The Washington herald., 1918-07-16
IN
RECESS FIRST
TIME IN 1918
Both Houses Take Rest for
a Month After Impor-
tant Session.

For the first time since the Chris
mas holidays both Houses of Con-
gress are in recess. and Congress
sionai business is entirely suspend
ed.
Perfunctory sessions will be held
in each House every Monday and
Thursday in order to comply with
the constitutional provision that
neither House shall adjourn for more
than three days at a time without
the consent of the other. At these
sessions the business win consist
merely of the call to order. prayer
by the chaplain. approval of the
journal and adjournment. Not even
speeches will be permitted.
The House recess went into ef-
feet at the close of yesterdays ses-
sion. while the Senate held the first
OF its recess sessions under the
agreement reached last Saturday
Majority Leader Kitchin obtained
unanimous consent in the House
yesterday morning for the gentle
mems agreement to recess until
quorum OF the members in at
tendance. many having left for their
homes in anticipation of the recess
agreement.
water Power Bill First.
When the regular sessions are re-
sumed on August 10. the water power
bill. will be called up again for con-
sideration.
Chairman Lever, Of the Committee
on Agriculture, intended to call up
the new agricultural appropriation
bill yesterday and ask the House
to pass it to take the place of the
one vetoed by the President on ac-
count of the inclusion of the s. 40
wheat price section. The absence OF
a quorum made this impossible. and
Mr., Lever announced that he would
call 1t up 6fter the recess. An emer-
gency resolution passed by both
Houses has continued the appropria-
tions for all the departments COW
cred by the agricultural bill, 30 none
of these departments will suffer any
loss of revenue.
The Senate was in session only a
very short time Senator Gore, of
Oklahoma, began a speech on the
Presidents veto OF the $40 wheat
price, saying:
IF the next House Of Representa-
tives is Republican. It win be due
to the veto"
He was about to go on. but Sem
ator Ashurst of Arizona, made a
point of order that the Oklahoma
Senator was violating the unani-
nous consent agreement made Sat-
urday night that no business
should be transacted during the
interim until August 26. Senator
Bankhead. who presided, sustained
Senator Ashurst.
The Senate then adjourned to
meet on Thursday.
Measures of extraordinary inn
portance to the carrying on of the
war have been enacted by the ses-
sion now taking its first pause for
breath from the arduous labor in
which 1t has been engaged. 1t has
provided billions and billions for
the support of the army and navy,
for the building of ships, aero
planes and every kind of ordnance,
for munition plants and shipyards.
Expenditures have been authorized
on magnificent scale and in con-
formity with the estimates of the
several departments engaged in
war work.
Important General Legislation.
In the passage of general legisla-
tion, the Congress has kept a similar
pace and has enacted measures to
sustain the power of the President
along lines never before contemplated
The passage of the Overman bill gave
the President authority to re-arrange
and Coordinate government depart
ments necessary to the prosecution
OF the war, and many changes have
already been made In this direction.
The espionage act gave into the
Presidents hands a powerful weapon
against enemy activities in this
country and made 1t possible 10
punish those guilty of anti-American
acts and utterances.
The passage of the railroad control
bill and the resolution authorizinr
seizure OF the telegraph and telephon-
lines gave the President complete
authority over all these lines Of COM
munication. The great docks at Ho-
boken owned by Germans were
brought under Federal ownership BY
another resolution, while the ships
owned by German companies and tied
up at docks in this country were
brought under the American flag
through the passage of another
measure.