St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-04-24
MAY ADJOURN JUNE Is
Congress Hopes to get Through by
that Time.-The Senate Far
Behind the Program.
washington. April %.

Neighbor Caledonians:
If this weather continues for six
or eight weeks longer congress
won't suffer much from the heat
this season. This supposes that
congress will get back home about
the tenth of June, as is now propos-
ed.
AS usual along toward the latter
end of a session congress is compel
ling itself to work over time to make
up for the time frittered away dur
ing the first three months. Con-
gress always loafs for the first ten
or dozen weeks of a session, and is
then very much surprised to find so
much to do. This is a popularity of
the senate rather than of the house.
The latter body hustles things from
the start, with the result that it usu-
ally has to mark time for a month or
six weeks while the senate tries to
catch up.
Good Speech by Dillingham;.
The house now has it's program
for the session we'll cleaned up, with
the exception of the remaining ap-
preparation bills, and can henceforth
afford to take it easy. Meanwhile
the senate has awakened to a reali-.
cation of where it is at, and is max
! ing a considerable hole in the aceu-
mutation of business every day. Last
week showed results, the most i'm
portant by far being the final pas
sage of Senator Dillingham's immi-
grafton bill just about in the form
he laid it out. His speech on the
subject Wednesday, taking most of
the day and calculating the whole
subject from start to finish, is
spoken of by his colleagues and in
fact by all of the hundreds who
heard him as the most Illuminating
and instructive presentation of the
subject. ever heard in or out of con-
gress. Certainly it was a most
elaborate and convincing effort,
and gave proof of the deep study of
the subject which has occupied much
: of the senator's time and attention
during the past half dozen years.
The bill finally reached a successful
finish on the floor of the senate late
last Friday evening, and now goes
to the house for its concurrence.
Sen. Pages Educational Bill.
Senator Pages educational bill is
now on the senate calendar, and
may be reached any day. 1t has al
ready been called up, but it's con-
sideration was deferred by the re-
quest of Senator Page who stated
that certain friends of the measure
who wished to have a hand in the
discussion were not\ yet ready to
present their views. Every effort
will be made to bring it to a vote
before adjournment, and if one can
be had there is little doubt of it's
passage. 1t has a little opposition,
which may possibly be able to pre-
vent final action, but its friends are
now very confident.
Most of the more important bills
of general public interest will have
been disposed of in one way or an
other by the end of this week, leav-
ing nothing Of especial consequence
except the regular appropriation
bills and the four tariff bills sent
over from the House. The former
will be disposed of with little delay
as fast as the committees report
them in, but the fate of the tariff
bills is as yet shrouded in dense
mystery. No opinions are heard as
to what may be done with them.
There does not seem to be any eff
fort being made to secure another
'unholy alliance" between the dem
ocrats and insurgents to force their
passage, as there was last summer,
and with the exception of one or
two senators nobody seems to care
much as to what does become of
them.
House Not Interested.
Thus far only two are yet report
ed from the committee, both with
an adverse report. Last summer the
house served notice on the senate
that no proposition looking toward
final adjournment would be consid-
cred until the senate had disposed
of them in some way, but this year
the House doesn't seem to care in
the least what if any action the SEN
ate does take in respect to them.
Possibly some agreement can be
patched up in some way to put
through the wool schedule, but if
so it will be so amended that it will
no longer interest the house. In
nutshell, if any tariff bill is passed
it will be so amended that the house
would not agree to any part of it,
and if it was not very much modified
the president would not sign it. So
what's the use?
AS to further proceedings in
congress the very evident fact
is that there is so much politics in
the air and on every hand that con-
gress can not and will not confine
itself to legislation. Rather, it will
hustle matters through as rapidly
as possible and then slide for the
home base. About June 10th is the
date generally fixed on.
j. e. HARRIS.