The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-21
SESSION HAS BEEN
MOST STRENUOUS
Political History Made
in P a st Few
Months.
LEGISLATIVE
RESULTS SMALL,
Ambitious Program Adopted at
Start Not Carried Out, and
Few Bills of Importance
Find Their Way to Statute
Books-Much Campaign
Material.

washington. August 2O.-Congress
VIII adjourn before Tuesday night
possibly to-morrow--and the mest
strenuous session of recent years will
pass into political history. The net
rssuits OF the session. in comparison
with the ambitious program adopted
at the outset were not large
Canadian reciprocity was brought
as near reality as the executive and
legislative departments could advance
az. statehood was assured for New
Mexico and Arizona; campaign pub
lictty legislation was enacted in
form satisfactory to its most earnest
advocates. Provision was made for
an enlarged House of Representatives
based upon the last census. and a few
othcr measures of minor Importance
were passed
Efforts Are Futile.
Democratic House. the first since
1895. seized upon this session as
vehicle to convey to the country the
views OF the Democracy on the sub
ject OF tariff revision, but executive
disapproval rendered futile all efforts
to impress those views upon the sta
tute books.
Two tariff ILLS. one materially re-
ducing the existing. duties on wool and
wooden goods OF all classes and the
other placing on the free list arti-
cles of machinery and tools used by
farmers. and amended to include many
other Items, We're vetoed by President
Tart He based ais disapproval upon
the grounds that the bills had not been
scientifically" prepare and that tar
III revision should wait until reports
on the different schedules had been
made by the tariff board. cotton
revision bin awaits 4 similar fate.
The House. under the leadership Of
Representative Underwood. of Alabn-
ma, chairman of the Ways and Means
COMMITTEES. and Speaker Clark, en-
deavored to pass the bill; over the
veto but the necessary .two-thirds
votes could not be mustered. These
failures TO overthrow President Taft.s
veto messages were a strong factor IN
determining leaders to bring the ses-
sion to close, and It is not likely
mat the Congress will be in session
10 receive a like message relating to
the cotton revision measure.
Will Bcnr Fruit.
trust Investigations, almost witho,,t
NUMBER were Instituted during the
session. and some of them-notably
nose bearing upon monopolies in the
steer and sugar industries-wer nros-
IN progress. Constructive legislation
to bear on Federal regulation Of COR
porauons is regarded as certnIn ~
come as result OF these INQUIRIES
ana plans already have been instituted
10 revise the antitrust laws.
charges We're revived that Senator
Lorimer was elected by the Illinois
Legislature through the medium az
bribery and second investigat ton nv
the senate was gotten we'll under wav
a Senate inquiry into the election 81
senator stephenson. of Wisconsin, was
ordered.
General arbitratln treaties With
Great Britain and France were san,
10 the Senate by President Taft hut
they received q frigid welcome be.
cause the upper House commended that
one provision OF the treaties usurped
Its constitutional prerogatives. pre-
sentation OF the treaties strained
hitherto cordial relations between tho
Foreign Relations Committee and the
State Department, and as a result
PRESIDENT Tart has made IT plain that
an Issue has been raised which he
VIII carry to the country, In the hope
of procuring ratification when Con-
gress reconvenes.
A Countrywide Issue.
Friction in the Department of Az
rtculture over the enforcement of the
pure food laws mas been aired by one
OF many Investigations originating in
the Democratic House. and country
wide issue raised over the question
whether the activities Of DR.. Harvey
w. Wiley. the governments pure food
expert have been m de ineffective.
Proceedings in the House under eau
Gus rule. led by Mr. Underwood. pre-
CONTINUED on Second Page.)