The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-04
This Session of Congress Con-
sidered Very Important
IN PICKING OF PRESIDENT
Tariff and the Trusts Are Matters of
Legislation Which Stand Out Most
Prominently, with Big Fight As
sured in Both Branches.

Washington, d. c., Dec. 4.--"The most
important session since the Civil war
is the prediction made by many Demo
cratic leaders for the first regular SEES
sion of the sixty-second Congress, which
opened to-day.
Stirring days ahead" are forecast
by Republican members, and on both
sides of the big party line, members in
the House and Senate are drawn up TO
fight out weighty problems of legisla-
ton in a session that win lead up to
the presidential campaign OF 1912.
OF Importance as to the bearing it will
have on the approaching political con
test in the nation; of particular interest
because of party differences-regulars
and insurgents on the Republican side,
reactionaries and progressives among the
Democrats-and of unusual significance
because of the heavy legislative pro-
gram it is at least certain that this
will be one of the liveliest sessions of
Congress in many years.
w llu IHt GdNtiS iNiilHE III LAAN iAOhHN
and Senate at noon, the tariff and the
trusts stood out as the most important
subjects for legislation with big fight
assured in both houses. Many other
great questions confronting the Con-
gress. all of them TO be approached yig-
orously, include monetary reform, rati-
fcation of arbitration treaties with
Great Britain and France, and the loan
treaties with Nicaragua and Honduras;
Alaskan legislation, the election of SEN
ators by direct vote of the people, PEN
sion bills and the regular and perma-
nent annual appropriations, to be under
the direction this time in the House
by Democratic committee.
Political Pot to Boil Soon.
While the legislative struggles are in
progress, politics is certain not to be
overshadowed. With the Democrats
looking ahead with sanguine hope for
triumph at the polls next November,
and insurgent Republicans striking ont
in earnest to capture their party con-
vention, il possible; every move made in
either branch of Congress from now
until adjournment will be thoroughly
considered from political as well as leg
islative viewpoints. The political pot
in Washington will soon begin to boil,
with the Republican national committee
meeting here December II, to be fol-
lowed January by the Democratic
national committee. Selection of CON
vention cities, choosing of committee
chairmen who win manage the big cam
paigns and plans for the approaching
party conventions and the subsequent
battle of the ballots will attract as
much attention from the nations legis-
lators as will the making of the ma
TONS laws.
To enliyen the political interest in
both houses, there are candidates for the
presidency casting their shadows across
the horizon.
Champ Clark, the speaker of the
House already considered among the
Democratic possibilities, may at any
time make presidential pronouncement
to his colleagues; and Representative
Oscar w Underwood of Alabama, the
Democratic floor leader, also is talked of
throughout the country as presidential
timber.
In the Senate, Mr.. La Toilette already
has been proclaimed by progressive Re-
publieans as their choice to wrest the
nomination from Mr.. Taft.
In the House the political interest will
be further complicated by the attitude
of Mr. Bryan, who has quarreled with
Mr.. Underwood and branded him as a
reactionary and now criticizes Speaker
Clark in what many Democrats declare
is an effort to cause a breach between
the speaker and the majority leader of
the House.
The Tariff.
The tariff legislative program will fol-
low the long-awaited report OF the tariff
board, which is expected to submit the
result of its investigations on wool and
cotton before the holidays. The ways
and means committee of the House, how
ever, under the direction of Chairman
Underwood, will begin at once the prep
aration of new tariff bills. Throughout
the recess force of clerks and experts
have been at work preparing for the
committee.
President Taft has given his pledge
that, when the tariff board submits its
report on the wooden and cotton sched
ules, it will be his pleasure to make tar
if recommendations to Congress. The
subject will be treated in special mes
sage.
Meantime. however, the ways and
means committee will begin prepare
tion Of revised schedules to include wool,
cotton, iron and steel products, sugar
and other food-stuffs. An important
eehadtIle fo come I'm is the SUGAR sehed-
ule and in dealing with this the House
and the ways and means committee win
be guided somewhat by the report of
the special committee of inquiry into the
American Sugar Refining company, which
is expected to report early in the ses-
sion.
Debate on Trusts Expected.
Conspicuous in the records of the Con-
gress will be the coming vigorous trust
debates. The fight to amend the Sher-
man antitrust law already is on. In
the, House the question will be first
considered by the committee on judi
ciarv. This committee has determined
also to report bills amending the injunc-
tion statutes and the contempt statutes,
the latter to include provision for trial
by Jury in cases of indirect contempt.
These win be pressed for passage before
adjournment.
The committee has in hand a half
dozen bills providing amendment to the
r-------=-------------
- g
M MA 81 aA a n we ~