St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-05-22
CONGRESS IS ANXIOUS
Wants to AdiOurn.-PinchOt's For
estry Schemes Unpopular
Unfinished Business.
washington. Nay 20. 1s12


Congress hnds some mischief still
for strenuous voices to roar about,
and the end is not yet in sight. 1t
wants to cut loose and get back to
the farm as badly as any of us do,
and is now only looking for a chance
to let go.
The House is rapidly closing up
its work for the session, and three
weeks more at the most will see it
practically out of a job. The SEN
ate has much more left on its
hands, but can wind up its end of
the job in another month if it will
stop the endless flow of cheap talk
and do things. The House has Off
cially notified the senate that it
desires to so shape it's legislative
program for the remainder of the
session that final adjournment
\ can be had the 18th of next month,
but the latter body yet hangs off and
\ hestitates to agree to a date. It
wants, to get away as badly as the
House does, but doesn't quite see it's
way to agree on that date yet.
Would Give Up Tariff.
AS indicating the burning de-
sire of the House to break away it
has offered to throw overheard all
the tariff bills it has passed and sent
to the senate and to meet that
body much more than half way in
the matter of agreeing to the dis
posal of other matters, and in view
of the fact that nearly every man in
both branches is more than anxious
to bring the session to a close be-
fore the conventions it is very prob
able that they will get together be-
fore long.
The House has yet four of the big
appropriation bills to dispose of, as
we'll as some other odds and ends of
lesser Importance, but these could
all be got out of the way in ten
days in case of necessity. The SEN
ate has a much larger accumula-
ton on hand, but by fixing dates by
unanimous consent for taking votes
the decks could be rapidly cleared. |
The House is now meeting daily at
IL a. m, with the prospect of night |
sessions soon, and it is now being |
limited that the senate will soon take |
some such action.
May Not Vote on Lorimer.
Definite, action is promised in. the
senate today looking toward an ear
ly vote on the Lorimer matter, and /
if this is done this greatest obstruc-
ton will be disposed of. 1t is no
torious that if the senate once agrees
on a date for vote on any subject |
it at once loses interest in the matter
and there is no more debate. By |
the way, Lorimer's physicians Off
cially report that the senator is very /
seriously i'll in a hospital, and that
it will be many months before he
can attend to any business, even if
he eventually RECEIVERS. The illness
is said to be a bad nervous break
down, with serious complications.
There is no suggestion of deferring
a vote on this account and it is not
understood that he asks it, though
it is very unusual for the senate or
any other body to try a man in his
necessary absence.
Big Forestry Schemes.
The first four days of last week
were consumed by the senate in de-
batting the agricultural appropria-
ton bill, but only three hours were
devoted to the agricultural end of it.
The committee is technically 'agri-
culture and forestry and the for
estry question invariably stirs up
tempest of disapproval among the
forestry policy in the west is very
seriously disapproved of where it is
best known, and the Pinchot system
is condemned almost unanimously
by those whose proximity gives them
the best opportunity for judging. 1t
Is stated and proven that vast areas
in the various states have been with
drawn from development and settle
ment, frequently in cases where
there was not a waterfall, or a tree
within hundreds of miles and on
sections where a tree never could
be grown, all of which has resulted
in preventing the growth of the
state and creating many national
parks as large as Vermont with !
hordes of salaried attendants on
the nations payroll. That there is
dead wrong and often
sively rotten in the present forestry !
system in the west is manifestly GER !
tain.
Unfinished Business.
The most important matters in
The remaining business before con-
gress are the parcels post PROPOSE
ton, the attempt of the House to
egislate the commerce court out of
existence, the tentative proposition
to later acquire the express business
Of the companies and to operate it
under a government department, the [
question of the construction of more
Oattleships this year, the perpetual
ton of the tariff board and neces-
sary legislation for the operation
and control of the canal. These
are serious questions which would
ordinarily occupy months, but no
new 1iobf ran he thrown On these
matters by debate, and they may well
come to a vote at any time 7
The attempt of the House conn '
nittee to furnish ground for the
by the senate of Judge !
Archibald of the Commerce Court I