The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-25
HOUSE DEMOCRATS
 PLAN IN CAUCUS ID
 SPEEDUP CONGRESS
Presidents Programme Is Submitted Members Are Pledged to Earlier
 Daily Meetings

Washington, March 24.-House demo- lution outlining plan for speeding up the administration legislative programme, with view to adjournment before the national political conventions in June as urged by President Wilson They pledged themselves to cooperation in earlier daily meetings and to such night sessions as may seem advisable
 It was agreed that the tariff conlnis- sion bill should become part of tho com iia3y eeira.ai 1ass sase
 Before the resolution was adopted with out dissent, Speaker Clark made a wig orous speech. urging teamwork by the majority. He presented to the caucus a memorandum from President Wilson rec ommending a legislative programme.
 This is the programme submitted by the President:
 '1 Appropriation bills, carrying the pro- visions necessary for the preparedness measures.
 "2. Revenue bflls with anti-dumpng provision.
 '3 Bill for tariff commission.
 A. Ship purchase bill
 '5 Rural credits.
 "6 Philippine bill.
 '7 The proposed legislation for Porto Rico.
 ''S The conservation mea sures.
 g. The Mississippi river relief measure. which should provide, I suggest that the work of leveeing and revertment be car ried on under continuing contract sys- tenn until completed, the annual appro- priation for the work to be carried in the sundry civil bill, as was done in providing for the work at Panama.
 no. Corrupt practices act'
 The Mississippi relief measure suggest ed by the President constituted the first formal announcement of the results of an investigation carried on at his direc- ton by Secretaries Lane, Houston and New Orleans civic organizations that steps be taken to control Mississippi floods.
 The report of the committee of cabi- net members was presented to the Presi- dent several weeks ago and since then he has gone over it with Chairman Humphreys of the House flood control committee now Investigating the Missis- s.ppi river problem.
 Inclusion of corrupt election prac- tice act in the Presidents legislative programme caused surprise in congress sional circles. since it was the first in timation that he desired such legsla- tion One of his principal fights while governor of New Jersey was for adop- ton of such a measure and in speech in 1912 he advocated federal law drawn along the same general lines as the law obtained by him in New Jersey. In his speech he summarized his idea of the principal point of such law by saying it meant that if man buys an office he cannot have it."
 Majority Leader Kitchin announced that the ways and means committee. of which he is chairman, would embody the tariff commission bill in the omnibus revenue measure and that revenue legislation would be expedited as soon as the army increase bill was ready for the Presi- dents approval.
 Speaker Clark and Mr. Kitchin advised the caucus that the President was en- tirely within his province in recommend ing this legislative programme and that 1t was the duty of the party in the House to get together in team work to press the programme through. MT. Clark said that by adoption of the programme and strict attention to duty by every mem Der, it would be possible. for Congress to adjourn by the last of July or the first of August .