The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-03-18
WASHINGTON
From our Regular Correspondent.

Washington, d. c., Mar. IS, 1909
The special session of Congress
called exclusively for the considera-
ton of the traffic Fill will assemble
Monday the fifteenth OF this month.
1t was expected that there would
be fight at once between the i'll
surgents and the old guard. The
insurgents, it is known are those
who are rebelling against the car
ship of Speaker Cannon, and the
old guard are those who have stood
by him in his usurpations, A few
days ago the insurgents were exult-
ing in the hope of success and the
Cannonites were no doubt alarmed
and had made some concessions but
now it appears that the President
has taken stand practically favor.
ing the old guard and there is de-
lection in the ranks of the insur-
gents They had hoped to elect
another speaker than Cannon and
this they probably could have done
by combining with the Democrats,
but the President, under the i'm
preston that contention and divis-
ion will inimically affect the speedy
solution Of the tariff question, has
urged harmony and Speaker Can
non at this writing appears to be
the selection of the majority for
the Speakership.
The Ways and Means Commit
tee has all but completed tariff
bill which is practically ready for
presentation and it is understood
that the American Protective Tar
if League has issued a call for the
reserves. BY reserves" are meant
all true stand-patters at home or
abroad. They are urged to come
to Washington and use their in
fluence FIR strong protective tariff
bill This means, Of course, that
the real fight has not begun. The
craft of the bill made by the Ways
and Means Committee is a mere
Skeleton upon which a bill, after
much debate and scrambling will
be hung and what the final bill
will be, no man can tell or scarcely
imagine. The advocates of real
revision looking to wider markets
and those who would like to have |
a tariff bill for the whole people,
producer and consumer alike, are
unorganized and widely scattered.
They cannot be aligned like the
standpatters, but it is of great i'm
portance to them (for they are
very large majority that they shall
do something to offset the compact
of those who will op-
pose every change in the direction
Of real revision. With Speaker
Cannon in charge as is now expect
I'd and with his tariff convictions
unchanged and Interchangeable, the
.ariff reformers of the House have
hard task before them. At the
'ther end of the Capitol, Senator
Aldrich, is the chairman of the
Committee OH Finance and the un-
disputed boss of the Senate. 1t is
iifticult to understand the reason
ng which insists that the retention
VI Cannon in the chair of the House
S necessary, as is claimed, in order
o get revision. But this is the ar
,ument advanced by those who de-
ire the speakers continuance in
ontrol of the House. |,
There is going to be a desperate
truggle and it will probably keep
Congress in session all summer. h
*s*
There is at present strong de-
ermination in Congress and doubt
ess throughout the country, as
'oiced by the press, that there
'hall never be another Inaugural
ion on March the fourth. Last
Inauguration day out did all its pre-
lecessors and more could not be
said as superlative of elemental
vileness. 1t is probable that the
asst Thursday in April will be the
lay selected for future Inaugural
lions. This would be in accord
ance with the resolution introduced
by Senator Hoar, deceased, which
resolution was twice passed by the
Senate and was pigeonholed in the
Honse. Washington was first in
augurated on Thursday and that
day is advocated not only from
standpoint of sentiment and histor-
ical precedence, but in order to pre-
clude the possibility of the inaugu-
ration falling on Sunday, as would
happen if day of the month were