Show OF BEGIN THEIR WORK sixty first congress meets in regular session BRILLIANT THRONG PRESENT house greets speaker cannon with great applause many taft pol icy bills introduced in bot chambers by EDWARD B CLARK washington dec dee 6 at noon today to day vice president sherman in the senate and speaker joseph G cannon in the house called to order the sixty first congress of the united states for its fart regular session really the first session of this congress was the extra ordinary one of last spring called to revise the tariff some interest was lacking in the proceedings of the first day in the cap itol because at the beginning of the extraordinary session in march last the speaker of th the eHouse house was elected moreover before the extraordinary session was ended speaker cannon appointed all the committees which are to take legislation under consid aeration for the next two winters the appointment of the committees ended the campaign on the part of the mem bers hers for choice chairmanships and it if the chairmanships were not forth com ing for seats in the more important subsidiary bodies of the house ready for work at once the members have had time to get over jealousies and rivalries and so it is that so far as committee work is con berned the house not only Is ready to proceed at once to consider legisla tion but most of the members have brought themselves into a frame of mind to do what they are called upon to do without regard to their past feel ings of disappointment and perhaps anger As Is always the case on the open ing day of congress admission to the house and senate galleries was by card and those fortunate enough to know senators and representatives sufficiently well to secure admission tickets were allowed to witness the proceedings galleries are crowded the galleries of both house and senate were jammed with people all classes of washington society were represented in the throng of visitors the diplomatic gallery in the house and inthe senate as well rell was nas filled to its fullest capacity with dors ministers attaches and the la dies of the different legations mem bers of the families of the president and of the vice president of the united states occupied seats in the executive galleries and the cabinet and judici ary and army and navy circles were well represented by a rule which was adopted not long ago flowers are barred fro from in the tile floor of the house excepting when they are to be used as a tribute to the memory to some bome deceased mem 4 4 4 vice pres dent sherman oer ner the re greult alt of this rule is that now on the opening days of congress the desks of the members are bare ot of floral decorations in the old days both house and senate w were gre turned into conservatories tor for the time of the opening proceedings at sharp noon speaker cannon called the house to order and asked the chapla chaplan n rev henry N couden to offer prayer in his prayer which was in a sense a thanksgiving offer ing the chaplain referred to the pros penty of the country the op tuut ties of the present and the bright hopes and promises of the future absentees are few As soon as the prayer was ended the clerk of the house called the roll of membership by states and it was found that there were only a few ab kentees the roll call ended the read ing clerk of the senate who had ap feared in the house was recognized and he announced that the upper house had passed a resolution to in form the house of representatives that a quorum of the senate being as that body was ready to pro aeed to business the house also was told that the senate had appoint ed a committee to join a house corn com to inform the president of the united states that a quorum of each house was present and that congre s was ready to receive any com munica tion that he may be pleased to make on receipt of this message from the senate speaker cannon appointed a committee tr tc jo n a like committee of the senate to wait upon the president the members of the body directed to mr taft that the house was in session were b by Y the appointment of the speaker the R re e publican leader sereno E payne and the democratic leader champ clark the first day in the house a as s usual a I 1 br brought ought out hundreds of le legislative g isla tive measures in bill form all of which were read by their title only and re berred to the proper committees it was evident from the tone of the bills introduced that some scores of depre senta tives were anxious to father measures which had been recommend ed by president taft as belig ben g feces sary to carry out proposed policies of progression the bills ranged from those intended to correct alleged ex asting evils in interstate commerce to those to give increases of pensions to veterans of the civil war applause greets speaker cannon if speaker cannon anticipates any particular trouble with the ansur gents of the house at the oming session he gave no evidence of it when he took the chair as presiding 4 speaker joseph G cannon officer he was greeted with great applause from the galleries and from the floor of the house many of the democrats and insurgents joining in the demonstration though in either case possibly the hand clapping was given as an evidence of regard for the office of speaker rather than as evi dence of any overweening over weaning affection for the speaker himself with the committees ready to begin work the ho ise will settle down to ta its winter s business at once no bills will be passed immediately because all measures must be considered in committee and the meetings of the committees will be held daily from now until the christmas holidays and some of the more important house bodies will sit during the recess when congress reassembles in janu janis ary many of the committees will be ready to report b Us lis and the debates of the winter will begin open ng of the senate vice president sherman called the senate to order at noon rev ed ward everett hale the chaplain ol 01 the senate having died during tha the summer recess his place as chaplain temporarily was taken by a local clergyman who offered prayer in the senate the roll was called and it was found that nearly all the senators were in their seats the resolutions were adopted to the effect that corn com be appointed to inform the house and the president that the sen ate had assembled and was ready to begin the business of the session As was the case in the house many bills bere ft ere introduced for consideration dur ing the winter by senators who like the representatives desire to have a hand in forwarding administration pol acles after a comparative short session in the open the galleries were cleared and the senate went into ex session behind closed doors for the purpose of considering nomina eions for office sent to the upper house by president taft |