The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-21
Republican Leaders Relieved
 By Taf's Action
FOUR BIG MEASURES
Postal Savings Bank BiIl Expected to Pass this Week--Ship Subsidy Leg isIatIon Unpopular-BaIIinge
 Pinchot Controversy

Washington, February 2O.-The an-
 nouncement from the White House that
 President Taft had by his own motion
 cut down to four the number of admins
 tration measures he would eemand at the present session of Congress is received
 by republican leaders with rnmixed feel ings of relief. The administration pro-
 gramme was so formidable that members
 who are warmly supporting the Taft pol icies hardly knew where to begin.
 schedule including only the bills to
 amend the interstate commerce laws, pro-
 vide for the regulation of the issuance of injunctions, start Arizona and New Mex
 ico on the road to statehood and validate
 the withdrawals of public lands for con- servation purposes are regarded as quite
 possible of attainment. Most of these
 measures, 1t is believed, can be put
 through the Senate while the House is
 still wrestling with appropriation bills. When it was reported at the capitol yesterday that the President would be sat
 isfied with the enactment of the four
 measures named steps were taken to bring
 all of these matters out of committee at
 the earliest possible date.
 The postal savings bank bill already is
 before the Senate, and on agreement be-
 tween the supporters of conflicting amend
 ments is assured. It is regarded as prac- tically certain that the bill can be passed during the coming week.
 Hearings have been closed by the Sem ate committee on interstate commerce on the bill to create a commerce court and
 strengthen the existing laws for the reg
 ulation of common carrier corporations.
 The committee will meet tomorrow and
 at that time an effort will be made to re-
 port the bill at once.
 Regarding Railroad Bill Although the Senate could not be ready to take up the railroad bill until late in
 the week, 1t Is being argued by members of the committee that the bill should be reported so as to have it printed and
 give senators few days to study It's pro- visions befsre it is put on its passage As
 soon as the postal saving bank bill is out
 of the way the railroad bill will be made
 the order of business and probably will be held 9efayN tf fs Senate constantly ,sp- til passe6 except for the limited time that
 must be given to the consideration of ap- propriation bills.
 No decision has been reached in the
 House committee on interstate commerce on the proposition to eliminate from the
 administration bill the provision for the
 creation of a court of commerce. Even if this is done, 1t is practically certain that the court feature will be retained by the Senate and the question of establish ing a new tribunal to try cases appealed from decision of the interstate commerce commission would thus be thrown into conference.
 The conservation bill that President Taft is determined shall be passed IS that which gives to the President the un- restricted power to withdraw public lands
 tor settlement and place them in re-
 serves that will continue in force until
 restored by him or by congress to the
 portion of the public domain that shall be open to settlement. In the meantime an effort will be made by a special con-
 nittee of western senators to perfec.
 other conservation measures so that they would be ready for consideration at the next session.
 Progress on Statehood Bill | Hearings are now in progress on the statehood bill but it is unlikely that | the measure will be brought out of the Senate committee on territories until the postal savings banks and railroad bills are out of the way.
 | The fourth measure to be pressed for
 passage is that relating to the issuance of injunctions Several bills on this sub-
 ject have been prepared, but they have
 not been considered by committees That | introduced in the House by Representa- | tive Moon of Pennsylvania has been en- dorsed by the president as meeting his views, and there are others that are thought would prove satisfactory to the | dietary will consider the question tomor-
 row.
 Ship subsidy legislation is unpopular in | so many sections of the country that
 some members are distinctly relieved
 at the prospect that the Humphrey bill
 will not be taken up at this session. | There is a feeling that the Senate com
 merce committee in Congress on rivers
 and harbors bill as passed by the House
 carries about as heavy appropriations | now as can be hoped for at this session | It is freely charged that the House "gob- | bled up about all of the pie available for present distribution and in consequence much dissatisfaction is heard. Some members of the commerce committee have
 gone so far as to argue that the whole bill should be killed in committee but they were overruled.
 The policy of the Senate committee will be to scale down the House approprIa- tions wherever possible and make room | for petty projects favored by senators | without greatly swelling the aggregate sum to be carried by the bill. Inevit- | ably this will lead to long and bitter controversy in conference and the river | and harbor bill probably will be one of | the last measures to be adjusted. Investigation of High Prices l Tariff revision democrats and insurgent | republicans appear to be not at all satis- | fled with the complexion of the special | Senate committee appointed to inquire | into the high cost of the necessities of | life. All of the republican members are | regarded as standpatters except Sena- | tor Crawford. Senators Simmons and | Clarke of Arkansas are the two demo- | cratic members who have accepted ap- | pointments and there Is one vacancy because of Senator Chamberlain's refusal | to serve.
 | It has been announced that, the food price committee will not hold open ses- | sions and some members of Congress | charge that this assures a report giving | causes other than the tariff for the high | cost of necessaries. Chairman Lodge | promises, however, that every suspected reason for the increased cost of food | stuffs during the last two years will be weighed, and that the tariff will receive
 careful scrutiny.
 | Persons who have been following care | fully the Investigation of the Ballinger- ! Pinchot controversy think the end of thai