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Show SDLONS DF NATION ! BEGINJEIR WORK Sixty-First Congress Meets in Regular Session, BRILLIANT THRONG PRESENT i House Greets Speaker Cannon with Great Applause Many "Taft Pol- . Icy" Bills Introduced In Both Chambers. By EDWARD B. CLARK. Washington, Dec. C At noon today "Vice President Sherman In the Senato and Speaker Joseph O. Cannon in tho Houso called to order tho Sixty-first congress of tho United States for its first regular session. Really tho first bcssIoii of this congress was tho extraordinary extra-ordinary ono of last spring called to revise tho tariff. Some Interest was Inciting In tho proceedings of tho first day In tho cap-ltol cap-ltol hocauso nt tho beginning of tho extraordinary session In March last tho speakor of tho House was elected. Moreover, beforo tho extraordinary session was ended, Speaker Cannon appointed all tho committees which aro to take legislation under consideration consid-eration for tho next two winters. Tho appointment of tho committees ended tho campaign on 'tho part of tho mem-Speaker mem-Speaker Joseph G. Cannon. llfKL ' 0rB for cll0,c0 clinlruiunshlps and, If ivEr the-chairmanships wcro not forthcom- 18 ing, for seats In tho more important HV subsidiary bodies of tho House. HR Galleries Are Crowded. B Tho galleries of both Houso and j B Senate were jammed with people. All HJ classes of Washington society were Hi represented In tho throng of visitors. Wm Tho diplomatic gallery In the House BH and In the Senate as well, was filled $M to Its fullest capacity with ambassa- WS dors, ministers, attaches and the la- W dies ,of tho different legations. Mem- r' 4 J)ors of tho families of tho president H and of the vice-president of tho United B' , States occupied seats in tho cxccutlvo Mi i galleries, and tho cabinet and judici- jBa ary and army and navy circles were jMt well represented. H u Uy a rule which was adopted not IB ' I long ago, flowers aro barred from tho jfl J- floor of tho Houso excepting when '"'. they are to be used as a tribute to H ' ), tho memory to some deceased mom- ber. The result' of this rulo is that H, now on the opening days of congress H tho desks of tho members aro bare of HJ floral decorations. IH At Bharp noon Speaker Cannon I called the House to order nnd asked B tho chaplain, Row Henry N. Couden, B to offer prayer. In his prayer which B was In a sense a Thanksgiving offer- B Ing, the chaplain referred to tho pros- perlty of tho country, thq, opportunities opportuni-ties of the present and "the bright hopes and promises of trie futuro. Absentees Are Few. As soon as the prayer was rnded tho clerk of tho Houso called tho roll of membership by states and It was found that there wore only a fow absentees. ab-sentees. Tho roll call ended tho reading read-ing clerk of the Senato who had appeared ap-peared in tho Houso was recognized, nnd ho announced that tho Upper Houso had passed a resolution to inform in-form tho Houbo of Representatives that a quorum of tho Sonate being assembled, as-sembled, that body wns ready to proceed pro-ceed to business. The House ntso was told that tho Senato had appointed appoint-ed a committco to Join n Houso com-mittco com-mittco to inform tho president of tho United States that n quorum of each houso was present and that congress was ready to receive any communication communica-tion that, ho ."may bo pleased to make." On receipt of this messngo from tho spnnto, Speaker Cannon appointed ap-pointed a committee to Join n like committco of the Senato to wait upon tho president. The mombors of tho body directed to notify Mr. Taft that tho House was in session wero by tho appointment of the Bpoakor, tho Republican Re-publican leader, Sereno E. Pnyno, and tho Democratic leader, Champ Clark. Tho first day In tho House as usual brought out hundreds of leglslatlvo measures In bill form, all of which wcro read by their tltlo only and ro-fcrred ro-fcrred to tho proper commlttcos. It was evident from tho tono of tho bills Introduced that somo scores of representatives repre-sentatives wero anxious to father measures which had been recommended recommend-ed by President Taft as being necessary neces-sary to carry out proposed policies of progression. Tho bills ranged from thoso Intended to correct alleged ox-lBtlng ox-lBtlng evils In Interstate commerce to those to glvo Increases of pensions to veterans of tho civil war. Applause Greets Speaker Cannon. If Speaker Cannon anticipates any particular trouble with tho "Insurgents" "Insur-gents" of tho House nt tho coming session, ho gave no ovldejico of It when ho took tho chair as presiding olllcer. Ho wns greeted with great npplauso from the galleries and from tho floor of tho House, many of tho Democrats and Insurgents joining in tho demonstration, though in oither case possibly tho hand-clapping wns given ns an evidence of regard for tho olllco of speaker, rather than as evidence evi-dence of any overwcanlng affection for the speaker himself. With tho committees ready to begin work, tho Houbo will sottlo down to its winter's business at onco. No bills will bo passed immediately hocauso all mensuros must be considered In committeo, and tho meetings of tho committees will ho hold dally from now until the Christmas holidays and somo of tho more important Houso bodies will sit during tho recess. Whon congress reassembles In January Janu-ary many of the commlttcos will be ready to report bills, and the debates of the winter will begin. Opening of the Senate. Vico-Prestdont Sherman called tho Senate to order at noon. Rev. Edward Ed-ward Everett Halo, the chaplain of tho Senate, having died during tha summer recess, his plnco as chaplain, temporarily waB taken by a local clergyman who offered prayer. In the Sonato tho roll was called and It was found that nearly all tho Senators wcro In their scats. The resolutions were adopted to tho effect that committees com-mittees bo appointed to Inform the House and the president that tho Senate Sen-ate had assembled and was ready to begin the business of tho session. As was the caso in the Houso many bills wero Introduced for consideration during dur-ing tho winter by sonators who, like tho representatives, desire to hnvo a hand in forwnrdlng administration policies. pol-icies. After a comparative short session "in tho open," tho galleries were cleared and the Sonato went Into executive ex-ecutive session behind closed doors for tho purpose of considering nominations nomina-tions for offlco sent to tho Uppor Houso by President Taft. |
