The Washington times., 1911-07-01
CONGRESS SHOWING
!. ALL MEASURES BUT
THE TARIFF ASIDE
5 Much Important Legislation
6 Goes Over to Regular
~ Session.
STATEHOOD DELAY
& ts5 I. CAUSE OF DISGUST
House and Senate Have Burden
/, some Task Ahead of
! 5 Them.
BY THEODORE Il. TILLER.

Congress is showing over to the next
regular session a tremendous amount of
!. tmportant business. The extra session
6 has reached a stage where it practically
d Is impossible to get anything considered
but tariff matters. Champ Clark has
: promised to lift the lid slightly at the
very close of the session. and let a
Few things be disposed of by the House
But they will be few.
- Statehood lie going over, much to the
. disgust of a large share OF the people
of New Mexico and Arizona. The Sen
ate is being urged to take the matter
up and dispose of it this session, but
: Senators are anxious to dispose of reci-
ssprocity and tariff bills, and then leave
for home or for their respective sum
mer resorts. The Senate Census Com
mittee has reported the bill for reap
portionment of the House membership,
80 but this will get caught in the jam and
will not be allowed to go through.
Direct Elections.
: The direct elections amendment is in
conference, and presumably will be dis
posed OF. It may result in such a fight
however, on account of the Bristow
s,-amendment for Federal control of Sem
y atoIial elections, that it will have to
Sywait until next session. Campaign pub
licity is another matter that the Sem
ate probably will find itself unable to
, dispose of now.
Senator Brandegee the other day read
a petition from the Philadelphia Mari
time Exchange urging action on the
matter of canal tolls and regulations.
1t was pointed out that American in
1s tersets are anxious to begin construc-
. ton of vessels If the canal regulations
. are to be such as to give an impetus
to shipping The United States Steel
= Corporation is one of the concerns that
:" is anxious TO build line of ships. But
- nothing can be got through the Senate
now -
Army Legislation.
; Highly important army legislation is
proposed by the Hay bills for lengthen-
ing the term of enlistment to five years,
-. and centralizing some of the depart
ments now distinct. This will have to
be handled next session.
~ Conservation legislation-and, in this
connection, legislation for the protec-
- non Of Alaska-will have to wait.
Inasmuch as the regular session,
which will begin in December, may find
= itself tangled up with general tariff
=. revision, it is easy to See that the
!. House and Senate have a burdensome
: time of 1t ahead.
The list of important problems that
= will press hard for solution next ses-
sion Is an almost interminaDle one.
--.- Satnding out conspicuous among these
are the problems relating TO control OF
. corporations. At the next session
there will be a strong effort to gel
! both. houses seriously to consider cor
: -poration legislation. The Senate Inter
state Commerce Committee probably
will give time TO it. and hold important
Isq hearings, and the House Committee on
IS Interstate and Foreign Commerce
doubtless will take it up. But, even al
- that, il will be extremely difficult to
%7-get either party to try seriously to
= force legislation through on the edge
= OF a Presidential campaign.
- Busy Time Ahead.
Next winter doubtless will be fruitful
OF discussion and investigation of trust
and corporation matters, but at this
distance the outlook is not good fol
legislation even then. 1t probably will
have to wait until the next Admins
} tration.
The report of the Currency Commits
sion will be made at the outset Of tht
next session, and President Taft will
urge legislation for a central banking
plan of the sort the commission wants
The Honduran loan and the Ntcara
,guan loan, Involving the policy OF dol
,itisr diplomacy" will not be disposed o
this session. The numerous House IN
vcstigations will be reported on then
Fs The burden of passing the approprla
tion bills, with their enormous amour
of detail, will also rest on Congress
p next winter.