The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-03-31
Complete Reorganization NecesS.
ary at Special Session Called
to act on Reciprocity
Question
TAFT'S MESSAGE WEDNESDAY
Democrats Have Big Majority in House
While Republicans Still Hold
Balance of Power in
the Senate.

Washington. d. c., March S1-With
the opening of the extra session called
to act on the proposed reciprocity
I agreement with Canada but three days
away senators and representatives
from near and far arrived in Washing
ton today by every train Baggage
trucks, overloaded with trunks, pro.
claimed 10 the people Of the streets
that law making is about to be re-
sumed. The boarding house keepers
and the restaurant proprietors have
put on smiles, for they are promised
good business during a good part Of the
summer
As this will be an altogether new
Congress. the Sixty second. a COM
plete reorganization will be necessary.
The swearing in of members and other
work Of a similar character probably
will occupy the whole of the first day.
Wednesday is likely to be devoted i'm
both houses to reading Of President
Taft's message, which, according to
common belief, will be confined to two
subjects-Canadian reciprocity and the
Tariff Commission. After that the
lawmakers should be able to get down
to business Immediately, providing the
Democratic plans for the organization
Of the house go through as smoothly as
the party leaders anticipate
Try Out New Rules.
Apart from the Importance of the
prospective legislation the session
promises TO be very important one.
principally by reason of the fact that
the Democrats are TO be the ruling
power in the house after sixteen con-
tinuous years of control of that body
by the Republican party. The dynas-
ty of Reed. Henderson and Cannon has
passed and the scepter now passes TO
untried hands. New rules of proce-
dure, the result Of revolution in the
last Congress. are to be tried out and
the question of the movement is whe
ther arbitrary power in legislation Is
TO be curtailed still further.
The new Congress contains III new
members-19 senator's and 1872 repre-
sentatlves. The proportion of the two
parties in both houses has undergone
great changes In the Sixty first Con-
gress the senate was composed Of SO
Republicans and 33 Democrats, the
house of 219 Republicans and 172 Dem
ocrats. In the house this majority is
completely reversed. The Democrats
now number 227. the Republicans 1863,
while there is one representative OF
the Social Democratic party. In the
senate the. change was less sweeping,
but even there the Democrats have
gained nine members. so that they now
number AZ and the Republicans 80.
Many Changes In Senate.
The changes in the membership of
the senate are the greatest that have
taken place at any time since seced-
ing Southern States sent new senator's
Immediately after the close of the civ
II war. The extra session will find in
the upper house a score Of new faces,
or more than a fifth of the whole par
ty. OF these about one-third are Re-
publicans and the remainder Demo-
Gratis.
OFF the 122 new members of the
house seventy eight are Democrats,
forty-three are Republicans, and one is
a Social Democrat. OF the Republic
cans, thrty-five are taking the places
of other Republicans. either regular or
g. snI,t
previously held by Democrats. OF the |
seventy eight new Democrats, twenty
three are succeeding other Democrats,
while forty-eight have places which in
the Sixty-first Congress were held by |
Republicans. The Social Democrat !
Victor l.. Berger of Wisconsin, also
succeeds a Republican.
Reciprocity Up To Senate.
The attitude of the new senate to
reciprocity with Canada, since no ac-
tion on the matter was taken by the |
Sixty first Congress. cannot be fore
casted with certainty. There is little |
doubt. however. that the lower branch
of the new Congress will be as favora-
BILE to reciprocity as II was under the
old Congress. At the last session,
when the house voted for reciprocity
the vote for It was 221 to 90. OF the
269 members of the old house VINO are
also members of the new one. ia voted
for reciprocity and So against II, while
the remaining 40 were absent or not
voting. These ia do not form ma
iorlty Of the s9i members Of the house
but with only twenty-five Of the 122
new members that majority would be
attained. From all indications the
new majority for reciprocity In the
house will be as decisive as the Old
# not more so. II is to be noted how
ever that of the five Democratic rep
resentatives who voted against the
measure. Congressman Estopinal'