The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-04-21
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gen.
eral Topics from
the Capital.
(From Our Regular Correspondent


The special session of Congress in its
second week has taken up its legislative
work with great vigor and the Demo-
Gratis are encouraged to believe that much
work will be accomplished during the
legislative session. By vote Of 200 to
10, the bill proposing a Constitutional
Amendment providing for the direct
election of United States Senators was
passed. Only one Democrat opposed
the measure. The other fifteen voting
against it were Republicans. The Can
adam Reciprocity Bill has also been
favorably reported. Mr.. Underwood,
Chairman of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, announced that the free list tariff
measure will be reported before the end
of the week Among the important bills
that were introduced was one to regulate
the traffic in cold storage products, an
other to regulate the issuance of in
functions and another bill to change the
date of the Inauguration of the President
of the United States to the last Thurs
day in April, and still another to increase
the prestige of the American Navy.
The bill to change the date of the in
auguration which has become a national
pageant. attracting hundreds of thou
sands of people, to a time of year of
farer weather than the proverbially cold
and stormy 4th of March. 1t is probable
that before this is in print the Canadian
reciprocity measure will have passed the
House of Representatives. The Demo
cratic leaders have fully decided to 60
into the agricultural schedules and make
important changes which they demanded
during the tariff discussions of last year.
Other schedules not included in the
general legislative program it is expected
will be brought before the House of
Representatives probably before the end
of the month. The success of the House
in passing the bill providing for the pop
ular election of Senators has had an ex-
hilarating influence on the minds of the
majority leaders, and they are very hope
full that much important legislation may
| be enacted.
Up to the present time the Democratic
| Ways and Means Committee of the
House of Representatives had not con-
| templated much more than revision of
| the wool and cotton schedules, but ow-
ing to their successes this week, they
/ realize that they have time for additional
tariff revision. Mr.. Underwood, the
Chairman of the Committee, Is of the
opinion that the session will be completed
much earlier than they anticipated. 1t is
expected that the Ways and Means
Committee will take up the wooden sched-
ules of the tariff bill without waiting for
the report of the Tariff Board inasmuch
asst is unde stood that this board will not
be able to furnish information concerning
the wooden schedules during the present
session. The possible revision of this
schedule came up in the Senate on
Thursday. when Senator Warren, whom
the late Senator Dolliver characterized
as 1.-The greatest shepherd since the time
of Abraham" offered number of pro-
tests and memorials deprecating the re-
vision of the wool schedules The Wy
oming Senator represents wool grow
ing State, but he said that these mem
orias do not protest against ultimate re-
defer action until proper information
could be received as basis for scientific
revision.
Senator Cummins has opened long
expected attack on the somewhat dilatory
National Monetary Commission that
refuge of lame ducks" as it has been
called The Iowa Senator introduced a
bill requiring this commission to present
its final report at the beginning of the
next session, in December, and this bill
provides for the repeal of the law Great
ing the commission and removing it from
the pay roll as soon as its report is sub
mitted he commission, it will be re-
membered, consists of eighteen mem
bers. Seven of them no longer draw
their salaries as Senators and two of
them were former members of the House
of Representatives. This is why it is
called the "lame duck refuge To
some of them. like Senators Aldrich and
Hale, the salary which they draw as the
members of the Monetary Commission
is matter of no very great importance,
but the others who draw the same salary
as member of Congress are Burrows,
Teller, Money, Flint and Taliaferro.
This commission was organized in 1908.
Senator Cummins says that he believes
it is time that definite financial plan
should be submitted to Congress, that
he is not opposed to any Of the members
of the committee. but that he thought
sufficient time had elapsed for positive
results
The Aldrich plan for central bank
has been partially approved by the
commission. and this plan, it is said, has
Senator Cummins' and other Senator'S
approval.