Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-03-07

government financial scheme caused
by failure of some of the more inn
portant appropriation measures.
May or June Likely.
So certain are many members OF
congress on this point that they are
speculating only on the probable date
of the session. The general eXpecta-
ton among them, said to he based on
word passed out by officials close to
the president, is that the end of May
or some time in June would be select
ed for convening the new congress.
The progress made by senators to-
day toward carrying out the presi-
dents recommendation for rule linn
iting senate debate generally was re-
garded as strengthening the likelihood
of special session within a few
weeks. 1t Is pointed out that in his
statement Sunday night the president
conveyed the impl ession by implica-
ton thai such a revision OF senate
rules would he a step preliminary to
bringing congress back to finish its
program. After enumerating the inn
portant measures which had failed,
the statement continued that lit would
not secure the difficulty to call the
sixtyfifth congress in extraordinary
session" unless the parliamentary bar
rier to action in the senate were re-
moved.
Should the senate limit debate and
the presidents legal advisers decide
he has no authority to arm ships
without congressional authorization,
the armed neutrality bill undoubtedly
would take first place among the
measures to be pressed by the admin
istration at an extra session. 1t might
be urged even if it were held unneces-
sary for legal point, in order to line
Up congress behind the president and
wipe out the adverse impression which
Mr. Wilson believes has resulted in
some quarters from the senate's fall
ure to act in the session just closed.
But, aside from the international
crisis, the breaking down Of the ad-
ministration's legislative program is
regarded by many officials as impera-
tive reason for an extra session. There
will be many flaws in the govern
ment's financial and defense schemes
unless emergency action is taken, be-
cause of failure of the big supply
measures, particularly the army and
general uellClenCy DlliS'
War Department Crippled.
How the war department can con-
tinue with its preparedness plans is, in
fact, a problem for which officials
generally believe an extra session Of
fers the only practicable solution
There have been rumors in congress
that some special arrangement might
he made by treasury officials to avoid
calling congress together by an emer-
gency allotment of funds to the army
under executive au-
thority, but so far as has been re-
vealed nothing of the sort has taken
definite form.
For lack of the $4,000, 900, to have
been provided in the general defi-
cheney bill, departments and bureaus
al along the lire will suffer Here.
100, however, the war department will
De hardest hit for it had counted on
S8, 900, 900 from the measure, a large
part of it to have gone to pay debts
incurred in purchasing equipment for
he national guard while it was on
border duty. The navy's share oti
the bill was more than $7,000,000,
lsked to meet miscellaneous items OF
expense not covered in the regular ma
1al bill.
Another measure that lost in the
race against time at the end of the
session was the $1,34S,000 military
cademy bill, carrying the regular all
otment for maintaining the West !
Point establishment during the COM
ng fiscal year. Chairman Dent, of
he house military committee. de- |
Jared tonight that unless congress is
,alled back the academy will have to
lose its doors July /.