The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-01-15
BACK ON
JOB: BIG PROBLEMS
/ TO BE CONSIDERED

Washington, d. c. Jan. 13.-Congress
got back to work again today after a
holiday play spell. In the House,
promptly at noon Speaker Clark
dropped his gavel, and a similar scene
was enacted in the Senate with Vice
President Marshall in the chair. Fresh
from a vacation which followed nine
months of tariff and currency mem
bers of both houses returned refreshed
n ready for work at a new point in
the democratic administration.
For the first time since President
Wilson ordered the special session last
April, congress was without the over
shadowing influence of any single
dominant issue such as tariff or cur
rency reform, to be fought out to the
exclusion Of other business.
AS a result, the work of the next few
months in. national legislative halls is
expected to cover a wide range OF sub
jects. Antitrust legislation remains
as an important factor In President
Wilson'S legislative program, that must
be considered by congress, but 1t Will
not displace other important legisla-
ton, as did the bills for tariff and
currency reVisions.
Four general subjects viii embrace
much of The work of the mate ana
House during the coming months. hey
are:
Control of trusts and monopolies,
including legislation to prevent cold
storage manipulation, unfair price
cutting and other abuses directly at
fecting retail business.
Rural credits and other legislation
directly affecting farmers and land
owners, such as good roads improve
ment and federal aid to vocational and
agricultural education.
Strengthening of the national de-
Tense through measures such as the
volunteer army bill, already passed by
the House; the Hay bill to create a
new aviation division in the army; the
Padgett bill to put the naval militia
on a war footing; the Hobson bill for
a counsel of national defense, n the
general administration program for a
two battleship addition to the navy.
Passage Of the annual appropriation
bills, carrying more than 81, 900. 000, 600
for support OF the government, and
containing many items of general leg
islation that must be fought over in
the House and Senate.
Tackle Labor Problem.
Aside from those general subjects,
congress will take~up early in the ses-
sion the settlement of labor problems
Of far-reaching Importance. Members
of both houses have announced their
plans t o call for federal investigation
Of the strike in the Calumet copper
mining region and the forcible removal
from Michigan Of Charles H. Meyer,
president Of the Western Federation OF
Miners. While many House leaders
oppose the undertaking of a special
investigation, it Is expected the Senate
may be more disposed to authorize an
investigation similar to hat which 1t
conducted last summer into the coal
strike in West Virginia.
Government ownership Of railroads.
as proposed in the Alaskan railway
bills. will be forced upon the attention
Of members of both bodies as soon as
they take UP work. In each branch, a
bill to authorize the government to
build railroads In he northern territory
has received the endorsement of a
committee. and has been placed before
congress as unfinished business
where 1t must be taken up without de-
lay. While the principle Of govern
ment ownership. even as applied to
Alaskan roads, has many opponents
among leaders of both houses. some
leaders expected that a bill authorizing
the proposed development will be
passed after a short debate.
President Wilson's influence Is
strongly behind the plan for a system
of rural banks and credit associations,
and that project Is expected to vie with
trust questions, in the attention hat
will be given to 1t by the administra-
ton. The report of the Rural Credit
commission, which toured Europe last
year. ha been carefully gone over by
the president, and when legislation is
taken up 1t probably will be along con
certed lines. such as characterized ac-
ton on the general currency bill.
with the prospects OF a hard con
gressional campaign next summer and
fall. the democratic forces are anxious
TO d the rural credit laws. and sew
eral effective trust statutes. to the rec
ord OF legislation with which they can
go before the voters. From the outset
Of work leaders in both houses will at
tempt to guide legislation so that ap-
preparation bills al be completed ear
ly in the spring n other important
measures disposed of in time to permit
an early adjournment.
Webb Offers Plan.
A bill designed to strengthen the
Sherman law will be introduced by
Representative Webb, Of North Caro-
Tina. who ranks e to Chairman
Clayton on the judiciary committee, to
which the antitrust legislation pro-
gram Is committed.
Representative Webb Is not in SYM
pathy with other measures that are
being planned for the antitrust pro-
gram and he will urge action along the
lines of his bill to amend the Sherman
law.
II my proposed amendment Is
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