The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-01
WHAT CONGRESS HAS DONE AND
 LEFT UNDONE
Sensational Feature of Pres ent Session Has Been Row With President
 Roosevelt.
Aside From Money Bills, But Little Important Busi-
 ness Has Been Done.

Little Important Busi-
 ness Has Been Done.
 Many Matters of Great I'm
 portance Are Still Pend
 ing With But Little
 Chance of Final Action
 A Review of the Work of
 Second Session of SiXtieth
 Congress.
 Special from United Press)
 Washington, March With his nerves on edge and looking little careworn, MT. Congressman enters to- day upon the turbulent days that lead to the finish of the session on Thurs day. Bills in which his constituents ere especially interested are on a rag ged edge and it's a gamblers chance whether they rise or fall.
 Economy was the watchword in the party platform and the last campaign. Every appropriation bill with one or two exceptions, has been larger than was the case last year. The appro- pr1ations made at the first session of the present Congress amounted to $1.- cos, 004, s99.57- In order to relieve the present pressure on the treasury ad- vantage must be taken of an existing law that authorizes the issuance of bonds for the expense of the work on the Panama Canal.
 Aside from the money bills there is little to say of the executive work of the session. Big subjects were either avoided altogether or considered only in one branch of Congress.
 A case in point is offered by the bill to admit Arizona and New Mex ico to statehood which passed the House by unanimous vote but seems to be effectuaIly strangled in the Sen ate. Countless hours were devoted in the Senate to talk about postal sav- ings banks but no action was taken, while in the House not even commit tee meeting was held to consider bills on this subject. sion. of course, has been the row be- tween President Roosevelt and Con- sress over the secret service. The President opened the war with broadSide in his annual message. Con Sress had made restrictions of the tresury secret service. the President said, and he denounced it as ac- tioh that would be of benefit only to an individual investigation by the se- cret service men.
 This produced a state of eruption in both branches of Congress but more especially in the House. Retaliatory measures, running all the way up to impeachment, were considered. Con ferences were held by the leaders of the Senate and House and they fin ally agreed upon a line of action. A Senate committee entered upon an in vestigation of the treasury secret ser vice and it is still in progress. In the House a special committee was ap-
 
 section of the Presidents message. In due time the committee presented a report that the offending portion of the message be laid on the table and this was done, following a general and eN- citing debate.
 Another special committee was ap- pointed to find out how much money Cnogress had appropriated for secret service work in other departments than the treasury. It reported back that the various appropriations were to a total amount well in the millions. The committee is still at work in an effort to ascertain how the departments spent the money and with what results
 By way of diversion the House pass ed 8 resolution calling upon the Pres fdent for the facts upon which he baS- He responded with a special message that did not take back anything he had said but praised highly the work of the treasury secret service before the tune congress put O11 lIle The charge brought by the President, that Senator Tillman had been specu- lating in Oregon public lands and the Senator's response. thereto, made he session. TiIiman demanded an in vestigation but it has not been granted.
 An influence that has operated against the enactment of important legislation is the coming change in the administration. CongreSsmen have been desirous of hearing officially from President Taft and of taking his views into consideration in the passage Of laws on important pending questions
 An important bill passed by both branches of Congress provides for the making of the next census. It was ve- toed by the President and is now dead. l The Presidents objection lay in the | fact that the bill provided an unneces- 1 sary appropriation. President Roose- 1 welt insisted that appointments be in | strict accordance with the civil ser vice laws. The bill was passed by | both the House and Senate, creating 1 an army commission to hear the state nents of members of the colored bat .alion mustered out Of service at and to restore to the army such as can prove their innocence.
 In an hours time Congress appro- nriated $500. .OOO for the relief of the Italian earthquake sufferers. A law was enacted requiring improved ac- for steerage passengers. Both brancI1es passed a bill revising and codifying the penal laws but the section prohibiting express companies from sending alcoholic, liquor C. Q. D., and requiring the contents and the name of the receiver to be marked on the packages is still in dispute.
 me House has passed bills to make important changes in the bankruptcy aW to force the use of certain safety apphances on railroad cars; to prohibit ne importation of opium except for l fleulclnal purposes: to require ocean PaSSehser steamers to be equipped with wireless; for the government of me canal zone and to strengthen the Anerlcan Red Cross. Most of these measures ~ were also passed by the Sen ite and have become laws. Al the hfst session of this Congress he senate passed the GaIIinger bill increasing the rates to be paid for car ra1ia and Asia. It is now neDdinr ,