Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-11-29
CONGRESS NEXT week
National Lawmakers to Hold Long
Session During Winter and
Spring.
TEAM TO CONTROL.
President Will Have Interesting
Time Trying to Get Legis-
lation Through Divided
Houses.


will reassemble in Washington. It
has been in Sc :sion most of the time
since President Taft entered tho
White House, March 4, 1909. Two
of these have been extra sessions.
called by the president. The first
was called to deal with l--e tariff
procity, though the extra session Of
last summer by no means confined
itself to the subject which it was
convened to consider.
1t is deemed certain that congress,
once it is assembled here on the first
Monday in December, will not get
away until June, save for it's brief
fight homeward in the holiday re-
cess. Many believe that it will not
even quit in June and that in spite
of the political conventions it will
run until July or August. Now and
then some pessimist, who is sour on
congress, arises to predict that it
will stay in Washington all next sum-
mer and fall. The probabilities are,
however, that the pressure of mem
bers of the house and senate to get
home and fix their political fences
will be such as to wind up the ses-
sion just before the republican ma
tional convention In June.
This will be the regular long ses-
sion OF the Sixty-second congress.
Its deliberations are expected to COW
er wide range. It's achievements
are expected to be extremely re-
stricted. The session will come ON
without legislative programme be-
fore 1t. In due time, three or four
programmes will take shape and be
submitted. The president will come
along with his recommendations.
The house democrats viii mark out
their Path and so will the senate
insurgents and the senate regular
republicans.
In such a variety of programmes
little legislation is to be anticipated.
Politics will seeth. President Taft
and the democrats will be outwardly
friendly enough, so far as personali-
ties go, but the democrats will do
nothing on the eve of a presiden-
tial election to help the chances of
the administration. In view Of the
fact that Senator La Toilette is a
candidate for president and the SEN
ate insurgents are for him they can
not be expected to play Pres dent
Taft's game with any great fervor.
Two subjects of general interest
so far as actual legislation goes,
come over to this session from the
recent special session. These are the
election OF senators by direct vote
and the ratification of the arbitra-
ton treaties with France and Eng
land. The resolution for an amend
ment to the constitution for direct
election OF senators has passed both
houses and is in conference. The
conference committee is headed by
Senator Bacon of Georgia. The dif-
ference between the two houses is
on the Bristow amendment fer fed
eral control of senatorial elections.
This was hitched on In the senate
The house does not want it, but pre-
dictions of members OF the confer
ence committee are that an agree
ment will be reached. The senate
seems likely to recede from its posi-
ton.
AS to the arbitration treaties, the
situation is doubtful, though the
president thinks they will be rati~
fled.
The house democrats will hold an
early caucus 10 work out their legis-
lative programme. II is expected to
provide for the passage of bills to
revise the more important schedules
of the tariff, for some form of cor
poratlon legislation, for parcels post.
for q reasonable amount OF labor
legislation, for legislation fixing the
tolls on the Panama canal, and, as
generally expected, the abolition OF
the court of commerce.
The programme of the senate In
surgents is certain to include com
prehensive treatment of the trust
question, along with tariff revision.
Alaskan legislation and opposition to
the Aldrich currency plan in It's
present form.
The senate regulars will probably
follow pretty closely the programme
laid down by the president. They
do not want tariff legislation, but
CONTINUED on page 81.