The Washington times., 1915-03-04

amend the Constitution and grant wo.
men suffrage and nationwide prohibi-
0on. Each measure failed Of the re-
Quired two-thirds majority.
Both houses were fairly active in the
An 'insidious lobby" was probed bv
the Senate and House. following the
snins M1ihaii u. charges; M The Senate investi;
the House probed the coal strike in
Colorado and the copper strike In Mich
igan. No direct legislation. however,
came on the heels of these inquiries.
vestigated charges against three Fed
eral judges-Speer Of Georgia. Wright
OF the District Of Columbia. and Dayton
Of West Virginia. Justice Wright re-
i, siEned Al and entered the practice of law
evidence taken in the cases OF Judge
Speer and Judge Dayton was found in
sunicient to warrant an impeachment
resolution and charges did not so 90
the Senate.
Each house was responsible for long
nlibusters during the Sixty-third Con-
gress. The Senate set a new record
With its debate over the ship purchase
and coterie OF Southern Democrats
nlibustered long and heartily in the
House last summer for ootton-relief leg
islation-and failed to get It.
~ss notsee ,en s1
the re-sstablishment bv the Executive
OF a custom abandoned 100 years ago
the appearance before a Joint session Of
the Senate and House OF the President
himself to deliver annual and special
messages. On moro than a half dozen
occasions President Wilson journeyed
to Capitol Hill to read his messages.
Rebuff Handed President.
President Wilson's striking influence
upon the legislative branch OF the Gov
ernmcnt was a continuing development
OF the first two years Of his regime.
The defeat OF the ship purchase bill.
aside from certain patronage squabblcs,
was the first serious legislative reoun
handed Mr.. Wilson. who shaped much
Of the legislation approved by the SEN
ate and House. His handiwork was re-
vealed In the framing OF the tar1ff, cur
rency, trust, and conservation laws
PROBABLY the most impressive evidence
OF the Presidents hold on the Congress
was the forcing through Of the Panama
tolls repeal law. a law repeating the
free tolls clause Of the Panama canal
Despite stubborn opposition in both
the efforts Of the Speaker and the ma
3ortty leader to defeat the repeal bill,
It was finally approved.
The President again had his way in
the closing hours Of the session, when
tural appropriation bill was eliminated
In conference and the conference re-
port approved by the Senate and
House. In his last annual message the
President referred to rural credits as a
could he reached at that time. and he
stgnified his desire that 1t 60 over for
the session. A rural credits rider was
quistly put into the agricultural bill,
but IN the end an investigating COM
rnission was named and no real legis-
lation was enacted.
Hits Johnson Amendment.
Another important investigating COM
mittee authorised in the last days Of
the session was that to report upon the
fiscal relations between the District and
Federal Governments to determine the
Justice Of the half-and-half plan. This
authorization superseded tho johnson
amendment which violated the half
snd-haif agreement which has held for
more than forty years.
Appropriations Of tho sixty-third
Congress are as ord-breaking as the
great amount Of important legislation
sets a new standard Of work. The
appropriations Of the hrst session
reached lille. 100000. and the sums ap-
proprlated at the session expiring to-
DAY probably will approximate that
dgure. Detailed figures on this ses-
sion's appropriations are not completed,
but when the perfected bills are totaled
ana the permanent annual items are
@enHmerated. @ 1t Is estimated the Sixty
third Congress will have levied tribute
upon the Treasury to the extent of
With the ,reconvening Of the new ses-
sion. whether comes in the sum
rectton Of important measures which
d!ed natural death today, and the
next session will see fights over con-
servation, Philippine independence. ship
purchase, and railway securities