The Washington times., 1911-08-20
CLOSING SESSION
WILL BE HISTORIC
From Political Standpoint the Special Term of Congress
Is Bound to Be One of lost Important Ever Held.
New Policies Shaped.
By JOHN SNURE.

day and declared the felix's thought Un-
derwood was the whole House, ana pc
lieved he was wtse-looKlnS sachSnl
who wore a long beard, like one ot the
nestors that Homer has SO mnch 10 say
about Besides having put UNDERWOOD
in the limelight, the achievernents ot
this House have given Champ clark a
Presidential boom that will have 10 pc
taken serious'y by the next nauohal
convention Of his party ,
The Democratic policy, as enSlneereu
from the House, and helped along py
Senate Democrats, has been TO paSs the
reciprocity agreement IN the Denei -
would prove the beginning of the eni OF
the protective tariff system; to pass oth-
er low tariff legislation that would en-
barrass the Republicans and split them
and emphasize in the minds OF the coun-
try that II was the Democratic party
that was really the hope of the country
for tariff reduction. and to set on 1000
a lot of Investigations that would make
a bad showing for Republican admins
tration of the various departments. Inc
House leaders have sought IN every way
possible to convince the voters that the
Democratic party, instead of being a
party lacking in capacity TO govern and
conduct legislative affairs safely. was a
party to be trusted with complete con-
troll of the Government.
Pact Passes.
Passage of the reciprocity agree
ment through both houses stands out
as the chief accomplishment of the
session. At the same time, much else
has been done. In the first place, the
progressive influence of the country
and progressive sentiment in the
House, forced abandonment of the old
plan Of giving the Speaker power to
name committees.
The Investigations have disclosed
important abuses, none of the rest
OF them, however, being equal in i'm
portance to the shocking disclosures
in the anti Wiley plot In the De-
partment of Agriculture. The steel
investigation has brought out valu-
able information and has shed some
light on the great question of how to
deal with the industrial corporations
The Controller Bay inquiry. in which
the Administration is charged with
favoritism to the Morgan-Guggen-
helm influences in Alaska. has as
sumed much Importance.
While the vetoeS of the President
have hindered any tariff legislation
from becoming law, IT is widely felt
that one effect of the long tartn fight
of this session will be to bring about
in the near future general tariff re-
duCtions. These will be deferred not
later than the beginning Of the next
administration, and may come next
winter.
Admission of Arizona and New Mex
leo, the second Lorimer investigation
by the Senate, the ordering by the
Senate of the Senator Stephenson in
vestigation, the campaign publicity
measure, which has become a law.
reappointment, the passage to con-
ference of the direct elections meas
ure. the amendment by the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee of the
arbitration treaties with France and
England, the ordering by the Senate
Committee on Interstate Commerce
OF an investigation into the great
question Of corporation control. the
passage by the Senate and House of
the Cummins bill to abolish the
monetary commission-all these are
among the important features of an
unusual session.