The National tribune., 1909-10-07

Committees will hasten at all with their
investigations and deliberations. The
tendency will be to await some action
at the south end of the Capitol. 1t is
anticipated that many Senators and
members will draw bills of their own
on most of the plans the President has
proposed. but it is also the present un-
derstanding that the President will
ask his Cabinet officers. who are law
yers, to frame Administration measures.
and have them introduced by Senators
and Representatives in sympathy with
the President; but it does not follow
that the Administration bills will be
the ones to pass. They will more likely
be utilized as the basis for conferences
and discussions, and may be materially
changed or substantially rewritten be-
fore stamped with committee authority.
In the meantime the House and the
Senate will proceed with the regular
appropriation bills. of which there will
be IA and probable Is this Winter.
These bills cover the legislation that is
indispensable. AS they also involve
many troublesome questions of the ad-
ministration of the Governments fiscal
affairs. more time than usual VIII be
required in disposing of them, which
means that less time will remain for
general matters. The upshot must in
eyitably be that the major portion of
L
his Western speeches, will go over till
the Winter of 1910-1911, or until the
year after that. It does not signify
that no progress will be made, for the
proposal of ideas and the perfecting> OF
bills in committee always constitutes
decided advance. Little legislation, in
volving great questions, is ever enacted
till after it has gone thru the commits
tee mill.
Financial Legislation.
More than one of the big measures
may get thru one of the legislative
branches. more probably the House.
That might not be especially PROMISING,
because of the difficulty in getting a
vote in the Senate at short session.
will be heard before the
Winter Is over about an extra session
in the Autumn to clear the legislative
decks but while that sort of talk will
not down an extra session is and will
be very improbable, because to be .of
any effect 1t would have to convene in
October. That would be just refore
the Congressional election, right inlthe
midst Of the campaign, and it would be
impossible to keep a quorum in Wash
ington at such a time.
The President has not been urging
expectations Of financial legislation, in
Guiding a central bank of issue, the
coming Winter. for the obvious reason
that the Finance Commission does not
expect to be able to report till next Au-
tumn. That is one of the most impor-
tant of prospective measures, in the
Presidents opinion. He wants it left
for the calm deliberation of the Con-
greSs whose official existence will date
from March 4, 1911; but if the Demo-
Gratis should carry the House of Repre-
sentatives next year the President in
tends to push the financial bill thru
before the life of the present Congress
expires. 1t would be difficult task at
a short session of Congress, almost an
impossible task. None the less 1t has
been seriously considered by the Presi-
dent and Senator Aldrich.
Soon after his return to Washington
there will be many talks with the lead
ing men of Senate and House about the
program for the Winter. Those talks
and the preparation of his annual mes
sage will be the two chief tasks before
The President in the month preceding
the session. 1t is still more than a
month before the Presidents return,
and yet there is keen interest at the
Capital over the decisions the President
will be called upon to make. There is
not much speculation now over what
the message will be. The President has
made it very plain what he intends to
from what he has said since
ne has been en- tour; but unusual activf-
" is promised in the holding Of party
which will be very influential
IN shaping the Administrators course
,or the next few months, If not for the
remainder of the Presidents term .-'..E