The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1912-01-05
WHAT WILL CONGRESS DO?

VIAL WILL NoNthESS ~!
With the close of the holiday sea
son and the reassemblng of congress
the real work of that legislative body
will begin 1t has plenty to do.
The president has sent forward with
promptness and dispatch his recon.
mendations as to what should be done
with the tariff In addition to this i'm.
portant subject there is legislation
that is proposed on trusts, railroads
and the Panama canal besides the
consideration of the monetary ques-
ton and the passage of the great APP
preparations.
What it will really accomplish I'm
the face of this rather formidable
program is purely a matter of con-
lecture. 1t may do much, but in view
of the fact that there is presiden-
tial election right at hand it is much
more probable that the greater part
of the time will be spent by the lead
ers in both political parties sparring
| for position. The democrats have no
easy task to do that which will keep
but more especially on the tariff. Mr..
| Underwood pushed through the house
some tariff bills at the extra session
that conformed in some of their fea-
lures pretty close to identical protec-
ton and so gained the favor of some
of the progressive republicans. Mr..
Underwood is now up against situa-
ton that is sure to prove trying to
his continued leadership. President
Taft has shown the way by which the
tariff schedules can be somewhat re-
not impair the protective principle in
the least MIR. Underwood, it would
seem, must either follow the lead of
the president, in which case he and
his party would be obliged to share
with the executive the credit of tariff
reduction, or he must follow Mr..
; Bryan into the uncertainty and per-
plexity of a tariff for revenue only
and thus diappoint the country.
Whichever horn of the dilemma he
chooses to follow he is sure to be
worse off than he is now.
When it comes to monetary reform
the majority in the house is as badly
off as it is on the tariff. The country
is aware that there is need of reform
in it's banking system but it is sus-
picious of some of the men, whose
ability is universally recognized, who
are at the front of the proposed re-
serve assCciation-notably Senator
: Aldrich, whose attitude on the tariff
question has convinced the people
! however unfair to him the conclusion
may be-that he is reactionary on
every great problem that has to do
with the welfare of the many. What
! the democratic leaders will do on
! this question is unknown but it is a
"touchy" proposition and liable to
prove another live wire"
| Then there are the appropriations
which are almost sure to kick up a
muss for the house leaders unless
they are handled with extreme care.
| Already, while the country wants to
see congress make a record for rigid
economy in the use of public money,
tho democratic house has passed a
pension bill which Secretary Fisher
says, if it becomes a law, will require
an extra expenditure of $75,000,000 a
year.
On the other hand there are some
economies that may be undertaken
that would prove penny wise and per-
haps pound foolish in their conse-
not approve. There is talk of cutting
out any appropriation for the building
of new ships for the navy. This
would be short sighted policy. We
must take care of the future of the
country as we'll as it's past. America
is now a world power and it must be
in position to meet its new RESPONSE
bilities or suffer for its neglect.
| Congress has an abundance or queS-
lions that confront it and demand
| legislation, new or remedial. With
the democracy in the saddle it must
show that it has leaders of con-
structive and broadly patriotic concep-
ton of public duty, who are capable
of handling them wisely or else it
will go into the campaign of 1912 as
badly handicapped as it has for more
than half a century, with each recur-
ring quadrennial presidential election.
| AROUND TOWN.