The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-03-17
Friday, March II, 1911
NEW CONGRESS.

came the end of the SiXty-frSt
Congress. President Taft call
ed an extra session of the new
Congress for the fourth OF April.
emocrats, will be in the MAORI
ty in the lower House and eX-
ceeded by a small number OF
Republicans in the Senate. 1t
is surmised that the Democrats
may be assisted by the Insurgent
Republicans in such measures as
may come up for passage. 1t is
also supposed that the session
will be a short one.
The passage of the reciprocity
agreement, and the further
passage of separate bills pruning
two or three of the more glar-
ingly outrageous Of the Payne
Aldrich schedule, is all that can
be expected Of the party at this
special session, forced on it by
the President solely for the
purpose Of ratifying the Canadian
reciprocity agreement.
The regular session convened
on December 6, 1909. 1t enacted
into law the new Railroad Rate
bill, giving the commission power
to suspend rates, though so
changed by Insurgent and Demo
cratic votes as to make it a very
different law from that originally
proposed by the President;
established the Court of Com
merce; created a new Bureau of
Mines; established an expert
mental system of postal banks ;
authorized the withdrawal of
public lands so as to preserve
water-powers; provided for the
admission of Arizona and New
Mexico as States; authorized the
issue of $2O,OO0,000 bonds to
complete Western irrigation pro-
jects; passed bills to break up
the white slave" traffic; enacted
a rather unsatisfactory campaign
publicity bill. providing for the
publication of contributions
after elections only, and provid-
ed for the expenditure of $685.
600, 900 in public buildings. The
regular session adjourned on
June Is, 1910.
The closing session began on
December 5, 1910, with the Re
publicans badly disorganized,
the Democrats flushed with the
victory Of the November cleo
tons. The efforts of the Repub-
lican leaders to heal the breach
between the Regulars and In
surgents failed completely. On
one issue after another the party
was hopelessly divided. The
most important measures urged
by the Administration the
creation of permanent tariff
commission and reciprocity with
Canada were the very things
opposed by the old-line Republi-
cans, who regarded them as a
blow at the policy of protection
and the high tariff which has
been the bulwark Of the party
for forty years, The positive
results of the short session"
are included in the decision that
the Panama Canal is to be forti
fled; the creation of forest re-
serves in the Southern Appalach-
ians and, the White Mountains;
establishing the policy of owner
ship of embassy and legation
buildings IN foreign capitals; re-
curing the inspection of loco
motive boilers, and the final
adoption of the new Judiciary
Code. The prompt ratification
of the new treaty with Japan
was a diplomatic triumph for the
Administration.
The record of failure is long
and suggestive. The Canadian
Reciprocity Agreement was put
through the House by Demo
cratic votes, while the Republi-
can opposition in the Senate was
so strong that it was not even
allowed to come to a vote. The
old-line Republicans rejoice with
the Democrats in the defeat of
the Taft Tariff Board bill. The
resolution looking to direct
election of Senators, though re-
ceiving a substantial majority,
failed to secure the two-thirds
necessary for its adoption. Ship
subsidy, passing the Senate only
by the vote of the Vice-President
failed in the House. The re-
solution of New Mexico was kill
ed in the Senate by a flibuster
by the champions of Arizona.
The plan of Postmaster-General