Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-12-04
CONGRESS IS IN
SESSION AGAIN
House and Senate Convene for
Three Months Work.
MONEY BILLS TO Be PASSED
Appropriation Measures Make Up the
Bulk Of the Program, and Little
Constructive Legislation viii
Be Attempted.

Be Attempted.
Washington, Dec. 2.-The house and
senate both convened at noon to-day
for the final session of the sixty-sec-
ond congress. They will remain al
york for about two weeks and Their
adjourn for the holidays. Returning TO
Washington early in January, the law
makers will resume their lab0rs,
which will come to an end March 4th
with the Inauguration of Mr. Wilson
as president.
Appropriation bills will take up the
time Of congress almost exclusively,
and there is no expectation that an
great amount Of constructive legi1la-
t-on can be accomplished before the
advent of the Democratic administra-
tion. The members must act upon
more than a dozen bills carrying total
appropriations of over a billion dot
lars
Two Bills Ready for Action.
Two Of the annual budgets are now
ready-the legislative, executive and
judicial appropriation bill and the Dis
trict of Columbia bill These, possibly,
will be passed by the house and sent
over to the senate before the Christ
mas adjournment The naval, mill
tary, postofhce, Indian Notifications,
diplomatic, pensions and minor bud
gets must be passed in January and
February.
1t is apparent to experienced mem
bers that such big questions as the
tariff, the trusts and the currency
problem cannot be tackled in the
days intervening between December 2
and March 4. Congress will be forced
to appropriate at the rate Of about
$12,500,000 per day in order to meet
the running expenses of the United
States government during the fiscal
year of 1913. This immense task prac-
tically precludes all hope of general
Legislation and unusually fast work
will be required to dispose Of the ap-
preparation measures on the eve of
the incoming administration.
On the other hand the Democrats of
the house, cOgnizant of the fact that
their party will control the entire
governmental machinery after Presi-
dent Wilson is indicted into Office, are
lOath to undertake general legislation
during the short session, even if the
opportunity were offered The Demo
Gratis figura that it is useless to con-
slider legislation which might meet a
stumbling block in dying Republican
senate or at the White House.
What the Committees Will Do.
1t is anticipated that the house COM
mittee on banking and currency will
continue its investigation of the
money trust and may make a tenta-
tive draft of bills to amend the cur
.rency laws. It is not expected, how
ever, that any effort will be made to
enact these into laws during the short
session, and the committee, in effect,
will mark time until the change of
administrations
The ways and means co 1mittee will
plug ahead in its prepare ion of bills
revising the Payne-Aldric tariff law
but none Of these measr es will be
brought out until the begf ling of the
s1xty-third congress, which kill be con-
Vened in extraordinary sc sion about
April 18th
The judiciary commit 9 of the
house will be largely conc rned with
the impeachment proceedh IS against
Judge Robert w Archbal of the
commerce court, which are low pend
ing before the senate and III be TAX
en- up very soon. This wi prohibit
the immediate consideration by the
committee of the trust question.
Amendments to the Sherman law prob
ably will await the converting of the
new congress, although sporadic hear
ings may be held by the judiciary
committee during the lu1ls in the
Archibald impeachment trial
The Archibald trial probably will en-
gage the attention Of the senate for
several weeks, and this, together with
the annual appropriation bills, will
fully occupy the time and TO N of
the upper chamber until &c
The prospects are that fotlS the
committees of the house neap ,ate
will mark time during they OF of