The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-08-30
Enactment of Reciprocity
With Canada the Chief
Accomplishment

By JAMES A. EDGBRToN.

OF the extra session OF tue SlA-
ty-second congress. If Dante could
have had that experience it would
have given him added descriptive ma
terial for the "Inferno." Washington
in August may not be the hottest city
on earth, but those visiting a hotter
one seldom survive to tell the tale.
Any congress that would remain in
the capital during the dog days must
either be doing penance or exhibiting
to the country high devotion to pub
lie duty. 1t is literally subjecting its
political faith to the trial by fire.
Washington during August is so hot
that the asphalt in the streets is
muddy, the walls of the public build
ings give off heat waves like blast fur
naces, the statues in the park take on
a tense and agonized look, and the
Washington monument is surrounded
by tremulous and crinkling air like
hot poker. Generals Humidity and
Torridity Join forces and open siege.
1t is so hot that even graft languishes
and the lobbyists flee to the seashore.
To listen to a tariff discussion in such
an atmosphere must approach the limit
of human endurance. No wonder the
members call each other liars. They
are more. They are torturers. They
condemn their victims to a fiery fur
mace and lombard them with hot air.
1t must be that the southern men,
bers, being used to a warm climate
and hence immune, decided to give
their political opponents a foretaste
of the wrath to come. Yet there is
one thing against the theory. Nobody
can be immune to the heat of Wash
ington in August. l know for | once
went through it. That was fifteen
years ago, but l remember it as if it
were yesterday. 1 still perspire and
shrivel up at the mere thought. So
far as l know, there is not single
southern city 80 hot as Washington In
August. IF there is such one, God
help its inhabitants! After going
through that sizzling experience l
thought OF the hereafter and decided
to lead better life. Perhaps in the
present instance the southern Demo
Gratis were moved by similar asso-
citation of ideas. One cannot go through
Ill august VI SNCu Il Iuly Ill w dSlhhS
ton without being reminded of the hot
place and often mentioning it by name.
Probably the southern Democrats
thought of where they wanted the
Republicans to go and decided to give
them a preliminary scorching as an
earnest of this desire.
Anyway, we have a new crop of
martyrs. Ordinarily a congressman is
the last man we would think of in the
martyrs role, but he sure played the
part this time. Washington weather
is often a matter of extremes, but
twice a year it outdoes itself. This is
on Inauguration day and in August.
What Was Done.
A review of the extra session would
not be complete without this advance
talk on the weather. 1t is needed to
give atmosphere to the picture. Heat,
both physical and mental, is an i'm
portant ingredient in the psychology of
congress.
The special session was called to
enact Canadian reciprocity. 1t did
this and more-or, rather, tried to do
more, but the president would not let
it.
The chief subjects considered were
the reciprocity agreement; the re-
vision of Schedule X, otherwise the
wool bill; the free list bill, intended to
make up to the farmers some of the
inequalities in the reciprocity pact; the
reduction of the cotton schedule, which
finally had coupled to it revision of
the iron and steel schedules and some
others; the statehood bill, the reappor-
tionment of the house of representa-
tives, direct election of senators, pub
ncity of campaign expenditures, the
Lorimer investigation, the inquiries
into the steel trust and the sugar trust,
the probe into the Wiley case and into
the administration of the pure food
law, the Controller bay investigation
and the arbitration treaties with
France and England.
OF these the reciprocity agreement
has been passed and has gone to Can
ada for approval; the tariff reduction
bills and statehood in its first form
have been vetoed by the president; di-
rect election of senators, the investi-
cations and the arbitration treaties
have gone over to the next session,
and the reapportionment, amended
statehood and publicity bills have be.
come laws.
That is not very large record Of ac-
complishment, but is a big record OF
effort-really monumental in view OF
the hot weather, presume that never
since the civil war did congress un.
dertake 30 much in the summer
months.
Steel Trust Probe.
The investigations alone have been
numerous and laborious-at least have
occasioned many labored explanations
There is the sted trust probe, in which
the late John W. Gates accused An
drew Carnegie of being 'bull in a
china shop" and of kicking over gen
tlemen's agreements. Colonel Theo