Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-08
President to Bombard Congress With
Demands

Washington, Dec There are 50
many things congress might do in the
long session beginning yesterday that
President Taft, in enumerating them
TO western audience, said he trembed
lest the time prove too short 10 give
legislative force even to party pledges
in the Chicago platform. of which only
the tariff plank has been acted on
Since then. the Standard Oil decision.
the Nfcaragua complication. the sug-
ar trust disclosures and other time
consuming topics. have come up: vet
the directing forces of legislation in
both houses do not anticipate any great
output of finished legislation.
President Taft's message. read to-
day, vii! not be weighted down with
matters that urgently press for action,
some of the more vexed and complex
questions being held in hand for fur
! Their considerable and to be commune
Gated in special messages at an early
day. As the president is aware, con-
gress rarely takes its work seriously
until after the holidays, and he has
learned from his talks with members
/ that this session Will not be an excep-
| ton to the rule. He, therefore, en-
braces the opportunity to delay recon-
mendation in the case of topics still in
a stage of development.
| -Altho the minority faction on the
republican side of the house has been
/ keeping up a hot fire on Speaker Can
non, those who have counted on a re-
neWal Of last sessions fight on the floor
are not likely to have their eXpecta-
tons realized. TIE insurgents" do not
see any vulnerable points of attack
just now, nor are there likely to be
any until the next congress votes again
on the rules. However, they give out
that they will watch every opportunity
to remind him that they are camping
on his trail. The senate insurgents adj
nit the futility of reviving the tariff
discussion, now that the Payne-AId-
rich law is an accomplished fact, and
they viii probably be as incapable of
successful action as the insurgents of
the house
1t was, of course, clear that the presi-
dent could not really hope to get all
things he has in mind While outlining
his program on his speech making
tour. Ne was asking congress then fol
more at one session than President
Roosevelt got in his whole term OF
seven years. The reduction of the rec
concentrations seems likely TO increa Sc
the chance of getting something, al
tho there has been markedly increas-
ing feeling among a congressman re-
Gently that this is frst-class time tc
do very little beyond passing the sup
ply bills, and that genuine economy in
appropriations would atone for every
other sin or omission
The best prospect for the session
seems to be that it will degenerate into
an amusing but futile campaign
against Speaker Cannon by the repub-
lean insurgents" of the house. They
will keep up series of pin-prickige
efforts, which will tend to infuriate tn,
already extremely angry speaker, in the
house Of making him "slop over ana
come under the ban of the adminstra
! ton.
The intention of the president to con
: tinue working with Speaker Cannon
and the majority of the party has beer
expressed pretty clearly in severa
! ways recently. and it will, therefore
take some lapse on the part of NJ,
Cannon to bring on hostilities with tn
White House.