Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-12-04
CONGRESS r CONVENES.
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assured in both houses. Many other
great questions confronting the congress
all Of them to be approached vigorously
include monetary reform, ratification OF
arbitration treaties with Great Britain
and France, and the loan treaties with
Nicaragua and Honduras; Alaskan leg1s-
lation; the election of senators by direct
vote of the people; pension bills. and
the regular and permanent annual appro-
priations, to be under the direction this
time in the House by a democratic CON-
mittee.
While the legislative struggles are IN
progress, politics is certain not to De oV-
ershadowed. With the democrats look
ing ahead with sanguine hope for tr1-
umph at the poles next November, ana
insurgent republicans striking out IN
earnest to capturetheir party convention
if possible; every move made IN e1her
branch of Congress from now until
adjournment will be thoroughly consld-
cred from political as well as legislative
viewpoints. The political pot IN WASH
ington will soon begin to boil, with the
republican national committee meeting
here December IL, to be followed Janu-
ary 8 by the democratic national COM
mittee. Selection of convention cities.
choosing of committee chairmen who
will manage the big campaigns ana
plans for the approaching party con-
ventions and the subsequent battle OF
the ballots will attract as much atten-
ton from the nations legislators as will
the making Of the nations laws.
To enliven the political interest in both
houses there are candidates for the Pres
horizon.
Champ Clark, the speaker OF the
House, already considered among the
democratic possibilities, may at any time
make presidential pronouncement to his
colleagues; and Representative Oscar w.
Underwood of Alabama, the democratic
floor leader, also is talked of throughout
the country as presidential timber.
In the senate, Mr.. LaFollette already
has been proclaimed by progressive re-
publicans as their choice to wrest the
nomination from Mr.. Taft.
In the house the political interest will
be further complicated by the attitude
of Mr.. Bryan, who has quarreled with
Mr. Underwood and branded him AZ .
reactionary and now critisizes Speaker
Clark in what many democrats declare
is an effort to cause breach between
the speaker and the majority leader
of the house.
The tariff legislative program will
follow the long waited report of the
tariff board which is expected to submit
the result Of it's Investigations on wool
and cotton before the holidays. The
ways and mea' 8 committee Of the house,
however, under the direction Of Chair
man Underwood, will begin at once the
preparation Of new tariff bills. Through
out the recess q force Of clerks and ex-
perts have been at work preparing for
the committee.
President Taft has given his pledge
that, when the tariff board submits
it's report on the wooden and cotton
tariff recommends tons to congress. The
subject will be treated in a special mes
sage.
Meantime, however, the ways and
means committee will begin prepar-
alton Of revised schedules to include
wool, cotton, iron and steel products,
sugar and other food-stuffs. An import
ant schedule to come up is the sugar
schedule and in dealing with this the
house and the ways and means commit
tee will be guided somewhat by the re-
port of the special committee Of inquiry
into the American sugar refining COM
pany, which is expected to report early
in the session.
Conspicuous in the records Of congress
will be the coming vigorous trust de-
bates. The fight to amend the Sherman
antitrust law is already on. In the
house the question will be first consid-
cred by the committee on judiciary.
This committee also has determined to
report bills amending the injunction sta
tutes and the contempt statutes, the
latter to include provision for trial by
jury in cases Of indirect contempt. These
will be pressed for passage before ad-
journment.
The committee has in hand half doz-
en- bills pproviding amendment to the
Sherman antitrust law. The most re-
cent bill was drafted by Representative
Henry Of Texas. providing for peniten-
tiary terms for viorators Of the trust
laws and designed to eliminate from the
Sherman law the rule Of reason as in
terpreted by the supreme court. Some
sort Of bill is certain to come from the
committee bearing on this problem.
In the senate the trust question Is under
consideration in the hearings before the
committee on interstate commerce which
will continue for some time.
In line with the trust question will
b. the determination of the fate Of the
house special committee Of inquiry into
the United STATES Steel corporation. The
steel corporation has protested against
continuation Of the hearing in view Of
the fling of the government suit against
it. The question is certain to be brought
up in the house for settlement within a
few days and 1t will provoke a lively
controversy.
As a part Of the trust legislative plan
President Taft has suggested federal