Semi-weekly herald., 1915-03-08
WORK ACCOMPLISHED
DURING 63RD CONGRESS


for amount of work actually accom-
plished, and length of time in actual
session, the sixty-third congress ex-
.pired by legal lemitation at noon to-
day. The first Democratic congress
for 16 years, the first big job accom-
plshed was the redrafting of the tar
iff laws, to replace the Payne-Aldrich
schedules.
Wholesale reductions in the duties
on wool, sugar and steel had been pro-
posed by the Democratic house which
had preceded this congress, but Presi-
dent Taft had vetoed them. As the
ensuing election seemed to be a re-
buke at President Taft for preventing
, the enactment of these new tariff
schedules, the Democrats went to tar
III reform with vim, and the I'm
iderwood-Simons / bill, now on the stat
ute books, was enacted This was the
biggest job, probably, done by this
congress, it requiring the actual re-
writing of almost every scheduled,
complicated not only by partisan feel
ing, but by selfish demands made by
every state for protection of its own
industries, but free trade for articles
consumed, though not produced, by
its citizens. The Democrats had par
tieuiar trouble in this respect over
sugar, due to the action of the Louis
lana delegation, and of the attitude
of the men from the beet sugar states.
Next congress tackled banking and
currency reform, and the passage of
this bill revolutionized banking meth
ods to an even greater extent than
the tariff changed the country indus
trially. Under the bill as passed II
regional banks were established, which
would, in times of stress. or Of espe-
cia demand for currency, rediscount
tn commercial paper of the national
banks, 80 as to provide them with
funds. The whole underlying idea
was to make the currency of the coun-
try most elastie-increasing when the
demand for ready money caused the
local banks to take their paper down
to the regional banks and borrow at
fairly high rates, and contracting
when the national banks found that
the demand for funds would not more
than afford them an investment field
for their own funds.
Those fayoring government owner
ship can point with certain amount
Of pride to the performance of this
congress. 1t appropriated S35,000,0O0
for the building of a government rail
road in Alaska, which will be operat-
ed las well as controlled by the gov
ernment
This was one of the great measures
attacking the problem of developing
Aiaska's resources Tor the benefit not
: only OF herself, but of the rest of the
United States The Alaska coal bill,
, which was an accompanying measure,
contained provision that some of the
, coal lands should be retained for act
? ual mining by the government, for the
i needs of the navy and other branches
: OF the government.
This congress also put the govern
ment into the insurance business. At
the outbreak of the European war,
one OF the great difficulties affecting
this country was the almost impos-
sibility of obtaining ships to take our
= products abroad Due to the fear of
mines, capture by one of the belliger.
ents with subsequent prize court pro.
ceedings before release could be eff
: fected, and other difficulties, insur.
anee rates scared to the point of pro.
hibition. Urged on by excited would.
be exporters, embargoes on foodstuff:
S at all the seaports and by all the
railroads as a result, congress rushed
e through law providing for a govern.
e mont bureau to sell war risk insur.
r ance, That is, the exporter and the
= owner Of the vessel would pay the
= government premium, and if that
' vessel We're blown up by mine, cap.
= tured by cruisers and condemned by
; a prize court, or sunk by cruiser
the government would pay the value
' Of the vessel to its owners, and of
its cargo to the shippers. The pass
age of this bill had the effect of
tremendously reducing war risk rates
incidentally, this congress spent a
great deal of time trying to put the
government in the ship business, a
bill providing for government pur-
chase and operation of ships passing
the house of representatives, but be-
ing Killed in the senate by one of the
most spectacular filibusters ever con-
Quoted, involving three all-night ses-