Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-12-06
IMPORTANT ISSUES
FOR NEW CONGRESS
Sixty-Fourth Session Will Open
To-Day With Nothing to
Disturb Harmony.
SUFFRAGE HEADS PROGRAM
National Defense, Revenue and
Merchant Marine Bills Of
Chief Interest.

! w ASlIlNtiIoN, December On inc
eve of the SiXty-fourth Congress. Wash
/ ington tonight was cnlivened by The
arrival of hundreds attracted by the
opening Of Congress. the convention of
/ the Congressional Union for Woman
! Suffrage. which begins tomorrow, ana
the meeting OF the National Demo
cratic Committee on Tuesday.
| House and senate Democrats com
plcted their organization plans ycst"f-
da!. after ii week Of dclibcra.ion dur
! ing which obstacles that threatened to
disturb the harmonious opening were
overcome. The Senate Democrats agreed
not to make the fight for Il cloturc
rule 4 party issue. and the House ma
! jority found Il way 10 take care OF the
greatly increased Republican minority
on committees Legislative issues di0
not figure materially in The preliminary
conferences. although the subjects or
national defense and extension OF Amer
! ican merchant marine were generally
recognized as paramount in the dclib-
crations over committee assignments
| Both houses will convene at noon
! In the lower branch the order OF bust
ness will be the selection OF II Speaker.
Champ Clark will be nominated by the
majority (ooo) for recollection. and Rep
! rescntativc Mann. of Illinois. will be
proposed by the Republicans N9O.
! MEANS DEMONSTRATORS
FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE
! Speaker Clark. whose reelection with
the other majority nominees for House
Offices is assured. upon taking the chair.
| will recognize Representative Frank
! Mondcll. ot Wyoming. This will sig
nalize Il demonstration for woman &uf
! frnr". the Wyoming member having
been chosen to introduce the Susan b.
Anthony constitutional amendment for
! equal suffrage as the first resolution
OF the new Congress. The Speakers
/ galIeri will be crowded with suffrage
: odvoc teG of national renown, who pro-
pose to make the occasion mcmorablc.
( Tho Senate will convene with Vice
! President Marshall absent. owing to tho
| illness Of Mrs. Marshall. 1t will be
called to orter by Secretary Baker, and
/ the first business will be the Inaugural
J tion OF newly elected members to he
I followed Immediately by the election
OF president pro teEporc. Senator
James l.. Clarke. of Arkansas. Will be
elected TO succeed himself having been
nominated by the Democratic caucus
! last week. Republican Senators plan
to nominate Senator Gallingcr of New
(. hampshire. who will continue as min
ority leader.
| In both houses there will he tho us,:al
food OF aev bills introduced. Among
| thcm will be various measures on tho
subject Of national defense, and the
attendant problem for raising increase
/ revenue. There also will be the gov
crnm"nt merchant marine bill! prepared
after conferences between Secretary
Redteld and Secretary McAdoo. In
these will center chief intcres, Of the
session. and they will he discussed
hy the President when he addresses tho
joint session on Tuesday.
IMPoHTANT MEASURES
TO RE CONSIDERED
other important measures to ne con-
sidcrcd include rural credits amend
mcnts To the Sherman antitrust laws
to aid American firms in extending for
"igm trade. the Philippine bills. con
Scrvat!on. national prohibition, woman
suffrage and tariff problems. I'm the
Senate there arc the Nicaraguan and
! Coomhiam treaties. and the convention
Il L.
Foreign affairs growing out Of the
European war. disturbances n, this
country relating TO munition sales, and
neutrality observance will occupy much
attention. Investigations into onei.;,-
tions in this country behalf OF
bclliEcrcnt governments probably will
hc undertaken.
Administration leaders seemed opti-
mistic Tonight over the outlook for
desired Legislation. The oppositiou OF
Representative Kitchn, OF North Caro-
, lima, majority leader Of the new House
20 the proposed army and navy in
! crcaScS, is recognized as II handicap
! but the Naval and Military Committees
! have majorties favorable TO the :td-
! ministration. ON the question Of rev
/ cnuc. il is recognized that stumbling
blocks are ahead, but it is almost Ger
tain that the war tax will be re-
enacted and amended ana the income
! tax revised.
/ One ground for more optimistic feel
| ing among administration leaders is
F., the turn that affairs have taken in III.
Senate toward Il merchant marine bill
, Now that Il measure has been proposed
which would build up government mcr-
! chant marine as an auxiliary to the
navy. several Democratic Senators,
among them Senator Clarke. of Arkan-
sas who fought the ship purchase bill
! to death at the last session have said
! they would favor such measure.
FLURRY OVER HOUSE: RULES
NAY PREVAIL. TODAY
y furry over the House rules. with
some OF the independent Republicans
advocating liberalization of the cude
! now prevailing. may develop to-mor-
| row. 4 number Of the members who
I favor amendments TO the rules met last
/ night and agreed to assent to the ;,dop-
I ton of the old rules. TO be- proposed hy
! the Rules Committee. on the stipula-
/ tion that their agreement should be in
/ force only until January IA. by which
time n specfal comdnittee wtI: no nra