Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-12-29
BARRIERS PUT UP
AGAINST REFORM
Leaders in the House Resort to
Tactics q Century Old to
Block Legislation.

aS''''e'
al leaders enter uP'i' '''1 'o''i"'
now with feeling akin TO relie1. Both
,o,ses have been ovcrrun with demands
,,,,st.,io, uucb of which is regard
ed as undesirable. There has been no
littlc embarrassment. especially IN the
House, in ''staving off these measures.
The republicans In both bodies have peen
uneasy over the constant thin attend
ance. In the Senate there have been dan
gers of inability to command a quorum.
These troubles Will not be altogether
absent after the holidays. AS far a.
undesirable legislation is concerned, how
ever, the House regulars, in spite of the
letting down of the bars by reform In the
rules, have erected some very Formidable
barriers Calendar Wednesday and sus-
persion day are the open events for q
large number Of bills. many of which
should probably be defeated
Two very bulky measures now block
10th those legislative avenues. The Moo
bill for the codihcation of laws pcrta.
Ing TO the federal judiciary will occu,
most of the time ON calendar Wcdrc'
dav for quite a while The postofiicc re
orpanizatio, hill which IT is proposed to
take from the rostoffice committee be-
fore # has been considered there, will
occunv ono or two suspension days III
mo reading alone. Z.
Ii'i f'-N ~ ~ -
While these parliamentary tactics
which thrill the immediate congressional
circle. may be of small popular interest
,hcv mark a notable change in House
procedure. The democrats and INSURGENTS
reformed the rules materially at the
las, session. II was thought they had
made il easier for tie individual member
| ia haI. . saw about the consideration
| IF measures on the floor. As a matter OF
| fact If looks MS though the liberation OF
the Uouse rules had simply driven tn,
| House leaders to tactics which are quit,
century Old in the Senate
II all demonstrates. however. thai
There are numerous cxpedients foi
checking House legislation which the re
formers had not dreamed Of The Houy,
leaders havc siunIv resorted ,o "stop
can" ,n.,hods ott of necessity a.
course tho Hons. cannot DELAY consid
eration OK measures nv nroloured de
| hate the Senate does. because of tn,
rrcyious Question. but il ALWAYS has ,
multitude of bills which can be utilize,
under one rrctcxt or another to xii
| time.
| When CONGRESS rcconvcnes there viii
he plenty of privileced measures Xix,
appropriation hills TO keen both brancha
busy til well nm to the middle of Febru
arv. hv which date the conference rc
norris thereon must have fun swing I
The essential business of the session il
TO be dlsposed Of bv March l. But I,
Tho mean time President inf is exnecte,
IN eliminate many features If tho ,eyis
lative program which he outlined in hi
animal nessure
The President has been messing fo
IN. eu,ctm.nt of tbes. rn...,,r.s ava
since Congress has assembled u
has a way OF calling in senators an
representatives every few DAYS +
urge that a bill in which he is inter
ested be pushed along. Senate an
House are willing to do all that
possible for him in that connection thi
session.
The President would like to repeat hi
achievement of last session in gettin
through an unusual batch of geners
legislation. That, as the republica
leaders are aware gives him and his az
ministration prestige
But they know it is imperative that III
President concentrate upon two or thrc
things. He is still urging an ant
injunction bill. The republicans, who ma
the machinery at the capitol, regard tn,
measure as Impossible. II he gives II
word that the ocean mail subsidy hi
must 60 through. they will mass the
forces and try to get ii through.
Representative Weeks of Massachusett
chairman of the House postoiiice con
mittcc, will remain in Washington f
about 10 days to see what he can d