Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-12-07
CONGRESS BACK
FOR SHORT Session
Lawmakers Hope to Con-
clude Program Of NeceSSi-
ties by March 4
PRESIDENT TO READ
MESSAGE TOMORROW

WAoIllNGl YIN DeC. 4. - WIN
Speaker Clark's resounding smash
with a mallet big enough for croquet
in the House of Representatives, and
Vice President Marshall's light tap
with little piece Of ivory in the
Senate, both precisely at noon, Con-
gress met today for the short ses-
sion which will end March 4, 1915.
This short session will be the last
one of the sixty-third Congress, a
Congress that will go down in his
tory as one which worked almost the
entire two years of its existence (only
one six weeks recess except the
Christmas vacations) and as one
which put through a number of bills
which will affect the country, in all
probability, for generations.
The program that must be carried
out is the passage of the appropria-
ton bills. These must be passed, and
every short session of Congress in
the past has found difficulty In pass
ing them. But no Congress in the
past which has gotten them through
successfully has had so many per-
picking complications which threat
ened to kill weeks of time and pre-
vent the passage of the appropria-
lions bills.
The most dangerous of the imme-
diately imminent complications is the
cotton legislation. While there is
no chance of any very radical legs-
lation being passed. this temper be-
ing clearly shown by both House and
Senate Just prior to the adjournment,
democratic leaders feared today that
the Southerners who have been max
ing the most noise about the cotton
problem will not regard their work
as completed to the satisfaction of
their constituents unless they make
a large number of speeches.
The difficulty of choking these off
lies in the fact that this can only be
done by bringing in a rule insuring
a vote without more than a certain
number of hours debate And the
chairman of Rules Committee is Re-
preventative Robert Henry, of Texas.
Acknowledged the leader of the
protection legislation group.
There are several bills for the re-
lief of the cotton growers, however.
One of these is the bill providing for
the licensing of cotton warehouses,
and their inspection. This bill pass
ed the Senate, with a number of
amendments, so that It included not
only cotton, but grain. tobacco, naval
stores, canned salmon, and several
other products.
The other piece of cotton legisla-
ton which apparently will be passed
without trouble consists of amend
ment to the Federal Reserve act. One
Of these permits member banks 10
keep all Of their reserves in the re-
gional reserve banks, and the other
permits the issuance of the equiva-
lent of 100 per cent of the unimpaired
capital and surplus of the bank in
emergency currency. instead of only
80 per cent as under the present law.
Then there is the conservation pro-
gram in its many phases.
Fights we're also expected today to
occur during this session on three
porkbarrel bills, the rivers and har-
bors. the public buildings, and the
good roads bill.
The attitude of the President will
probably determine the fate of the
shin purchase bill, so far as the
House is concerned. There is strong
onposition to this measure in both
houses. and. while it was admitted
TO-DAY that it would be easy enough
10 force il through the House by
means of a rule, there is no assur-
ance that the President could force
the bill through the Senate in the
brief time which will be available
Onnosition in the Senate centers
with those senators who are intense
" opposed to government ownership
as a general principle.
One of the hottest fights expected
on the appropriation bills is that on
the armament question. The Euro
mean war has, in their own minds
strengthened the arguments OF both
the little navy men and the big navy
men. The big navy men declare thai
the suddenness of this war proves
alphabetically the necessity OF being
prepared. The little navy men point
to the destruction of battleships anc
cruisers by submarines. and say:
"XVhy build battleships until we hnc
out If there is any way TO protecl
battleship from submarines-al shlp'
constructed along present lines may
be made obsolete any day by some
development in this wal"
over in the Senate the problem IS
much more difficult, owing to th'
fact that there is no way of putting
an end TO the debates on any ques
ton so long as any senator's Wantl
10 discuss il. Possibilities In this
direction are still fresh in the minds
of senator's from the successful NIL
buster Of Senator Burton last session
against the rivers and haroors Dill
Beside the conservation measures
already mentioned which have peer
passed by the House and the await
ing action by the Senate, there ar
number of other important Dill
which have been acted upon by IN
House but which have not passed IN
Senate. Among these the one whicl
is probably the most important i
the immigration Bill. The point
difficulty about this bill is the liter
acy test. which the President is SAT-
10 be opposed to. while there is
wide difference of opinion IN IN
Senate. Senator O'Gorman who ha
been off the administration "reser
walton" considerably recently. is lead
ing the fight against the literacy test
for once with the President.
WOMEN TURNER'S MEET.
The monthly meeting Of the ladies
section of the Wilmington Turnge