The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1913-12-03
CONGRESS AGAIN
Gets TOGETHER
Special Session Ends and Regu-
lar Starts
ONLY FEW MINUTES ELAPSE
Edge" Taken of Mondays Cere
monies Because Of Long Protracted
Special Session-Much Work Ahead

monies Because Of Long Protracted
Special Session-Much Work Ahead.
For the first time in many years
congress on Monday stepped over
from one session into another with
out break in the routine and in con.
sequence the interest usually sur
rounding the opening of a new con.
gress was absent.
The second or regular session OF
the sixIy-third congress was ushered
in by formal proclamation of the vice
president and speaker in the senate
and house
President Wilson appeared at l
o'clock on Tuesday to read his annual
message at joint session in the house
the first days of the new session will
be scarcely distinguishable from the
closing days of the old.
The extra session just ended was
limited, by informal agreements with
President Wilson, to the considera'
tion of tariff and currency reform, and
nothing that might interfere with
these issues was taken up The cur
rency bill still dominates the situa-
tion as the new session begins but the
administration program of antitrust
and railroad legislation, which is to
follow, must share the field with
score or more of other important sub
| jects.
1t is the hope of the Democratic
leaders that the currency bill can be
disposed of in the senate by the end
| of December and can be completed
by both houses of congress and signed
Jy the president in January. In an
ticipation of this the plans for anti
trust legislation will be taken up this
week by President Wilson, in confer
ence with Representative Clayton,
| Senator Newlands and other members
of the judiciary and interstate COM
merce committees of the two houses.
other important projects include:
Further regulation of railroads as to
rates and stock issues, government
owned railroads for Alaska, regulation
of trading in cotton and grain futures,
| federal aid for vocational education,
establishment of a system of rural
land banks, independence of the Phil
ippines, constitutional amendment fol
woman's suffrage, regulation of work.
| ing conditions of merchant sailors
legislation to promote safety at sea
two battleship naval program, estab-
lishment of a federal armOr-making
plant, good roads legislation, investi'
CATION of cost-of-living problems and
all the annual appropriation bills.
The bill to give San Francisco
water supply rights in Hetch-Hetchy
valley, over which a conservationists'
| fight has waged for more than year,
is set for a vote in the senate Dec. s.
Another agreement calls for consider
alton Immediately afterward of the
bill to authorize construction of gov
ernment railroads in Alaska. A similar
measure has been favorably acted
upon by a committee of the house.
These bills, with the "seaman's servi.
tude" bill which recently passed the
senate, probably will be the first meas
ures of a general character considered
by congress.
Investigations to determine the
cause of increased prices in food prod
ucts are expected to begin soon.
Resolutions demanding such inquiries
are now before congress.
President Wilson has indicated his
keen interest in the development of
system of rural land banks or credit
agencies that would meet the needs
of country districts more adequately
than can existing commercial banks.
The recent recommendation of the
commission that studied rural credit
| systems of other countries have en-
phasized the need of such system.
Il is expected that soon after the pas
sage of the currency reform bill the
work of devising an adequate system
of rural banks will be undertaken by
congress and an effort made to enact
legislation before adjournment next
summer.
Plans have not yet been matured by
the administration for the handling Of
the Philippine problem. 1t is expected
| that renewed efforts will be made
early in the senate to pledge congress
to a measure giving early inde-
pendence to the islands. This fight
will be led by Representative Jones
of Virginia, chairman of the house
Dmmittee on insular affairs.
The new session probably will wit
hess more activity prior to Christmas
than any session of recent years. Dem
ocrat.o leaders propose to hold the
senate to thirteen-hour sessions, with
no Christmas vacation unless, this cur
rency bill is passed before the time
set for the holiday. In the house
meantime an effort will be made TO
dispose of several of the annual ap-
preparation bills before Christmas so
that appropriation legislation will in
terfere as little as possible with the
consideration of other matters.
Na lI.gan IS