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Show CONGRESS MUST W0RKRAP1DLY Little Progress Has Been Made with Any Measure But Budget Bills. ATTITUDE OF THE DEMOCRATS They Probably Will Support Legislation Legisla-tion Sanctioned by the People Republicans Re-publicans Suspicious Because Opponents Urge Nomination of Roosevelt. Washington. If congress wishes to go beforo tho country with a record of full accomplishment for tho session ses-sion It will be necessary for It to do a good deal of work within the next six or eight weeks. The houso nnd senate have been In session since tho first Monday In December nnd If tho appropriation bills be eliminated, the number of mensures which nro well forward on the road to passago aro comparatively few. It has boon shown by tho history of nenrly all congresses that when tho senators and tho representatives mnko up their minds to go to work, and do It, thoy manngo to get through with a good deal of legislation In short ordor. Tho postal savings bank bill has passed tho senate, but tho houso has not yet given It consideration considera-tion except in commltteo. Tho Interstate Inter-state commcrco bill was Introduced Into tho senate and Into tho houso nt virtually tho same moment, nnd tho two bills wore Identical. Tho houso has mado many changes In the mens-uruo. mens-uruo. Tho scnato also has mado changes, but thoy aro not In many respects like those which wero mndo In the house. No Conservation Bills Passed. No conservation measures havo yet passed congress. President Taft has been urging that nt least two comprehensive compre-hensive bills shall be passed to save tho country's natural resources. Nearly Near-ly every- day President Taft Impresses Im-presses upon mombcrs of congress who call on him personally tho necessity neces-sity for legislation along conservation lines, and It is apparent that ho hopes his desires will be heeded. It will tako some time, however, to pass tho conservation bill, for It appears that thero is to bo considerable debate upon them beforo they can bo enacted enact-ed into law. No ono yet knows deflnltoly whnt fato awaits tho administration's do-siros do-siros with reference to what Is called anti-Injunction legislation. Statehood and Alaska matters aro still In abeyance, abey-ance, and whllo to a considerable extent ex-tent all these matters have been fully considered In commltteo and to some extent considered In debate, there is no telling Just how long It will take either to pass them or to deny them passage. It is getting lato In tho season and a great many of tho members of congress, con-gress, both Democrats and Republicans, Republi-cans, are anxious to get bnck Into their districts to fix up their fencos for tho coming congressional campaign. cam-paign. Of courso it will bo to tho ndvantngo of the Republicans If they can go boforo tho country and say, "As a party wo havo passed much of tho progressive legislation which the platform sanctioned and which the president asked for." Attitude of Democrats. It can bo said without any partisan spirit at all that It seems llkoly tho Domocrnts will bo willing to aid tho Republicans In tho passago of somo of tho legislation now boforo congress, con-gress, although tho Democrats may offer amendments to somo of tho ponding bills. It Is apparent from what tho Democrats Demo-crats sny that they reallzo tho country coun-try has demanded somo of tho legislation legisla-tion which tho president lias asked congress to pass. Tho Democrats contend, howovor, that tho Republi cans will not put It through In tho form that the peoplo wish, and thero-foro thero-foro the minority party will go on record ns In favor of amending tho present bills to somo marked degree. The Democrats, howovor, apparently do not caro to go boforo tho country in tho light of having blockod such of tho Republican legislation as apparently appar-ently has boon sanctioned by tho country. So It Is that tho mombcrs of both pnrtleB may get together nnd put through consldernblo legislation betwe.en now nnd tho (Into of adjournment, adjourn-ment, and It Is evident that It must be put through quickly or that con-grdss con-grdss will bo obliged to sit until Washington Bwelters In Its usual summer sum-mer heat. Roosevelt Still Silent, It seems to bo certain that the eilonco of Theodore Roosevolt Is hot to bo broken until ho reaches this country, and tho fact that tho colonol seems to profer to keep Ills own counsel Is affecting .Repub licans nnd Democrats In Washington In different ways. Tho Domocrats see in It a strong possibility that the for inor president eventually may make up his mind that at tho "call of tho country" ho will feol It Imperative to answer "horo" In tho year 1012. Tho so-called regular Republicans In congress still pin their faith to tho belief that when Mr. Roosevelt finally speaks tt will bo to volco an Indorsement Indorse-ment of tho Taft administration as far as it has gono, nnd to volco as well an intimation that if things go on as they aro going tho colonel may decldo to becomo an editorial prop or Mr. Taft's further presidential ambitions. am-bitions. Tho Insurgent Republicans do not know exactly how to tako the 'colonel's 'colo-nel's sllenco. Mr. Roosevolt wjis met by a number of men who had with them tho Insurgent's tnlo to tell, whllo thoro wero present only ono or two at the meeting with tho colonol to enlighten him ns to tho administration's administra-tion's Rldo of leclnlntlvn nrocrcss in tho United States. Of course, Mr. Roosevolt found a letter from Senator floot at tho Khartum postofflco, and this probably gnvo him the most elaborate elab-orate account of American doings from tho administration's point of vlow. Some Conflicting Sentiments. A good many members of tho Insurgent In-surgent fnctlon in tho lowor houso of congress nro members of what has been called tho "Dack from Elba club," although It Is hardly necessary to say that this club has really no nctunl existence ns an organization. One of tho curious things that have come out of the Roosevelt sllenco Is the recent outspeaking of somo of tho Democrats Dem-ocrats who for reasons of their own seem to wnnt to Impress It upon tho Republicans that Mr. Ropsovelt Is tho only man with whom tho latter can hopo to win tho election In 1912. It Is entirely probnblo that, Inasmuch as this Is advlco from their "(rlond tho enemy," tho Republicans will bo a little lit-tle shy of accepting It at Its face value. In a speech delivered In tho houso recently Reprcsontatlvo Palmer of Pennsylvania spoko of Theodore Roosovelt as "tho first insurgent of them all." This was intended by tho Democratic member to lot tho Insurgents Insur-gents understand that ho and presumably presu-mably others of his party believed that Mr. Roosovelt was tho chief apostlo of tho movement which had resulted In tho taking away of somo of tho power from Speaker Cannon, and In other movements In which tho Insurgents aro or wero engaged. If the Democrats Control? Itopubllcaus In congress aro speculating spec-ulating a good whllo In advanco, It Is true, ns to what tho Den ocrats will do If thoy securo control ol tho lower houso In tho Sixty-second congress. Tho Domocrats thomsolvos aro consulting privately ns to what will bo best for them to do If thoy como Into a partial possession of the legislative fat of tho land. Thore Is pructlcally no chanco thai the sennto of tho United States can become Democratic beforo tho yeai 1913, when a now administration nlsc will tako hold of (ho rolns of power Thereforo If tho present minority party should becomo tho majority In tho houso In 1911 It could not hope to securo tho passage of much legls lation that would recelvo tho sanction of tho senato and tho president. Some of the Domocrats say that the best thing that their party can do II It succeeds In getting control of the house Is to start straight at tho work of formulating nnd passing nn out-and out downward revision tariff mcasuro, thon to send it over to tho senato tc bo killed. Tho militant Democrats say enthusiastically that this 'Is the only wny to Impress on tho country that they they nro truo to their old standards and that they bollovo the way to decreaso tho prlco of living Is to attack high prices through tho high tariff. Somo of tho prominent minority minor-ity membors bollovo that If on conv tng Into powor In tho houso tho Democrats Demo-crats pass a tariff bill that tho coun try, seeing that they havo tho courage of their convictions, nnd having come to the belief that tho tariff Is too high, will seo to It that n Domocratlc sennto Is returned nnd that a Demo oratlc president Is elected to succoed William H. Tnft. Ideas of the Leaders. Moreovor, there aro somo of the lending Domocrnts who sny It wat shown during tho Pnyno-AIdrlch bill discussed that many of tho minority party members wero not In full sym pathy with the Democratic low-tarlfl position, und that If tho Democrats In tho Sixty-second congress try tc put n customs mcasuro of tholr owe through, dissensions in tholr ranks are bound to bo shown nnd that tho of feet will bo bad. Tho Republicans in tho houso arc suro that If tho Domocrats follow tht advico of tholr party and actually un dortako to pass tariff bill in the Sixty-second congress on succeeding (6 tho control of the houso, thoy will frighten tho business Interests of the country and tho working men to such un oxtont that tho Sixty-third congress will bo certain to bo Republican, and that tho chances of the olectlon of a Republican prcsidont will be increasod largoly. GEORGE CLINTON. |