The daily banner., 1919-08-15
CONGRESS MAY SIT
FOR ANOTHER YEAR
MEMBERS CAN SEE NO CHANCE
OF GETTING AWAY BEFORE
+, THE SUMMER OF 1920.
LEAGUE DEBATE TO BE LONG
Republicans Seem Determined to
Adopt an Elaborate Legislative Pro-
gram, Having In View the Coming
Presidential Campaign.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

Presidential Campaign.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Washington.-The prospect is for a
| continuous session of congress until
late in the summer Of 1920. Both Re
publicans and Democrats in house and
senate declare freely enough that
there seems to be no chance to get
| away.
OF course the present session must
end on the first Monday In next De-
cember, but as another session then
will begin, the two in a sense will
merge into one. This thing has hap
pened before.
What Is the reason for the predic-
tion in legislative circles of one long,
driving session? There is not one rea-
son, but multiplicity of them which
have come together to make the pros
pect for a continuous session bright,
or black, as one chooses to view it.
The senate committee on foreign re-
lations still has in its keeping the
covenant Of the League of Nations.
The committee intends to study every
feature of the document down to the
minutest item before rendering it's re-
port to the senate. The chances are,
of course, that there will be two re-
ports, one of the majority and the
other of the minority, and 1t is possi-
BILE also that there may be more than
two, for while the majority Of the
committee is opposed to the covenant
as it stands, some Of the opponents
are in favor Of league with only one
or two minor changes, while others
desire that drastic changes shall be
made.
Debate May Last All Summer.
No one knows how long it will take
to debate the covenant to finish on
the floor Of the senate. Some Of the
leaders have said that snow will fly
before the end looms in sight. Others
express the hope that the people will
make their feelings in the matter felt
so strongly one way or the other that
an earlier result may be reached. 1t
can be said, however, that the major
|
for the league or against it, seem to
be convinced that they have a long
debating struggle ahead Of them, and
this feeling seems to be shared by the
administration, If one may judge by
what its advisers say.
Another reason for the belief that
congress will sit until the time Of the
conventions next summer is that as yet
the majority party In house and SEN
ate seems fully determined to adopt a
program of legislative endeavOr with
which to appeal to the country in the
presidential campaign next year.
The Republicans in senate and house
are divided today In their views as to
what shall be done. In fact there is a
row on. The effort now is being made
to straighten out matters. The leaders
are attempting to bring their following
into one mind on several subjects, but
they have been experiencing difficulty.
However it usually has been the case
in the past where the differences have
existed In any majority party in legis-
lative bodies that there has been get
ting together some time before ad-
journment was in sight.
Political wisdom has taught both
parties that in presidential years 1t is
necessary either to have record of
legislative accomplishment or at least
one Of legislation proposed in order
that the voters may know what has
y6of iS In IN n
Poindexter Seeks Nomination.
Another candidate for the Republi-
can nomination for the presidency has
entered the field, or at any rate is de-
clared to be about ready to enter it.
This candidate Is Senator Miles
Poindexter Of the state Of Washington.
The Republican candidates announced,
or having friendly organizations ready
to announce them are these: Leonard
Wood, Hiram w. Johnson, Frank o.
Lowden, Warren G.. Harding, Philan-
der G. Knox, Miles Poindexter, and one
or two others who as yet are in the un-
certainty stage.
It seems probable that the Demo
cratic party will wait until there is
definite answer to the problem of the
League Of Nations before the friends
of its candidate publish their leaders
ambitions. Washington politicians still
seem to be in a state Of uncertainty
about Woodrow Wilson. There still is
prediction that If the senate shall in
sist on amending the covenant Of the
League of Nations, Mr.. Wilson will
again be a candidate.
While no definite pronouncement
has been made in their behalf, it is
known that organizations Of friends
are ready to push the fortunes Of
Champ Clark; James NJ. Cox, governor
Of Ohio, and William G. McAdoo, for
mer secretary Of the treasury.
Some Democrats and republicans
who may have wisdom in their course
are urging that their candidate friends
do not enter the field until as late a
day as possible. They are fearful Of an
early frost. 1t is for this reason per-
haps that several candidates of both
parties have not yet raised their light
ming rods, although 1t is true that In
one or two cases the rods were put up