The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-02
WILSON'S 8-H0UR
Plan MAIN WORK
FOR CONGRESS-
Congress Will Pass Up All
Other Matters for Rail
road Situation.
BIG APPROPRIATIONS
ARE NOW LOOKED FOR
Cannon Defends Pork Bar
rel as Cause of Presi-
dents Success.

national capital to attend the session
Of Congress which begins on Mon
day, unite in the opinion that 1T will
be the most uneventful session In sew
eral years, unless some entirely unex-
pected development in the foreign sit
uation arises.
From present indications, few, If
any, original problems will be rec
commended by the President in his
message. The most important fea-
lures of the legislative programme
are included in the eight-hour plan
outlined by the President last August
and partly provided Sy Congress.
It Is believed that action on this
will be limited to carrying out the
previous Recommendation of the
President that the Interstate Com
merce Commission be authorized to
consider the application Of railroads
for an increase in freight rates, and
an amendment to the present Arbi-
tration Law providing for compul-
sorry arbitration Of labor disputes.
Spirited Fight in View
Members are divided in opinion as
to whether either or both Of these
recommendation will be enacted into
law. There is certain to be a spirited
fight over them, particularly the lat
ter feature.
Several bills embodying the ideas
suggested by the President have been
| drafted, but sentiment has not suffi-
GENTLY crystalized to justify prediction
as to the outcome Of any of them.
The labor organizations are expected
| to oppose the proposition to make
compulsory the arbitration Of disputes
between the railways and their en-
ployees It is not unlikely that the
present Canadian law relating to the
matter will form the basis for any
venture in this direction that Con-
gress may try.
The Canadian statute provides that
at shall be unlawful for any en-
p1oyer to declare or cause a lockout or
for any employee to so on strike
without first submitting the grievances
of either to arbitration.
Immigration Bill
Aside from the railway legislation,
there are hardly half a dozen bills
pending in which there is any general
interest. The exceptions are the re-
consideration of the Immigration Bill,
which has been once vetoed by the
President because Of the literacy fea-
ture 1t contained; the measure con-
ferring citizenship upon the people Of
Porto Rico, the various conservation
bills and proposed amendments to the
existing Corrupt Practices Law to
cover evils revealed by the recent
election.
The appropriation bills. sixteen in
number, will naturally ta1ke up most
of the time Of Congress. AS there re-
mains some doubt regarding the con-
troll of the Lower House, the Demo-
cratic majority will attempt to antici-
pate the needs of the government and
their own requirements by making as
liberal provision for both as they can
induce their associates to grant.
It is not improbable that the aggre-
gate Of the appropriations will exceed
those of last year, which passed the
81, SOC, 900, 900 mark. More than one
third of this amount, however, was
required to carry out the, prepared
ness plans of the government.
There is certain to be a wholesale
raid Of the 'tpork barreT' sort in the
nature of appropriations for rivers
and harbors and public buildings
Appropriations of this sort are not as
reprehensibIe as the Eastern people
seem to think, according to ''Uncle
Jse" Cannon. The veteran reaction
airy signalized his return to the capt.
tai today by crediting the victory Of
the Democrats at the recent election
to the influence Of the .'pork barrel
"Uncle joe, on Pork
"You see,'' he said this afternoon,
while the newspapers in the East
were denouncing Congress for the
pork barrel legislation, there are a
lot of people in other parts of the
country who consider appropriation
the most important work Of Congress.
The Presidents champions presented
him as a benevolent father to the
people, looking after them when in
trouble, making money out Of the
Treasury to help them when rain
pours and floods come, or when the
rains fail and the drought brings the
grasshoppers and cinch bugs, or the
boil weevil gets into the cotton, or
the wolves and the prairie dogs get
troublesome, or the roads get bad; or
giving them credit at the Treasury
when the banks will not give it to
them. That kind of benevolepSe ap-
realS to good mary peoSIe."
Uncle Joe" denounced the income
tax with chara eteristfc ,,yigor,
:. /" Soak the rek appears to have
become a political policy" said he,
land there are great many people
who have an idea that this govern
ment can be supported by income
taxes alone and at the same time tend
more and more to paterna1ism.
suspect that at this session Congress
will again rally around the pork
barrel. make bigger appropriations
than ever and trust to Providence to
find a way to settle the bills"
Against an Embargo,
'3Uncie Jee'' declared himself OBJ
posed to an embargo on the exports
Of foodstuffs,
IT suppose some will demand an
embargo on lamb chops, spring
chicken and virgin eggs to carry out
the principle advocated by Speaker
Clark he said with sarcasm "AIl
this talk about embargoes is after
election talk. The suggestion of an
embargo six months ago would have
caused our war prosperity to collapse
and led to the Reputation of the
Democratic administration.''
Speaker Clark placed himself
squarely on record yesterday in favor
Of short session. 'I am sick and
tired of extra sessions" said he, "and
hope that there will not be one next
year. The country is sick and tired
of Congress being here all the time,