New Mexico, 1t is conceded, cannot
pass this session.
The fate of the Gallinger ocean mail
ubsidy bill rests with the House. 1t
provides for subsidizing mail lines to
South America, Japan. Asia, the Phil
ippines and Australia.
Among important measures rega rded
as certain of failure to pass are the
Burke wireless telegraph bill the
Weeks forest reserve bill the Currier
copyright bill. the $500 900 900 bond
Issue for Improvement of waterways;
changes in the government of the 18TH
milan canal zone; federal inspection of
naval stores and grains and suppress
sion of gambling in cotton futures.
Boundary Waters Law.
The Senate approved an agreement with
Great Britain, relating to the uses of
boundary waters between the United
States and Canada.
In the house there has been organized
open insurrection against the rules, but
In the Senate the opposition did not go
beyond some sharp criticisms by new
senators. The movement was designed as
a warning to future sessions.
In the House 1t will have the imme-
diate effect of the establishment of a
calendar day. for the call of bills on
the union calendar every Wednesday
About $4,000 bills were introduced in
the two houses and $500 resolutions pre-
sented.
About 275 of the public bills will be-
come laws. There will be about It's pri-
vate bills enacted The latter, however
are estimated to represent about 5000
bills introduced, as many of the private
bills finally passed were omnibus bills
bout so of the resolutions were finally
agreed to.
Roosevelt Policies.
Early in the Sixtieth Congress the Pres
dent declared himself in favor Of:
A national child labor law
An employers liability law.
Anti-injunction legislation.
Amendments to the Sherman antitrust
aw for good corporations and for labor
lnions.
Financial Legislation.
Postal savings banks.
Revision of the tariff
Waterways commission.
Regulation of water rights on navigable
streams.
When the Congress ends there will be
40 national child labor law, no postal
savings banks, and no additional regula-
ion of water rights.
Child Labor Law. n
However, child LABOR law wasf en-
acted for the District of ColumhG An
employees liability law has req ,eed tae
,ne declared unconstitutionq1 CON
nercal currency Ian WV11 tod and
l monetary commission as ehaSst,eatine
the subject of furthen Is NV, ,egisla
lion. Active steps inancia' revisio
If the tariff have be' hg 10 .u throug
he present session ken Nonnitt'
IN ways and means House es,s,deril
a tariff bill to laJ been ~ spec
10 III