The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-12-30

stle lppolIte ! .E tilts
Miner sets Of lssips,.
Quite u minis 0fslilnar asts sof leg
Islati6li 5Eeie il:issed. iacirtitH bridge
and lanll llSiiis at .locai Interest
Recognition Of the Gettysburg Setnl.1
acknowledgements inprovidipg trans
pcrtation for Onion aiNl Confederate.
veterans Of the District OF COLUMBIA
to thar famtits battlefield.
Tents were loaned to the Gonfetler.
ate veterans Tor tllcir reunion. ut
Brunswick. Gu. #
The president was authorized TO ap.
point Delegates TO Tile International
Purity fedora ton at Minneapolis. Miun..
Provision was matlts for congrpsS0Il,
al representation at the unveillug OF
the Jef1eSon monument ut St. Louis
and the Congress hail celebration at
Philadelphia: also the opening OF the
exposition at Knoxville. Tenn.
The Secretary OF agriculture WAS all.
thorized To make an exhibit at tho
corn exposition. Dallas. Tee.
A number of bills relhtlhg to public
buildings were passed. :
The seaman's Bill.
A bill OF more than ordinary impOr.
lance because 1t makes many changes
III the navigation laws was passed By.
the senate but was not considered by
the house. 1t is known as the sea-.
mans bill. although 1t makes provision
for greater safety of passengers at sea.
Tie bill In some form lias been pend
ing before congress for nineteen years
am has been advocated BY representa-.
tIves Of the seanen's union. 1t Is ex.
pected to pass the house during the
coming session,
Another measure OF considerable tm.
portance which passed the senate aud
is Still pending in the house makes It
unlawful for any member OF congress
TO serve gu Il committee or solicit
funds for campaign purposes. Tint
bin is the outcome OF the investi%a.
ton made during the campaign OF 1912.
when many prominent witnesses were
summoned. a,s,,
The senate has agreed to take up
and consider a Dill providing for the
construction and operation Of railroads
in Alasta on Monday. Dec. 8. but 2s
no time has been fixed for vote 1t is
quite likely that the bill will he dis.
placed by the currency bin.
On the senate calendar is bill "re.
Iatlng to the exclusion Of traffic from
TIE streets and avenues Of Washington
during paades." 1t Is the outgrowth
OF interference with the woman suf.
frage pArade on the Sd Of March.
Bills Passed by the House.
Very few bills have been taken up
by the house save those mentioned. but
the HetcErHetchy bill was passed and
is pending in the senate with an agree
ment to consider and vote upon It dur.
ing the first week Of the regular ses:
sion.
A bill to create an additional Judge
in Pennsylvania has been doing the
shuttlecOcE act between the houses on
account Of Il provision to create anoth.
or circuit Judge in West Virginia hav'
ing been attached TO It. 1t now re;
poses on the house calendar.
Lobby Investigation.
BY far one Of the most interesting
investigations of the many that have
taken place during the past two or
three years was the senate lobby IN.
vestigaton which followed a declarn.
ton by the president that lobby was
trying to defeat certain features Of
the tariff bill. About the sam" time
the MuIhaIl disclosures were publish.
ed. which reflected upon both senators
and representatives. and the lobby III
vestigatlon was turned into Il Mulhall
investigation. the house joining with
an investigation Of its own. A special
committee Of the senate has taken
thousands OF pages OF testimony. and
the end Is not yet in sight. No report
was ever made. The investigation
was started primarily to get informa.
ton upon which to base tariff action,
but the tariff bill was out of the way
before the investigators were near the
end Of their inquiry.
Presidential Addresses.
The special session wns notable for
the introduction of an innovation IN
the matter of delivering presidential
messages, The messages were deItv'
cred In person by the president who
addressed congress in joint session IN
the haH of the house Of representa-
tives on three different occasions. This
revives custom which existed IN the
days Of Washington and Adams. but
has not been. the practice since the
days Of the first two presidents. The
first address related to the tariff. the
next to currency and the third to con
ditions In Mexico. The president has
announced that he will continue to
communicate with congress in this