The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-04-08
CONGRESS
AT WORK
Formal Opening of Special
Session of Sixty-Third
Congress
CHAMP CLARK
SPEAKER AGAIN
Entire Legislative Machin-
cry Held by the
Democrats

Washington, April s.--The sixty third
Congress, the first in many years with
the Democrats in a majority, began bus
mess at noon yesterday. just as Speak
err Clark was dropping his gavel in
the House, Majority Leader Underwood
dropped the tariff revision bill into the
hopper and thereby officially started II
business that promises TO keep Congress
at work well into August. While the
Legislators were finding their new seats,
a procession of women suffragists rep
resenting every congressional district in
the United States invaded the capitol
and presented petitions demanding a
constitutional amendment for equal SUI
frage.
In the House the days proceedings
were principally of organization. The
re- election OF Speaker Clark was the
! first business after about a hundred new
members had been sworn in. Most new
senators, however, had been sworn in ON
Inauguration day.
| The strict formalty that has charac-
terized the opening of Congress for dec
AIDES, was shattered when a young man
in the gallery of the Senate tried to halt
recess of that body by cries of "Mr
Chairman Galleries were filled with
women suffragists and for a time it was
thought the demonstration was part OF
the suffrage advance upon Congress.
The man, who gave his name as George
b. Clemmer of Monroe. n. c., said he
was a "herald of the prince of peace.
Vice President Marshall called the SEN
ate to order and administered the oath
to Senators elect Sherman Of Illinois,
and Golf of West Virginia.
The House reelected Speaker Clark, |
who received 27l votes; James r. Mann |
of Illinois, Republican, received Ill |
votes, and Victor Murdoch of Kansas, |
Progressive, received Is votes. -Four |
Progressive Republicans voted for Repre-
sentative Cooper of Wisconsin Mr.. |
Cooper voted for Representative Nelson
of Minnesota.
A complete revision of the tariff law;
modification of the nations currency
system; proposals for Philippine indie
pendence: for repeal of the Panama
canal free toll provision, and for ehe
immediate construction OF government
owned railways in Alaska, are the chief
problems confronting Congress. Sum
moned by President Wilson for the ex-
press purpose of revising the tariff, the
new Congress faces extreme pressure
from many quarters for early action on
other subjects named. Whether any of
these other than the tariff, will be TAX
en- up during the special session depends
upon the progress made with the tariff
and the success that may at
tend preliminary work upon a general
currency reform bill.
The probable length of the session is
Actual work upon tariff re-
Vision probably will begin today, with
he consid erstion of the Underwood bill
,y the Democratic House members, in
,aucus. Within week it Is expected d
hat the tariff debate will be in full
wing in the House Senate leaders do /.
Tot expect the completion of tariff work :
,efore late in July. Should currency :.
eform also be taken up at the present
ession, Congress probably will rema IL :
t work until autumn '
President Wilson was asked yesterday
What motive impelled him to renew the
ustom of century ago. "The reasons I
re very simple" he said. 81 think tha3 L
hat is the only dignified way for the
resident to address the House at the
pening of the session, instead of send
1g the address up by messenger ana
,tting the clerk read perfunctorily in
he familiar clerks tone of voice. II
a precedent which, it is true, has
cen discontinued long time, but which
a very respectable precedent"
The president was asked if he ex- ~
ected that there would be answers from
ongress as there had been in the old
avs, but he smlingly replied that the y
My response he looked for was the leg III
lative answer. The president explained al
rat he intended to make his visit as y
mple as possible. He said that he ?.
sked Senator Kern and leader Under NJ
God of the House if it would be agree .,
Die for him to come, and they both y! u
I'd said it would, and that in this they Is
presented the feeling of their coll
agues.