The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-12-10
and
PRESIDENT
UNUSUAL INTEREST ATTACHES
TO SESSION WHICH BEGAN
MONDAY.
Expected Fully to Disclose Attitude
Toward Progressive Policies OF
RooseveIt's Successor Insurgents
Will Help Taft as Far as They Deem
His Measures Right.


1ngton correspondent of the Sunday
Oregonian has this to say of the con
gress which meets at noon today:
Congress will meet Monday in the
first legislative session since Mr.. Taft
came into office. The house already is
fully organized, committees have been
appointed and there is no reason ap-
parent why the members should not
begin the important work of the winter
at once.
Unusual interest attaches to the
coming session, because before it is
ended congress must disclose it's atti-
tude toward the progressive policies
of Mr.. Roosevelt's success sor-policies
in every way as distasteful to the or
ganization majority of Republicans in
congress as they were when the man
now in Africa first gave them his sane
ton.
Taft Has Measures of His Own.
Mr. Taft has inherited parts of an
unfinished legislative programme, but
it must not be understood that he has
not several matters of public moment,
the result of his own thought and in
iative, to bring to the attention of the
national legislators. 1t will not be
surprising at all if some of the legis-
lation which the president will urge
before the winter is over proves to be
more radical than anything which Mr..
Roosevelt advocated.
There are many things of general
public concern to come before congress
during the coming session, but the
great questions for consideration and
debate as far as can be foreseen at
present are:
Measures to Come Up.
Amendments to the interstate COM
merce law; legislation to make certain
that the natural resources of the coun-
try shall be saved to the people from
the hand of greed; es tablishment of a
postal savings bank system; reduction
of governmental expenses; the ques.
ton of separate statehood for Arizona
and New Mexico.
The insurgents in congress, through
their spokesman who have come here
in advance, say without reservation
that they will support every admins.
trative endeavor of Mr.. Taft along the
lines of progress, and that they will
not allow personal grievance, grow.
ing out of trouble over the rules, or of
insurgent antagonism to Speaker Can,
non, to move them from their position
of loyalty.
Insurgents Loyal to Taft.
The reactionary members of con
gress have promised, with every out
ward appearance of sincerity, that they
will give heed and sympathy to every.
thing demanded by the Republican
platform and to everything which the
president may recommend and which
they think has the peoples support.
The promise of the conservative gen.
tlemen is engaging. The ques ton,
which the administration could have
answered in advance, is, will the prom
isers keep their promises? The feel.
Ing among the insurgents seems to be
that the organization members of con-
gress, who are one with the conserva-
tives, will give way just as little as
they can to the presidents progressive
demands and yet save themselves from
the wrath of their constituents when
election day comes, next November.
Postal Banks May Fail.
These seems to be feeling that con.
gress will refuse to authorize the es.
tablishment of postal savings banks.
1t is possible that the question may
be postponed for consideration until
another session, but if postponement
be attempted, friends of the postal saw
ings system promise to create trouble.
Some of the amendments to the in
advocated in his speeches during his
recent trip through the country are of
a nature to make the conservatives of
congress stand aghast. That some of
the amendments will be made, there is
no reason to doubt, but that the presi-
dent will secure all it is believed he
favors, is open to serious question. It
is taken for granted, perhaps, that
many resolutions providing an investi-
cation of the sugar trust frauds will be
offered, but the Introduction of a reso-
luton is one thing, and it's passage is
another.