OCR Text |
Show SPEEDONGRESS PROGRAM ADVOCATED BY SPEAK. ER CHAMP CLARK PROBABLY WILL BE ADOPTED. Congress Reconvenes for Three Months' Session With Calendar Overcrowded With General Legislation Leg-islation of National Interest. Washington. Congress reconvened Monday, December 4, for a threu months' session with a calendar over, crowded with general legislation, fac. ing railroad reforms and the high cost of living as new issues, and confronted with unprecedented estimates aggre. gating $1,654,819,654 to meet expend!, tures of the government for the fts. cal year 1918. Both houses adjourned early as a mark of respect to the late Senator Clarke of Arkansas and Resident Commissioner Rivera of Porto Rico, both of whom died since the September Septem-ber adjournment. Hasty conferences of house leaders on Monday indicated that a "speedup" "speed-up" program advocated by Speaker Clark will be adopted with only slight changes. Majority Leader Kitchiu joined with the speaker in declaring that the usual long Christmas holiday holi-day should be dispensed with and an earlier meeting than noon, probably 10 o'clock set. No active opposition to the early meeting hour has appeared, but there, is some dissension over the proposed abolition of the Christmas holidays. A compromise holiday of one week, beginning the Saturday before be-fore Christmas, has been suggested. Although food embargo proposals are certain to create much discussion, few leaders are inclined to believe that investigation of the high cost of living will be left to the executive department. de-partment. It is regarded as doubtful that any of the president's railway legislation program will reach the floor before Christmas. Representative Adamson, chairman or the interstate commerce committee, who will pilot the measures, meas-ures, said that he would spend the Christmas holidays at home, regardless regard-less of any adjournment agreement. Representative Raker will urge an early report on his universal suffrage measure, now held in the judiciary committee. The suffragists did not appear at the capitol to make a demonstration, dem-onstration, as had been expected. Inauguration of three new senators, who appeared with their credentials, were postponed until Tuesday. The new senators Watson of Indiana, Fernald of Maine, and Kirby of Arkansas Ar-kansas were given seats in the chamber. |