Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-14

will meet in Washington April 4, is the
fifteenth session of Congress called by a
President in consequence of the existence
Of IAN extraordinary OCCASION The
Congress which will meet is the Sixty
second since the adoption of the Con-
stitution, and is composed of the repre-
sentatives elected last November in the
House and Of sixty-two hoid-over sena-
tors and thirty senators newly elected
or reelected by their state legislatures,
in the Senate.
President Taft called the extra session
to consider and determine the proposition
Of passing legislation to make effective
the reciprocal trade agreement entered
into between the executives of this cOun-
try and Canada. But he knew that the
Congress- If called. could, and probably
would, go farther and enter upon a more
or less general revision of the tariff laws.
OF the fifteen extra sessions held since
the foundation Of the government five
have considered the tariff problem. The
war tariff of 1861 was passed by the
extra session called by President Lin
coin to make provision for raising reve-
nue. to prosecute the military operations
against the seeding states. In that
case the tariff revision was a mere Incl
dent. President Mckinley in 1897 called
an extra session to revise the tariff, the
result being the Dingley bill. In 1903
President Roosevelt called a special SEES
sion late in the autumn to pass the
Cuban reciprocity bill, but at that time
the republican majority was so great in
both houses that there was not the
slightest danger that the general tariff
question would be opened
-.
The other two special tariff sessions
have been called by President Taft. The
Sixty-frst Congress
Special Tariff was called for March
Sessions Called. in session until it
finally passed the Payne-Aldrch tariff bill
in August Of the same year. That Con-
gross was republican in both branches,
but factionalism in the party broke the
force of the organization. Nevertheless.
the tariff was passed by the republicans.
Now President Taft, two years later,
calls another Congress to pass on another
feature of the tariff, knowing that it will
take up the work Of revising the bill pass
ed two years ago. In this Congress the
House is democratic.
Only one other President than Taft ever
called an extra session of Congress when
the opposition party was in control Of
either branch of Congress. That was
President Hayes. who was forced to call
extra sessions of both Congresses that
held office under his administration because
of the failure of appropriation bills
despite the fact that in the first one the
House was democratic and in the second
both House and Senate were controlled
by democrats.
The new Congress. had not the Presi-
dent issued his proclamation. would not
have met until the first Monday in De-
cember. The First Congress met March
(. 1859. by virtue of the Constitution.
From that time until 1920 various times
were appointed by law for the assembling
of Congress. But in 1890 the first Mon.
day in December was fixed as the annual
meeting day AS the term Of the Con-
gress begins March 4. that law means
that a Congress does not meet for nine
months after 1t Is in Office. 1t also
means that while there is practically no
limit within a year on the first regular
session, the second session can last at
best only from the first week in December
TO March 4. Thus is established our sys-
TEN of long and short" sessions Of
Congress.