Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-01-19
CONGRESS DOING MUCH TALKING
AND NOT GETTING ANYWHERE,
APPARENTLY.
PREPAREDNESS DISCUSSION
TO LAST UNTIL SUMNER
Warm Weather to Find Both Houses
Still in Throes Of Discussion - Only
Minor Matters So Far Considered
and Disposed ONO Solution Of De-
tense Problem in Sight.
Especial Correspondence

Washington, Jan. 19-The wheels Of
legislation are not spinning rapidly
| these days at either end of the capitol.
Complaint is beginning to be heard
! that things are dragging and congress
/ is getting nowhere. Some of the
democratic leaders are beginning to
get FESTIVE. AS for the republicans,
, they are saying: Il told you so; the
democrats never could run the gov
eminent"
Members are commenting on the
slownesS of procedure on the para
mount problems of legislation and are
predicting congress will still be in
Washington until October or November
next, unless it hurries up a good deal
more than it is hurrying now. Speaker
Champ Clark, who is a veteran in
legislation, and who knows what waste
of time at the outset of session
means, warned house members the
other day that unless they wanted to
be here until October it would be well
for the committees to report out some
Of the important bills referred to them.
AS a matter of fact, congress has
hardly settled down to work yet.
Partly, this is because it took some
time to organize committees. Partly
it is due TO failure of the leader to get
steam up and get the machinery to
operating under pressure. The White
House insistence on quick passage Of
bills, which was so marked last con-
gress. is absent now. Whether the
President will attempt the same course
he did last congress remains to be
4 tn
ism on preparedness. revenues and
other issues is making il difficult to
achieve results.
Minor Work in House.
The house passed the resolution to
extend the war revenue act and the
water power bill. But most of it's
other work has been minor. In the
house naval and military committees
there are prolonged hearings which
Will hold back the navy and army bills
for weeks TO come. In the naval COM
mittee. it is charged the small navy
men are trying to stretch out the hear
ings and waste time. At any rates
questions are being asked which are of
little relevance to national defense.
So far as solving the great problems
of national defense and how to find
the money to pay for national defense.
both the house and senate are as far
away from such solution as ever. The
senate right now is on the Philippines
bill. This is provoking lot of debate.
The military and naval committees
have not got down to work. Neither
has finance nor appropriations. 1t is
true that the legislative practice is for
the senate committees on revenue and
appropriation bills to wait on the
house. And the military committee Of
the senate is getting ready for hearings
on preparedness this week. However
it can not be said that legislative mat
ters, save as to introduction of great
floods of bills. are moving rapidly in
the senate. One of the signs Of inertia
is to be seen in the difficulty of getting
quorums to attend some of the first
class committee meetings.
Just Talk in Sight.
1t is safe guess that unless there
is an early and unexpected shift In tho
situation congress will still be talking
national defense and revenues, not to
say appropriations, when summer
comes. One effect Of the delay in
promptly tackling the defense and
revenue problems and disposing of
them will be to block action on a num-
Der of measures of prime Importance in
this session Of congress.