The Delta independent., 1917-01-26
CHANCES ARE AGAINST NEW CON.
GRESS BEING CALLED
AFTER MARCH a.
ONLY RAIL LAWS IN THE WAY
General Belief Is That President Will
Get Measures Through at Present
Session, in Spite of Opposition
Within His Party
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

bring an extra session of congress.
said "A leading Democrat today. Then lie
added loosely and ungrammatically,
'and there amt goin' TO be no war.
Extra session talk always comes to
the surface and often above it in
Washington just at this season of the
year. The people of the city proht
by extra sessions, and perhaps natu
rally enough they like to have congress
called together in extraordinary ses-
sion. Washington correspondents have
learned by experience that it is not
always safe to take the opinion OF
residents of the city of Washington on
the matter of the probability of the
president calling senators and repre-
esntatives together for siege of II
after March i.
1t is true, however. that recently
there has been some talk of an extra
session among the members of con
greSS. This is not due to the fact
that the members want an extra ses
sion, for they do not. but it is trace
able directly to the feelings of some
of the dominant party men that the
president may not be able to secure
at this session some of the legislation
which he is insistent upon and that
therefore he may feel compelled to
bring the lawmakers back to start the
new congress at the uncompleted work.
Now the legislation which is in mind
when the possibility of an extra ses-
sion is discussed is the railroad legis-
IatiOn growing out of the so-culleG
eight-hour act of the last session. In
his address to Congress on December
> President Wilson urged first and
foremost, and in fact to the exclusion
of almost everything else, the pass
age of bill which should increase
the membership of the interstate com.
merce commission and its facilities fol
performing Its manifold duties, and
urged also that the authority of law
should be given to provide means for
full investigation and assessment OF
industrial disputes before lockouts OF
strikes can be declared.
Opposition in Both Parties.
There is opposition in congress IN
both parties to the passage of the bill
providing for the prevention of strikes
or lockouts until an investigation Gan
be made. There have been free pre-
dictions that the legislation will not
pass, but it is perfectly evident that
the close friends of the administration
do not worry at all about the prospect
confronting these two chief measures
which the president has urged
If one will take the trouble to go
through the newspaper files of the last
four years and to read little con.
cerning the chief pieces of Legislation
which congress has enacted, he will
find that in at least two-thirds of the
cases trouble was predicted In ad
vance between the administration and
the Democratic majority in congress.
1t almost invariably has been the
case through the years of the country's
history that any party holding a ma
jorlty in congress. and while a presi
dent of the same party was in the
White House. finally has yielded tc
the presidential demands for legisla
tion, even If at first it was pretty def
nitely determined that at heart a con.
gressional majority was opposed to
he things to which it gave its sane.
S,n.
The railroad legislation may be gooC
or IT may be bad. Opinions differ, but
| 1t takes only knowledge of past hap.
| penings to make the lawmakers ir
| Washington understand why tho
friends of the administration are sc
certain that the Legislation which the
president wants enacted will be enact.
ed 1t is pretty safe prediction thai
the two chief things which Mr. vii
In, 10
gress prior to March and that IL az
extra session depends upon the fact
Of these measures there will be no ex
ira session necessary.
Porto Rieans to Be Citizens.
1t seems to be entirely probabl,
that within few months time Uncl,
Sam will welcome some hundreds O
thousands OF persons who in sens
have been his subjects" into tn,
household of full citizenship.
President Wilson has indorsed ant
congress is expected to pass bill In
troduced by Senator Shafroth of Colo
RADIO to give the people of Porto Ric,
the status of American citizenship.
Recently there came to Washington
three commissioners from Porto Ric,
to urge that the United States do wha
the islanders from their point of viey
consider to be right, by these Yves
Indian people once ruled by Spain. An
parently the influence Of these commits
sioners has been felt. 1t is known tina
President Wilson for some time ha
been thinking on Porto Rican matters
In his address to congress dellvere'
December last the president urge,