St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-12-06
GATH CONGRESS
RECONVENE.S
Members Have Many Important
Measures To COnsider--Domin
ating Feature VIII Re Ra;ir0a3
Legislation
WEBB BILL IMPORTANT
Among National Defense Bills arc
Army, Navy, and Coast Defense
Supply Bills and Chamberlain
Bill for Modified Universal
Military Training

Washington, Dec 3-The sixty
fourth Congress reconVened at
noon Monday for it's second session
which will end with the life of the
present Congress on March 4. The ad-
ministration, although assured of con-
troll for four years more in all branch
es, excepting possibly the House of
Representatives has an ambitious leg
islative program all of which cannot
be crowded into the next three
months.
Where the administration is to draw
the line on general legislation has not
been determined. Party conferences
will outline the program to be at
tempted in addition to the appropria-
ton bills which must be passed to
meet expenditures of government for
the fiscal year 1917-1918.
When Congress adjourned last Sep
tember, the Democratic Senate caucus
agreed that the immigration bill, with
its oft-vetOed literacy test, would be
taken up and passed before consid-
Grafton of any other legislation. 1t
also had agreed to act on the Owen
corrupt practices bill, a measure to
limit expenditures in national politi-
cal campaigns and to provide new
penalties for election frauds. Both
measures had been pressed at the end
of the session, to the embarrassment
of both parties, and were abandoned
by mutual consent despite the ur-
gent demands of q few members
Besides those two measures the me-
morable railroad eight hour day fight
which marked the last days of the
last session had ended with legisla-
ton suggested by President Wilson
linconsidered 1t will be urged upon
the Congress by the administration
above all other subjects. In fact the
joint committee created by Congress
to investigate the whole subject of
railroad problems has been in session
two weeks preparing recommenda-
tfons and it is apparent that this will
be the dominating feature of the ses-
sion.
In view of the probability that the
administration is to face a divided
sixty fifth Congress or at best a non
dependable plurality in the lower
house, it is the hope of Democratic
leaders to complete before the March
adjournment what remains of q con-
StructiVe program of reform legiSla-
ton long ago conceived. All are con-
vinced, however, of the paramount
importance of supply bills and these
must take precedence, general legis-
lation to be considered whenever time
will permit.
OF the supply measures there is
again more than usual Importance at
tached to the naval appropriation bill.
Hearings already have begun before
the House committee. The bill must
provide for the second years con-
struction in the elaborate three year
building program authorized at the
last session as part of the administra-
TONS plan to strengthen the national
defense. There also remain to be act
ed upon important conservation meas
ures which the President and many
members of both legislative branches
have been advocating.
Beside those measures President
Wilson wants Congress to enact
the Webb bill to make it legal for
American corporations to maintain
collective selling agencies for foreign
countries. Under terms of the Clay
ton antitrust law such agencies would
be unlawful The President>was dis
appointed over failure of the eSnate
to pass the bill in the closing days of
grets in a formal statement
With regard to the national defense
there are, beside the regular army
navy and coast defense supply bills,
several measures bearing on the mill
tary efficiency of the country. Among
them is the Chamberlain bill for a
modified form of universal military
training modelled after the Swiss sys-
tem. Hearings are to be held by the
military committee but action before
adjournment seems improbable.
Estimates on the naval bill call for
an expenditure next year of approxi-
mately $500, 900, 900 and authorization
for construction of three dreadnoughts
and at least one battle cruiser to add
to the four dreadnaughts and four
battle cruisers ordered constructed as
soon as possible in the big naval bill
of the last session. To keep up with
the three year building program pro-
vision also should be made for addi-
tional scout cruisers, destroyers, fleet
and coast submarines and auxiliary
ships.
Conservation legislation will be de-
manded by it's champions but wheth-
er time will permit is a dubious mat
ter Water power bills which failed
at the last session will be revived.
They include the public lands water
power bill and the measure to pro-
vide for development 70 water sites in
navigable streams by private capital.
There also is pending the Newlands
$50, 900, 900 bill for general develop
ment and coordinated control of the
Continued on page 12.)