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Show I Congress Undoubtedly Will Take Up Many Questions of Importance. ' RETENTION OF LO RIMER IS PERPLEXING PROBLEM New' Apportionment for House Personnel Regarded as Matter Mat-ter of Great Moment. . Spcclnl to The Tribune. "WASHINGTON. Jnn. I!. Congress will moot on January i. after a brief vacation vaca-tion during: tbc holiday season, and tb? indications aro that the lawmakers will provide a good deal of entertainment for the country during the two months that remain of the current session. Flvo ciues-ilons ciues-ilons loom up hip on the legislative horizon. hori-zon. They are bound to provoke a great deal of discussion, and. unless all signs fail, this short session will go down In congressional history as one of the liveliest liveli-est ever known. First in importance from a' spectacular standpoint Is the Lorlmor case, which smacks of bribery, corruption, nnd sharp practice in politics. Then comes the proposition, prop-osition, now undM consideration in the upper -house, that the constitution shall be so amended as to provide for the election of 1'nlled State." senators by direct di-rect vote. The administration wants a large appropriation to begin the work of fortifying the Panama canal. The "watchdogs of the treasury" show Ihelr :eth every time this .suggestion is made. In addition, there will be a demonstration demonstra-tion over the appot'donemnt act that will be reported to the house early in the month. Then lliero Is the matter of a permanent tariff commission. There are other matters of Importance Impor-tance that will have consideration, but thosf Indicated arc expected to supnlv practically all iho fireworks of the session. ses-sion. Somn a I tout ion will be paid to the Ralilnper-Plnchot case. The president Is hopeful that coiv-'ress will adopt some form of shin subsidy bill.- Other measures meas-ures press- for- attention, hut. thcaclual leelslatIvo'a'c"co"iVip'llshrhents of the ses-" si on arc-, oxpectnd -to- bo few in number and of little general Importance. - The disposition of the leaders Is to transact the routine business and distract attention bv debates that are certain to be enterlainlripr even if they fall short of unite ILorinier Case Vexing. SMat leaders am worried over the l.orlnu-r case. The senate committee on privileges and elections, which made an iimuiry Into this affair, reported that no evidence had br-en disclosed that would Justify the senate in declurln Mr l.orl-me-'s s-al vacant. The report set forth lint members of the Illinois leclshiluro who voted for .Mr. I.orimer bad been bribed, but pot a sufficient number of tainted volet- were cast for I.orimer. It was pointed out. to warrant a verdict of "guilty." The committee further ronort-cd ronort-cd that responsibility for corruption could not be traced to M: Lorimer. The conclusion con-clusion was that a case had not been made against tho "blond boss" of Cook county. Illinois, and that ho was as much entitled to his seat as any man who occupied a seat In tho senate chamber. Soon after tho publication of tho committee com-mittee report It been mo known that a nqht was to be made on Senator I.orimer. Progressive senators were a mom; the Ilrst to speak out on tho subject, but since then It has been learned that so-called conservatives do not like tho looks of the Lorimer case and are determined to make, speeches In opposition to the committee report and to vote ngainst It when the time comes. There is some gossip to the effect that the administration would not bo displeased dis-pleased If Mr. I.orimer wero unseated. President. Taft has a punctilious regard for th proprieties, and It Is known that he will not interfere. However. It. Is known that certain administration leaders lead-ers have made sup"esllons that arc bound to bear fruit. For example. It Is understood under-stood that Senator Root of Now York Is making a careful examination of the record hi tho I.orimer case. If ho comes out against tho Illinois senator the fur Is bound to fly. Senator Burton is another an-other who Is looking Into tho matter. mat-ter. Messrs. Hoot and Burton aro able lawyers, powerful debaters, and In addition addi-tion they have tho prestige that attaches at-taches to men who are known to be In tho confidence of the administration. .Should Hoot and Burton declare- apainst Lorlmor their utterances would be Interpreted Inter-preted as expressive of opposition at the While House. Friends of Mr. Lorlmor look toward tho White House wlUi a good deal of alarm. They know that the president has been urged to take tip the cudgel against Ixrl-nier Ixrl-nier They know further that protests against Lorlmor nre coming In from the country. Oppononts of Lorlmor aro making mak-ing an effort to defer action In the case as long as possible. They are doing this on the theory that the moro delay the more noise, and they aro convinced that if the case Is properly placed before tho 'public that a heavy voto will be registered against the ' Illinois man. oven If ho Is not defeated. This senators who signed their names to the report declaring In favor of Lorimer will make every effort to dispose of the caso this month. They have already been placed on the defensive, and feel that an oarlv disposition of tho case will bo better for thotn. &'o as soon as the session ses-sion meets the leaders of the two sides will begin to Jockey for position. Senators by Popular Vote. Senate leaders have promised enrly action ac-tion on tho resolution for tho submission submis-sion of a constitutional amendment providing pro-viding for the election of senators by popular vote. It Is by no means sure that this matter will havo the approval of tho senate. The advocates of tho plan arc not as optimistic as they were a few weeks ago. They look with suspicion sus-picion on an amendment offered by Senator Sena-tor Depcw of Now York. This amendment, amend-ment, which is intended to confide to tho federal government control of primary elections, reads as follows: . ... . "The qualifications of citizens entitled to vote for United States senators and. representatives In congress shall bo uniform uni-form In all the states, and congress shall have power lo enforce this article by appropriate legislation and to provide for the registration of citizens entitled lo vote, the conduct of such elections and I ho certification of the result." Manv senators, particularly thoso from the south, are very much opposed lo the Depew amendment. Southern senators declare that It Is obnoxious for tho reason rea-son thai, in their opinion, it embodies the principles of the force bill. Mr. Depow voted against taking action on the resolution for the election of senators sen-ators bv popular voie when it came up in the "senate two years ago, and for that reason those who favor tho proposed pro-posed constitutional amendment consider consid-er his amendment as in tho nature of an unfriendly act. In fact, they do not hesitate lo say that Iho proposition to give the federal government control of tho primary contests comes from a hostile hos-tile source, and will oulv receive tho support sup-port of those who are fundamentally opposed op-posed to Ihu election of senators by direct di-rect vole. A subcommittee of the sennto committee commit-tee on judiciary has reported favorably the resolution for the submission of the proposed constitutional amendment, and It Is to bo ac.led upon at a meeting of the full commltlco this weolc. Only nino of tho states havo failed to declare by legislative enactment In favor fa-vor of the election of senators by popular popu-lar vote. Those arc West Virginia, Delaware. Del-aware. Massachusetts, Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode island. In addition, the house of representatives hns on four separate occasions passed by a two-thirds vote a resolution proposing such a constitutional amendment. The senato has on each occasion oc-casion failed or refused to voto on Iho, resolution. Tho only voto so far taken on this question of having the members of that body elected bv direct voto was In 1908. when Senator Owen of Oklahoma brought up for consideration a resolution ho had offered, A motion to rofor tho resolution resolu-tion to tho senate committee on privileges privi-leges and elections, where It now is, prevailed pre-vailed by a vote of 33 to "JO. Thirty-nine senators did not vote. Twenty-seven of them arc still In the senate and nineteen of them will be members of the sonale that will come Into life on March -l next- Senator Bristow of Kansas Is rcspon-sib'e rcspon-sib'e for tho present prominence of the question. lie secured an ncreoment just before adjournment for the holiday recess re-cess I hat a vote would be taken on tho resolution at this session. If It falls this time tho resolution will bo brought forward next, winter. Fortification of Canal. Early In January Representative James A. Tawncy of Minnesota, chairman of the house committee on appropriations, and Representative David J. Foster of Vermont, chairman of the houso commit com-mit too on foreign affairs, will renew the campaign against the plan to spend millions mil-lions for tho fortification of the Panama canal. They are opposed to the fortification fortifica-tion of tho canal property, first, on the ground of economy, and second, on tho ground that such a course would not be approved by the powers. Mr. Tawney Is the man who has a good deal to do with the purse strings of the government, and therefore has considerable influence In the house. He has joined with Chairman Chair-man Foster in the support of the Kelfer resolution, now ponding before tho foreign for-eign affairs committee, which provides that tho nations of tho world shall be Invited In-vited lo subscribe to a treaty declaring the canal zone t6 bo neutral property. This would protect tho canal In time of war, and at tho same time save Uncle Sam millions of dollars. Messrs. Tawnoy and Foster will voice Iholr objections to the fortification of tho Panama canal at a meeting of the New York Peace society lo be held In New York City this month. Andrew Carnegie Car-negie k president of this organization. Ho has announced himself as favorable to the neutralization of tho canal. The administration Is commit led to the policy of fortification, and President Tnft will send a special message to con-gross con-gross on tho subject this month. The president's Insistence on his point, and tho opposition of such leaders as Tawney Taw-ney and Foster In tho house and Eugene Hale of Malno in the senato mako for a determined fight. Apportionment Question. A conference of house leaders will soon bo hold to determine whether nn apportionment appor-tionment act shall bo passed at this session ses-sion of congress. Opposition to enlargement enlarge-ment of the house personnel has faded away. A coalition of delegations from slates that have lost In population and would thus lose in represcnla-llon represcnla-llon If tho house were kept at approximately Its present sizo made futile the efforts of the leaders to force the adoption of a measure to their liking. So It has been decided that, a unit of representation shall be adopted that will Insure every state maintaining at least Its present strength in the house. Some slates will gain members, mem-bers, of course, but no state will lose members by reason of a decline In population. popu-lation. The house as at present constituted consti-tuted numbers 301 members. The Indications Indi-cations aro that the number will bo Increased In-creased lo at least. 430. Now that the form of the apportionment apportion-ment act has been determined. It Is up to tho loaders to determine whether the measure shall be pnssed at this session For political reasons somo Republicans fnvor postponing action on tho bill until' next winter. Whether such a course will be followed Is soon lo be decided. Only determined Democratic opposition opposi-tion can prevent the creation of a perma- nenl tariff board. Regulars and prosros-slvK. prosros-slvK. or nl least a sufficient numhr of tliein to Insure permanent action, havo signified a purpose to support the Long-worth Long-worth hill, which has the approval of the administration. The Democrats arc in a position to prevent tills legislation. The Longworlh hill may be oasllv passed In the houso. but if the Democrats arc so disposed It can be talked to death in Iho senate, owing to Iho brief period rr-mainlng rr-mainlng of the present congress. A year ago the Democrats wore quite opposed to the idou of a tariff hoard. "Thcv fought It on Hi- ground that li was nothing more or less than ;i step in the direction direc-tion of delegating tho powers of congress In the matter of rovonue legislation to an admlnlslratjvo body. Now the Long-worth Long-worth bill provides for the creation of a board of inquiry, a board that shall have tho authority to make investigations into cost production hero and abroad, and to lay such data as It may collect boforo congress. Tho board, as proposed to be sot up by tho Longworlh hill, would not make recommendations, not suggest changes of any kind In tho la riff law. It would merely collect facts from authentic au-thentic sources and submit them for tho guidance of congress when that bodv took up measures with a view to tho particular particu-lar or general revision of tho tariff. The Democrats aro not only in a position to prevent tho creation of a permanent tariff board, but they havo it In their power to legislate the present board out of existence. The tariff board now operating operat-ing derives Its funds and Us authority from Iho sundry civil bill. ITnless given a permanent status by affirmative legislation, legis-lation, or granted funds to do business. It will have to he dismantled. The sundry sun-dry civil bill will soon be .reported to the house. It will lhen bo disclosed what Hie Democratic attitude Is to be toward tarlfT board legislation. A short session of congress, that Is to say the concluding session of congress. Is usually a prctly tamo affair. Gon-orally Gon-orally speaking, routine business only is transacted, as tho session .begins on the llrst Monday in December and terminates by constitutional limitation on March I. Tho Uni" Is regarded as too limited lo permit of the consideration of an ambitious am-bitious legislative programme. As tho control of the house was turned over to tho Democrats in November last, anil Ihcy will take chargo in December, 1911. It Is up lo the present majority to make tho most of tho tlmo that remains. That is why there is so much activity at this tlmo |