Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 129, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1909 — SEXTY-FIRST CONGRESS CONVENED MONDAY NOON. [ARTICLE]

SEXTY-FIRST CONGRESS CONVENED MONDAY NOON.

After IS Minutes In Senate and 40 .Minutes In House Adjournment Was Mude Until Tuesday. The first regular session of the 61st congress of the United States was called together at precisely 12 o’clock Monday noon, when Vice-President Sherman in the Senate and Speaker Cannon in the House dropped the gavel that will be used during the session. The Cannon opposition seems to have been greatly magnified by some of the newspapers or else the suave representatives haye a way of concealing their real feelings behind a gauze of deep admiration. After the gavel had fallen there was an ovation to the speaker that would indicate that he was the most popular presiding officer the house had ever had. Personally, we have wondered if a lot of this much touted opposition was not newspaper hot air that did pot really exist. The speaker of the house of representatives must be a man of iron will, and shrewd enough to avoid the scheming of that great family of ambitious politicians, and any weakness would be taken advantage of by all the hounds of hope in that big family of reputation seekers. The writer is reminded of a personal observation during the closing hours of a session of congress five or six years ago. At was quite well known that congress would close its session that night and the galleries were crowded with people willing to wait all night to see the finish. While Beated in the reserved gallery a southern representative entered to seat a man and wife and a young woman presumably their daughter. The representative had a tuft of hair on the fore part of his head through which he continually stroked his fingers to indicate that he was deeply in thought and heavily Involved in the cares of state. He was addressed by the young lady, who in a very soft and patronizing tone spoke his name and said, “The House will adjourn tonight will-it not?" The member was quick to reply as be plied his thin fingers through nls thick hair, “Oh, No! we can not possibly adjourn before noon tomorrow, I have several important measures to Introduce myself.” He hastened back to his seat and two or three times during\the next half hour he undertook to secure recognition, but the Speaker could not see him. He was not *alone in this attempt, but practically every member had some pet bit of legislation that he had hoped to get a chance to expound. ' But had their wishes been gratified Congress would never have adjourned. In a I

half hour from the time the member had seated his friends in the gallery the Speaker “Rad' declared the session at a close. We have often wondered how he explained to his constituents about the '•important” measures tlat he was to introduce. It is their inability to trip-up your “Uncle Joe” that has created a great amdunt of this Canncnism talk, in which the newspapers have been indulging, and if Speaker Cannon wants re-election as speaker, we believe he will get it and that the welfare of the nation and the success of the republican party will not suffer thereby. The House remained in session just 40 minutes and 156 bills and 18 resolutions were introduced. In the Sen? ate no bills were proposed and it adjourned in 13 minutes. Among the bills introduced in the House wi s one to admit wood pulp free of duty, one for the investigation of the entire customs service, one for the suppression of “white slave trade” and one to grant statehood to New Mexico and Arizona. a A joint committee *was appointed from both Houses to wait on the President and inform him that Congress was Heady for any business tliat he might wish to lay before it. The President’s message was his reply and the reading of it will constitute most of Tuesday.