The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14
HAS LONG PROGRAM
CONGRESS MAY BE IN SESSION THROUGH SUMMER, SAYS
 SPEAKER CLARK.
WEIGHTY MEASURES PENDING
Army and Navy Bills May Take Long Time-BologicaI Survey an imPor- tant Bureau-Pershing's Rapid Work in Mexico.
By GEORGE CLINTON.

nSrOh.-PrOpnetS III COuSreSS are still busy with long-distance fore casts concerning the day of adjourn ment. Some of the prophets will be without honor in Washington and in the country. The more hopeful ones declare that it will all be over by h. dependence day, while the others, less hopeful, notably Speaker Champ Clark, say that senate and house will be in session until summer has been dis missed.
 There is long legislative program full of items as yet uncanceled. The preparedness bill framed by the com mittee on military affairs has passed the house, but the senate still is de- batting the Chamberlain measure on it's own account. The rerate bill provides for much greater degree of army preparedness than does the one fa- thered by the representatives. It is probable that the senate will stick to it's own measure and that long sessions on the part of the conferees of the two houses will be necessary before an agreement can be reached.
 The navy preparedness bill has not been passed by either house. The committee on naval affairs of the hous> has been discussng sea matters for weeks
 Senate Favors Big Navy.
 In the senate the naval committee is inclined to favor larger measure of naval preparedness than is the case in the house. So it seems likely that the conferees on naval matters will have long-continued sessions before the two houses will agree upon the form which the legislation shall take.
 Not long ago the administration al- lowed it to become known that it was in favor of tariff commission legisla- tion. Bills have been prepared to meet the presidents wishes in this matter and it is expected that before con- gress adjourns legal authority will be given for the establishment of a con- mission with advisory powers, to study all things relating to the schedules and to make reports thereon to congress.
 A good-roads bill has passed the house of representatives, carrying with it appropriations for the extension of the work of highway building. The | measure is now on the calendar of the | senate, but it does not resemble in all | it's parts the bill that passed the l house. It is probable that good roads | discussion will consume some days of | debate in the upper house.
 The bill giving the Philippines inde- | pendence on a certain date, and pro- viding for various changes in the gov | ernmental system now in vogue in the | islands, is still under consideration No | one definitely can tell when it will fe- | ceive the final vote Rural credit leg | islation, the great government ship | ping bill and the immigration measure | are yet in abeyance. Add to these the | majority of the great appropriation | bills and all of the revenue-raising | bills and 1t will be seen that if con gross is to adjourn by the Fourth of | July speed must be maintained and | that there must be an absence of sur prises in the way of injected legisla- tion concerning which no one knows | anything at the present hour.
 Interest in Revenue Bills.
 The revenue-raising bills are those | which are attracting perhaps the | sharpest attention from the country, if one eliminates from consideration | the great preparedness measures. It | Is virtually certaip that good many more millions of dollars must be raised | in the next year than it was neces- sary to raise in the past year. The | army and navy are to be increased, and other necessary expenses are to be added to the debit page of the gov ernment's ledger
 It seems likely that provision will be made to raise some additional mil lions by means of an increase in the income tax. It does not seem at all likely that any change will be made in the paragraphs which exempt $4,000 incomes of married persons al $3,000 incomes of unmarried persons. The additional taxes in all probability will be laid on incomes of a greater amount. Money may also be raised by form of inheritance tax, and it is probable that tax may be levied on the profits of concerns engaged in nak- ing munitions of war.
 Valuable Work for Farmers.
 Every American citizen who Pe- ceives government publications through the mail and who reads them, knows something about the bio- logical survey of the department of az riculture. It is Uncle Sam's biologists who tell the agriculturists what birds and animals are injurious to the crops and which of them are beneficial. They do their valuable work in con- nection with their constant field study of the habits of American mammal and bird life.
 All of the biologists, of course, are scientists and ordinarily people look on scientists as belonging to rather an aloof species of mankind. So far as the workers in the biological sur vey are concerned this estimate of the devotees of science is way beside the mark. Uncle Sam's scientists are ge-