The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
BUSIEST CONGRESS FOR MANY YEARS Coming Winter Will See
 Stirring Times TARIFF WILL LEAD Some Method of Governmental Con- trol Over Industrial Corpora
 tions-Aldrich Monetary
 Plan Is An Issue
er RopERIcK CLIFFORD

Washington, August 19-(Special.) .)-That the next session of Congress will be one of the busiest in many years Is already foreseen because of the events of the ex- | tra session.
 Besides tariff legislation without end, Congress next winter will have to wres- tie with a monetary reform system, new code for the control of corporations, direct election of senators, and the big appropriation bills. There will be flood of private bills.
 These private measures will come large ly from the democrats. who have in past years been in a minority and there in no position to demand recognition of their legislative plans.
 Of course, the tariff revision will be the paramount issue. The President will veto all the revision measures which will go to him during this session. He will do II on the ground that in the future all leg islation should be based upon scientific reports from the tariff board
 That means that the wool the cotton, the sugar the steel, and the farmers Tree list bills will go over. They will nave to be dug up in the regular session, and considered in the committees and again reported out and passed If the tariff board reports on any of them In the mean time they may be able to get by the President If the board does not report thev will be again vetoed, provided the President does not change his mind in the meantime.
 And, in addition to the schedule now be- fore the extra session, there will be some others. The democrats as well as the in- surgent republicans are committed to the policy of revising downward practically all the schedules placing tariff on raw materials. This policy embraces a num- Der of important articles not now being considered for revision.
 Probably the next question to be taken up, that is, next in importance, Is that of revision; some method of governmental control over industrial corporations. This Is a problem which has come before the country more prominently through the supreme courts tobacco and oil decisions than through any other matter At the time the two famous decisions were handed down, the country realized that unless something was done corporate wealth would sooner or later control the country The supreme court declared that competition must exist, but the lndus trialists declare that competition cannot exist They say that instead of con- petition being the life of trade, it is the death of trade.
 In other words, it is evident that some code must be enacted that will give the 1 federal government power to regulate monopolistc corporations It may even | be necessary to give the government su- | pervision over the prices of commodities. | This is seriously talked about and even though 1t Is thoroughly socialistic, 1t ap-
 pears to many Congressmen that this
 must eventually be resorted to.
 The Senate committee on interstate
 and foreign commerce has decided to
 hold hearings in November to deter
 mine what must be done as prelimin-
 ary to this new governmental policy.
 These hearings will, of course, imme-
 diately precede the reconvening of Con
 gress, and 1t Is now planned to make
 some kind of a report by the first of
 the year.
 Already the monetary commission
 has announced that it will submit it's
 final report on currency reforms at the
 December session of Congress. This
 will result in half dozen bills for fi-
 nancial reforms. Nearly that many
 measures have even now been pro-
 posed.
 The Aldrich monetary plan is now
 looked upon as the issue. It became known as the Aldrich plan through the
 fact that the ten senator from Rhode Island fathered it as chairman of the monetary commission. He has proposed, in general way, for reserve banking g associations in all the large financial and business centers of the country. | These associations are expected 10
 serve their communities during pe- riods of financial stress, just as the new clearing house association did in the last panic.
 There will be still other monetary plans proposed. The democrats will want a voice in the new measures. and being In control of one House, they will be able to force a compromise. at any rate.
 While there is much discussion of re- form currency systems at this time, the general impression Is that there will be no currency laws passed until after the next presidential campaign. Neither party Is keen to proceed with its cur rency plans while the heat of campaign Is on.
 Greater interest than usual will be
 taken in the big appropriation bills of
 the next Congress. When they as-
 sumed control of the House organiza-
 ton, the democrats announced that a policy of economy would be pursued and pursued vigorously. They began economizing by cutting down the ex- penses of the House itself. Then they went after the capitol expenses. In each case they slashed with a will and made a good showing.
 II In December, however, 1t will be
 necessary for Congress to provide near IT ly S1,000, 900, 900 with which to run the M government for the next fiscal year. + The, democrats sincerity in economy H will be demonstrated then. If they re- l. duce the cost of government anywhere from $200. 900 to s400, 900, ,000, they will be able to go before the country | with a decidedly favorable record. This | Is their present ambition. | Both republicans and democrats will want to adjourn Congress early next summer. They will be eager to open their individual campaigns, well as
 10 get into the presidential fight. They | will, therefore. shove the supply bills | through early, and leave much of the general legislation as possible for l the next Congress to pass upon. In spite of this disposition, there will be plenty of work to do.
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